Glucose and weight loss

I was discussing improved glucose numbers and weight loss with someone. Thought I’d do a face to face comparison — literally. 

Nov 2025 v March 2026 v Nov 2026

I haven’t talked about this too much publicly. In the past year, two doctors got serious with me about how I was not just pre-diabetic but flirting with actual diabetic. I didn’t take action on it right away because moving was my whole focus in 2025 and I promised myself I’d be careful with my eating (HA!) plus the cost of Wegovy (see note at end).

So obviously that didn’t happen as I hit my highest weight (for second time) in March 2026. I finally agreed to go on Wegovy with my new doctor in Lakeland in May after another round of bordering on bad numbers. My glucose numbers improved from May to July. I’m due for new blood tests so hopefully I will be out of the dangerous range. And I’ve lost nearly 40 lbs since March (started Wegovy in May). 

Obviously my clothes fit better and I no longer have big sugar crashes. And walking all over NYC last month was easier. And just this month, I’m starting to see the weight loss in my face. Which is what prompted this post. 

I haven’t been this weight since … 2013? 

The REAL challenge will as always be  keeping the weight off. Especially when I go off Wegovy. But that’s an after tax season 2027 challenge. 

The December challenge is buying some new clothes so I stop wearing saggy pants. 

Note: Wegovy is expensive as shit. Insurance still won’t cover it though it was deemed medically necessary for me. And two years ago, my cardiologist tried to get me on it for heart health reasons (unrelated to weight). It pissed me off that insurance wouldn’t cover it. So my pissiness about American health insurance wasted me two years. Which is stupid of me. Obviously, Blue Cross was not affected at all by my silly boycott. 😜🤷‍♀️

What made you happy this week

What made you happy this week 

• Seeing friends 
  
• Playing Postcards twice and Rings & Things 
  
• Peter asking to read a book together 
  
• Helping Barbara 
• Election 2026 blue tsunami! 
• Meeting new friends Clinton and Carol 
• Skitty 

30 national park bike rides

30 national park bike rides 

Gratitude — a time when a stranger performed a kindness

I was 20 years old and in Venice Italy. I was studying in Italy, and our class was based south of Florence. I had taken the weekend to go up to Venice and meet a friend from college. (Side note: how the hell did we do that back of the 1980s without cell phones? I just coordinated to meet this woman on a random day in a random spot in Venice? I must have!) 

Anyway… so I was preparing to leave Venice and was at the train station. And Italian men have the reputation they have for good reason. And I was tired of being flirted with and chatted up and hit on and pestered by Italian men. I had seen a guy sitting on the steps of the train station, actually playing violin beautifully, and I overheard him speak and knew he was American. He wasn’t a busker, he clearly was a passenger, waiting for a train, just happened to play violin (side note: found out he played violin for the LA symphony!!!) . Anyway, I went to talk to him and confirmed he was American and said can I sit next to you so these other men will stop bothering me. And he said sure.

So then I asked his name, and funny thing his name was literally Guido. He was American, but his mother was Italian. When the train finally came, Guido had a first class ticket and I was back in second class. And it was a late night train. I went into a car and then the rest of the car filled up with drunk Italian men. Which in general they’re harmless but annoying. I knew it was gonna be a long ride. Before the train left, Guido came back to see what my situation was saw I was gonna be in an uncomfortable situation and pulled me out and found me a better seat in a car with nice polite people. And then I never saw him again.

Gratitude questions

A friend on Facebook asked questions about gratitude. 

My answer today: 

• Cheap long distance absolutely! 
  
• Better support for mental health and alcoholism (makes my family sound like a disaster, but they were good people still struggling) 
  
• Better cardiac care and knowledge and specifically pacemakers (my grandmother died at 65, my dad at 56)
  

Election Day plans

To get through the anxiety and avoid obsessively scrolling on Election Day… I will: 

• Delete social media apps. ✔️
  
• Go for a long walk in the woods. short walk in parking lot 
  
• Finish reading a book.
  
• Meditate. 
  
• Drink limoncello cream.
  
• Add: baking cookies 
• Add: shopping for Xmas decorations  ✔️

Walking tour of art in downtown LKLD

walking tour and other info on art downtown