Check Up

 Yesterday was my 3-month check-up for diabetes and high blood pressure.

I will admit that the past few months, I haven't been really mindful of my eating. I know that over the Christmas and New Year's there are so many lovely foods that I only buy or make at that time of year, so I gave myself permission to eat. I thought that I would get that out of my system and that by the middle of January, I would go back to eating less carbs and sugars, but that hasn't really happened. I have good days, sometimes two or three days running that I am eating better and doing more exercise, then I'll have a few bad days where I eat the wrong foods. I don't overeat. I get full quickly; once I feel full, I stop eating, which is a new thing for me. I used to be able to eat even when I felt full; now, however, that makes me feel sick, which is a good thing! I also eat very slowly; it can take over 20 minutes to eat a meal, which is also a good thing, except I'm left alone at the table with only the cats to keep me company.

I was very worried about this check-up. My weight hasn't really changed; it's gone up and down the same half a kilo for the past couple of months, which is amazing considering the amount of junk I've eaten! I thought my A1C would be higher, but it was the same as the last test: 5.7! Also, my blood pressure has gone down; at the doctors it was 102/60. I asked to change the blood pressure meds as part of my gums have become swollen, I don't know if it's a side effect of the one medicine I was taking or if something else is going on! The doctor prescribed a different medicine but told me to come in if my blood pressure goes up or if I have other problems with it. Looks like I'll have to go to the dentist to find out what's happening with my gums! 

I have a new goal: to get under 90kgs by July. Why July? The musical Sunset Boulevard will be playing in Tokyo from July 10th to August 1st. Hannah and I are planning (hoping) to see it. I'm going to start training for walking in the heat. Most summers, I don't do anything or go anywhere because of the heat and humidity. When the extreme heat was just three months of the year, that was alright, now though, most years it's about half the year. I don't want to be stuck in one room for half a year, so I think I need to start preparing for the heat and humidity now, build up my stamina, and find products that will help with the heat, especially with sweating!

This evening I'm going to sit with a notebook and a calendar and make some goals.

Also, I got a new rice cooker. David bought it for me. I think he was fed up with burnt rice. It wasn't expensive, 4,000 yen, about £20. It's so nice to just put the rice in and push a switch. No more watching the pan to make sure it doesn't boil over or burn the rice! 

My new rice cooker

It's very small but does up to 4 cups of rice. It also has a basket to steam foods in, I'll have to try that out sometime.