After reading through and really thinking about all of the comments on my "Carbs vs Points" post I have decided that starting next week, I am going to begin the Weight Watchers Core Plan.

For those who are not familiar with the Core Plan, it's different than the Points plan or Flex plan as they call it. The Core plan has a list of foods that you can eat. You are only to eat from those foods and only eat until satisfied. I am going to do it on a 2 week basis and see how it goes.

So far I have lost 40 pounds using the Flex Plan which is the one with the Points so I have had some success. The problem is my BG and my need for change. I will do some major shopping this weekend to prepare myself for next week but I am actually looking forward to it. (READ MORE)

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Since becoming a "Weight Watcher," I have noticed the amount of stress in my life has increased. Having diabetes means I carry around a bunch of stuff with me where ever I go. I have my Glucose testing machine, strips, lancets, glucose tabs, and not to mention my carb counting book.

And now I have to add my Dining Out Guide which gives me the point values to restaurant food, my sliding scale for figuring point values, my tracker which I log my points in, and the Food Guide that has point values for all kinds of foods. So you see, I have more stuff to remember these days then I did before. (READ MORE)

The last three weeks at Weight Watchers has opened my eyes up to an important fact.

The program works.

I know that sounds silly but hear me out. 4 weeks ago when I weighed in I was at 38 pounds lost. I was pretty excited about that and was looking forward to being past 40 pounds. Well, the two weeks following that weigh in were not good for me. In fact, I gained exactly .6 pounds each week. Since it was less then a pound I was not entirely upset but I was really hoping to get past that 40 pound mark. (READ MORE)

How can you tell when you've tried too many different diets? When you can't keep the rules of them straight any more. This month, I'm following the Atkins diet. I'm doing it because my doctor took me off meds and I know from experience (and trial and error) that I cannot keep my blood sugar in healthy ranges without meds if I eat any carbohydrates. It isn't right, it isn't fair and there isn't anything I can do about it.

So Atkins it is this month. I started out the year on Weight Watchers. I've always considered Weight Watchers to be one of the healthiest, sanest, most practical diets. Unfortunately, it wasn't working for me this time around. The leaders keep saying the Core plan is great for people with diabetes, but I couldn't lose weight on it. Besides, I was eating mostly whole grains, fresh veggies and lean proteins. I think my portions sizes were too large. I did better counting points, but still that was a struggle to keep my blood sugar in line. (READ MORE)

Which would you like to hear first? I guess I'll start with the bad news and get my whining out of the way first. The scale is up this week. Granted it's only half a pound, but the frustrating part is I have been working so hard at this. I've been following Weight Watchers faithfully since Thanksgiving and I've only lost about 2 and a half pounds. What's worse is I'm starting to begrudge people at the meeting who lose more than that each week. Selfish, isn't it?

In reviewing my diet, exercise and lifestyle, I'm even more annoyed because I'm eating less food (and healthier food, at that), exercising more, drinking water and even getting more sleep than I had been. But I'm still not losing. What do I need to do? I'm open to all suggestions, except "be patient." I don't do well with patience. (READ MORE)

With all the talk of New Year's Resolutions and dieting, I keep coming across advice to keep a food diary. The articles usually point out that research shows keeping a food diary "even for just one day" can aid your weight loss efforts. (I haven't been able to find these studies, but maybe I'm just using the wrong search engine or key words.)

Keeping a food journal has been part of my routine for a very long time now. In fact, I have several editions of notebooks dedicated to logging every morsel of food that goes into my mouth (along with blood sugar readings and insulin dosing, of course).

It's also a cornerstone to the Weight Watchers program. "If you bite it, write it" is a common phrase heard in meetings. My leader, Kim, started what we call "The Magic Traveling Journal." The 12-week planner gets passed around to a different group member each week. (READ MORE)