We all dream. Dreams do come true.

I have a favorite treadmill at my gym. It's positioned just to the right of the big fan and the big screen TV. Directly in front of my treadmill is a lighted sign, about 3 1/2' x 2'. It's a picture of a pretty dark haired, olive-skinned young woman wearing white yoga pants and a white jogging bra. She's doing the yoga Lord of the Dance pose. Her eyes are looking up towards a blue sky.

The words on the sign say "We all dream. Dreams do come true." I love this sign, I love staring at it when I run, focusing on the pretty young woman with the perfect body. I love the words.

Yesterday, for the first time in the eleven months that I've been going to the gym, I noticed there were two other lines of smaller printed words, right below the "We all dream." line. I've never noticed those words.

This is what the sign says in it's entirety:

We all dream.

We dream socially responsible dreams.

We dream of an end to diabetes.

Dreams do come true.

At the bottom of the sign in even smaller print it says, "Ballys is a proud sponsor of the American Diabetes Association". 

Interesting. Because the fear of diabetes is what got me on that treadmill in the first place. It's what got me to attend Weight Watchers meetings faithfully (there's a much higher success rate of people who attend the meetings consistently). It's why I made a commitment to working out six days a week. It's what is making me fight desperately to get off this last 30 pounds.

I had five aunts on my mother's side, four of them died because of diabetes related illnesses. Amputated feet and legs. Blindness. Heart attacks. Debilitating strokes. Really scary stuff. All of them were somewhat overweight, 20 to 30 pounds, all diagnosed when they were in their early fifties. All of them died in their 80's, after 30 years of diabetes complications. I did not want to go down that road.

Almost a year ago, in Feb 2008 my fasting glucose was 101 (two weeks ago it was 88). 101 is considered pre-diabetic. That put the fear of God in me and got me back on track. I guess in  a way, the fear of diabetes is what got me where I am today, living a healthier and happier lifestyle.

My mother worried most of her life about diabetes, yet she was overweight until she was 65 years old. That's when she lost 100-pounds, which she managed to maintain for 31 years until her death. She died when she was 86, but from a non-diabetes related illness. 

My mother was vigilant about her diet and her exercise right up to the end. She lived a full life, living completely independently until she was 85. I want that same kind of life in my old age, free of health issues and medications, traveling and doing what I want. 

In my last post I said this business of losing weight is hard. It is hard, but it's nothing compared to living with diabetes. That redefines the definition of a hard life.

My dream is that you and I never suffer from that dreaded disease, diabetes. And you know what? With effort and hard work, we can make that dream come true.

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Food Idea of the Day

I love this snack. It's easy, really filling, healthy and you get a lot of it. Best of all, it's only two Points. Drink a big glass of water with it and you'll be really satisfied. 

I'm a little late to the Fiber One bandwagon, so most people have probably already tried this combination, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. 

I was surprised I had four boxes of Fiber One cereal in my pantry. I guess those non-subliminal advertising messages on The Biggest Loser are working on me.

2 Points

1 cup of fruit  (my current favorite, green grapes, cut in half)

1 lowfat yogurt (my favorite, Lowfat Vanilla Activia)

1/2 cup Fiber One

Mix together and enjoy!

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Exercise

2 mile walk - 30 minutes - outside in the cold and the fog (Seattle)

30 minute weight workout - in office gym at work (or I should say office gym/closet) 

Vitamins/Supplements a