I’m trying to think of pithy titles to go along with the updates in this particular series. No luck so far so if anyone out there has some suggestions, I’m all ears.

It’s been almost two weeks since I received the diabetus diagnoses. My wife and I have been eating a mostly paleo diet. If you aren’t familiar, the basic tenant of a paleo diet is that you eat like you live in the paleolithic period. This means lots of meats (BACON!) and veggies and cutting out processed foods such as bread, diary, sweets, etc. I call ours modified because we are still eating some diary, like cheese and sour cream. Of course, it’s been in moderation.

I also bought a Nike Fuelband?to track my steps and calories burned through out the day. It is a little depressing when you work a desk job where you don’t move a lot to see your “activity” at the end of the day. C’est la vie. Regardless it’s a good way to keep track of what I’m doing to lose weight and it syncs with my iPhone so it’s easy to use.

On the booze front, there isn’t anything to report. I simply haven’t been drinking. I’ve also had a major head cold for the last 4 days so the cough and cold medicine has given me plenty of “entertainment” for a while. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl so I may have a cocktail or two or some sippin’ whiskey while watching the game.

In a comment to my first post, my friend Fred?brought up his father-in-law. Fred said,

My father-in-law dealt with this. The major concerns were overdoing drinking for he stopped caring about blood testing and giving himself insulin on a regular basis, and that there couldn?t be an accurate read on his blood sugar if he had alcohol in his system.

I think this brings up a very good point that should be discussed. Granted, I’m not a medical professional or a shrink (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Ex . . . sorry) but I would hazard a guess that this happens to a lot of people. You want to live your life they way you have in the past. What does a little number mean? I don’t have pain so it can’t be that bad right? The problem is diabetus is like a ninja – quiet, stealthy and maybe Asian I just DON’T KNOW! The point is that it doesn’t hurt and numbers are important. Luckily for me, I don’t have to give myself insulin or test my blood on a daily basis. My next blood test will be in the beginning on March. Hopefully all the good work I’m putting in this month will show positive benefits in March. My goal is to make the changes in diet and lifestyle needed to reverse the disease so I don’t have to worry about taking insulin or checking my blood daily.

If anybody reading this series has been diagnosed with the diabetus and your doctor has you on insulin and testing your blood sugar on a daily basis, please talk to your doctor about drinking! Fred is right and it can screw up your blood results.?

Another friend of mine, Mike Dietsch?commented;

There has to be a space in this field in which people can write honestly about drinking and health. It?s not a binary thing ? you don?t have to choose between hedonism and AA. But that?s the way everyone seems to want to frame the conversation. You?re healthy, or you?re a drinker. No in-betweens.

But few people in our sphere seem to want to talk about this.

I think Mike hit the nail on the head. Everything is about balance. Think about your favorite cocktail. What makes it great is that all the individual parts are working in harmony with one another – everything is in balance. This is why the best bartenders will give their cocktails a quick straw taste. They want to make sure what they are serving is balanced. Right now, I am out of balance. The good news is that I know it and can make adjustments. Enjoying great spirits and working in the booze industry is part of me. That has to be balanced with a healthy diet and weight control.

In my opinion, there is a healthy in-between of healthy and drinker. Hundreds of thousands of people reside there. Some of us will have to work harder on the healthy side, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up the drinker side. There has to be a balance and going from one extreme to the other can be just as unhealthy.

Just to end this update, I’m happy to report that I’m down to 207 pounds!

Cheers!

PS. I mentioned my friend Fred who writes at Cocktail Virgin Slut. Well, he has a new book out and I highly recommend you go pick it up. I’m constantly turning to Fred’s site for new cocktail recipes and inspiration and now some of that is in his book. Highly recommend!