A couple things

So I've been meaning to write about this for a while now.  I changed my eating habits the last few months and lost 25 pounds so far.  I had gone to the doctor in February and got some blood work done.  The doctor came back saying that my blood sugar was higher than normal and I am at risk for diabetes.  

Those were the magic words.  At her recommendation, I started a low(er) carb diet.  I eat mostly fruits, veggies, and protein.  I've cut out most starches, only eating a few mouthfuls at a meal instead of a couple servings.  I've also cut way down on snacking, and on dessert portion sizes.  I haven't completely cut them out, I have way too much sweet tooth for that, but I've been pretty good about cutting back for the most part.  

I've also been more lenient with myself when I do eat something I shouldn't (or bigger portions), which is a big change.  I had gone on Weight Watchers about ten years ago and stopped after 3-4 months because I was stressing so much about not staying within the diet completely.  It was not helpful.  So this time I'm being easier on myself, because I can get back on track, I have to.  I don't want to be diabetic.  Life is hard enough without that.  

The other thing I've been more diligent about is my dental health.  I hadn't been to the dentist in 4-ish years so I made an appointment for a checkup and cleaning.  I was not looking forward to it.  The last cleaning I had was really painful, with lots of scraping, and my teeth were sensitive for days after.  And I had had a cleaning only 6 months prior to that.  

To my great surprise, the dental assistant (or whatever they call them down here) said that there was very little buildup, basically just a bit here and there that I hardly noticed her scraping off.  She said she thought I used an electric toothbrush, which I do.  Evidently they make a lot of difference, because I hadn't started to use it until after my last cleaning.  I use an Oral B Vitality, and now that I started I can't go back.  It does so much better a job than a manual toothbrush, and than the electric spin brushes I'd tried before.  I'm ruined now.  

So since that dentist visit I've started flossing regularly, which is something I'd never done before.  They found several cavities during this checkup, and I've had enough of getting my face drilled into.  If I can take a couple extra minutes a day to prevent that, then I will.  

I've also started wearing my grinding guard again, as the dentist said the grinding is what's been causing my front teeth to chip.  A few years ago, I bought a $30 over the counter soft version like the hard ones my previous dentist had made me for a million dollars.  Except this one doesn't seem to be wearing down, and even though I hadn't worn it for a few years it still fits.  Unlike the million dollar dentist ones.  So I'm winning.