It wasn’t that long ago, that fateful day. The day I was diagnosed as diabetic – onset of the disease diabetes mellitus. 6.1.13. The day I went to the ER with severe lethargy, dry mouth, unquenchable thirst and a frequent urination schedule. Actually I was quite beyond just the mere onset of the disease, I was into what’s called ketoacidosis – my blood sugar was 615. So, yeah, essentially I was one step away from a very imminent stroke, and maybe another step or two from death. I had no clue.

Since that near-death-event, there have been some ups and downs, the likely kind that comes with a tricky, almost now you see now you don’t kind of disease. After onset it’s known to present 1 to 2 “honeymoon periods” where it seems to go into a kind of temporary remission. I’ve had 2, maybe 3 of those periods. Initially I was diagnosed in the ER as Type 1, I suspect mainly because of how high my blood sugar was and what it took – 3 days – to get me down to an acceptable level that they could trust me to return home with my family. Later that year as things leveled out to the point where I didn’t need insulin injections, I realized Type 1 was a misdiagnosis because clearly my pancreas was still producing enough insulin to keep me in the hundreds, nowhere near that ridiculous ketoacidosis state (it can’t be stressed enough how I dodged a bullet by not succumbing to the worse while at a blood sugar level beyond the 600 range). Last year when I finally got my blood work done (long story), that particular physician confirmed Type 2. A year later, though, I’m not sure what is actually going on.

I won’t bore any of you with the day-to-day diabetic plight I’ve dealt with these last 33 months, and I wrote all of the above to write the following:

I need a sugar detox!

Not just to better appease my diabetic condition. It’s also simply because sugar is a drug, and we’re all addicts to it, really. Last Summer, in the month of August I had managed to kick all sugar-laden food for about a good two weeks or so. I was fairly hardcore about it. And then like a quitter I got frustrated that I was putting in so much effort and not immediately seeing the results I wanted to see (weight loss, mainly) that I threw in the towel, thinking damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

I need to go cold turkey again. Obviously I know the body needs some sugar – the good kind —  but I just need to detox my system before starting a strict regimented diet where moderation and portion control is more feasibly achieved. I always like to earmark major activities with a specific, predetermined date if I can, and I’ve thought I may go with the first day of Spring (March 20^th). Then a thought came to me: April 1^st – April Fool’s Day. The day that would signify what a fool I would be if I didn’t commit to this major lifestyle change and stick with it, or more accurately a modified version of it, after a 2-week moratorium.

So that’s the plan, a gradual weening from sugar, carbs and empty calories the remaining time leading up until April 1^st (a Friday) before I go into nutritional monk mode.

We’re actually looking to make it a household event. Ah, but those stubborn kids are rebellious and resistant, aren’t they?

It will be fun.