You've Come a Long Way, baby!

I make a Buche de Noel for Christmas dinner every year. This year I will make two, one extra for a party I am going to tonight. The base is a sponge cake where you have to beat the egg whites separately and fold them in to the thick part of the batter. Anyway, 2 years ago I couldn't even stir it. I had to take about two stirs with the spatula, rest, two more stirs, rest, etc. I had to sit down the whole time plus sit down when I made the filling, frosting, and put together the cake.

A week after that, I was in the hospital with severe anemia (no wonder I had no strength in my arms) and basically found out that my weight and diet were direct contributors to it (acid reflux causing tiny gastric bleeds which my diet couldn't replace). I also found out that I had just tipped over the line into T2Dm. I decided then and there I was going to get a handle on my health again.

Fast forward two years. This morning I had no problems mixing the cake batter. I am making the cake for a party with my hiking club after we do a 5 mile hike. I have lost 129 lb (22 more to go), I swim 1.5 miles 3 times a week, I walk 5-7 miles daily (and have walked up to 24 miles with the club in one day), my glucose has been at normal levels for over a year, my hemoglobin has been at normal levels for almost 2 years, and I am once again enjoying the things I love to do . . . including baking.