I Went to Paris and All I Did Was Lose 3 Pounds

Ah, Paris - city of lights! Of love! Of...fabulous croissants! I just spent a little over a week in Europe, and I learned a lot. It also confirmed what I know. An extra added bonus was I came home 3 pounds closer to my healthiest weight! I was concerned that I wouldn't find anything I could eat with my diabetes. Au contraire! As usual, it came down to common sense. My favorite time of day was morning...a simple breakfast was a cup of "coffee milk", 2 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice, and a croissant. The coffee...oh my! They drink espresso, and there is just a splash of steamed milk. So lesson number one was reiterated: portion control! Small cup of coffee with milk, small amount of orange juice, and the croissant was a third of the size that is typically presented to us here in the states. Each meal was like that - small portion sizes. The coffee was exquisite - not once did I add any sweetener to it. Each cup was freshly ground and made for me, and the freshness did not need any additives. The next reminder: fresh is best. Eat food that looks like food! Every egg I consumed was a brown egg, with yolks that were orange. These were farm fresh eggs, and they were amazing. Daily we saw the market on the block open for the purchase of fresh produce, meat, and cheese. As we passed the bistros we ate in, we watched fresh goods loaded into the restaurant every day. My cassolette for dinner had a chicken leg that looked like it was walking around that morning: it wasn't huge and uniform and pale. It was also not the star of the dish - the white beans, fresh carrots, and simmered veggies and spices were. The delightful little macaron that finished my day was made that morning in the bakery - no pre-packaged conglomeration of artificial everything. I was very pleased to see that France is an active city - people were out exercising. Everywhere I went, I saw runners. Plus, people walk everywhere. Parents were walking their kids to school in the morning, and the kids walked home for lunch. It was as it used to be when I was a child. There were no lines of cars picking up kids at school. Kids were on scooters, on skateboards, on foot. Moving! They say there "are no fat people" in France. I have to agree - I saw healthy looking people, moving, exercising, eating fresh, local food, in reasonable portions. My blood sugars were great all week- I focused on the beauty around me, and tasted what Paris had to offer! Now if the Europeans would just stop smoking!!!! e b e r

Six Miles

Welcome to a new year. A new day! A lot of people make resolutions. I have done so in the past, but more than anything it's just a reminder to keep pressing on. A healthy lifestyle doesn't start on a day...it starts every day. Last week I woke up practically immobilized from my back issue. Once that cleared, my compensating right knee was struggling. As the previous post attested to, I stayed on track with my healthy eating and breathing, etc. Today I decided to head out on a run, getting back on track with my exercise. Well, I ended up doing 6.2 miles. And I feel great! It ended up to be a great workout, despite the heat and humidity and puddle dodging. More than that, it really encouraged me. I remember starting this journey six years ago - when I set out to walk a 5k a day. Just a 3.12 mile walk daily. Now, I've done 17 half marathons, and lots of 10 and 5k's. It's still hard to believe it's me. Today reminds me how far I have come. I had to take that first step out of the door, though. And everyday, I have to remind myself that I am going to be as healthy as I want to be. Make a goal. It's your life, your goal. And start. You can do it! e b e r