Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I have posted anything here because I have been doing most of the corresponding via email.

For anyone who does check-in here, records are due this week.

July Goal: Choose your own goal! Email your own personal goal for July and I will hold you to it come the first weekend of July.

First weekend of July is July 6 and 7, NOT June 30 and July 1!!!

More coming soon!

Eat Better America, New Prizes!, and New Method of Goal-Setting

Eat Better America:

I want to share with everyone this email I received while I was in California last week. I haven't had a chance to share it yet, but I think everyone will benefit from checking out this new website:

Hi Allison.

My name is Melanie and I am writing on behalf of the web site EatBetterAmerica.com

Eat Better America is a free web site that offers fitness and health tips, healthy recipes and a support community. I noticed that you sometimes post web site resources for your readers who are on the challenge, so I thought you may have some interest in this.

One of the main features is called "Healthify My Recipe," where users can submit their favorite recipes for a healthy makeover. So far, they've healthified recipes for french toast, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and a few others. That feature is in the "recipes" section of the site.

I'd appreciate it if you would check it out and let me know what you think. Maybe you could share it with your readers.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me personally.

Best,
Melanie

P.S. We honor all requests to end participation in our programs. If you do not wish to be included in any of our future initiatives, please send me an e-mail with the subject line "REMOVE." Thank you very much.

I have already signed up for the very flashy, very funny website that has a lot of personalized, informative sections that will help you with food and fitness. Check it out!

New Prizes!

My visit to the CWD La Jolla conference paid off just in the prizes I received as donations from the exhibitors.

1. Pumping Insulin by John Walsh and Ruth Roberts
2. My Other Checkbook, developed by John Walsh and Ruth Roberts
3. The Calorie King's Calorie, Fat, and Carbohydrate Counter (donated by John and Ruth)
4. Ultra Smart Ultra 2, donated by Lifescan
5. Ultra Mini, donated by Lifescan
   
6. a "Insulin is not a cure" mousepad, donated by Angel Wear Pump Stuff
7. a "Pump Out Carbs" lunch box, donated by Angel Wear Pump Stuff
   
8. three glucose tab keychains, donated by Accucheck
   

New Method of Goal-Setting

After reviewing the progress of everyone in the group, I have decided it would be the best for everyone if we started doing personalized goals rather than group goals. The reason being that everyone is starting out at different points and expecting some people who are averaging 180 mg/dl to drop down to 165 mg/dl is harder than someone who is already sitting at 150 mg/dl.

That being said, everyone will be given their goal at the beginning of the month that will hopefully slowly bring them down to their goal. Of course, you are responsible for your own progress. For people doing the A1C challenge, you are responsible for getting your A1C tested regularly and making your own adjustments. There are only so much I can do over a computer and as a non-CDE (yes, that's right, I'm not actually qualified to give you advice). Hopefully the goals for the Challenge are encouraging you in the right direction.

Good.

More prizes coming down the pike!

I just wanted to let you know of a few new prizes for the OC New Me Challege.

First, Diabetes Self-Management magazine has donated four books to the OCNMC, including one by Sheri Colberg-Ochs, an associate professor of exercise physiology and a consultant with dLife.

Also, dLife has donated 2 three-month memberships to the new dLife Meal Manager program! You can read more about it here. It's currently $19.95 per month, so this will give you three months to try it out and see how it helps improve your health! After the three months is up, you will have the option of extending it. The dLife Meal Manager will be the prize for June, so to qualify, you have to send me your May check-in (first weekend of May, coming up in about 3 weeks) and you will have to meet the goal for June. Hopefully this will encourage everyone to send in their May check-in logs and photos!

I will keep you all updated on any new prizes. Good luck!

Kicking In Second Quarter!

Okay, folks, we've now entered into the month of April thus beginning the second quarter of the OC New Me Challenge. I am very encouraged that everyone is working hard and sending in their reading. Just remember that there are still nine more months to go until the final check-in, so if you haven't made as much progress as you thought, keep hanging in there.

Here are the April results:

Congrats to Scott for losing another 3 pounds and a 14-day average of 155 mg/dl.
Congrats to Kathleen for a 14-day average of 163 mg/dl.
Congrats to Kelly for a 14-day average of 156 mg/dl.
Congrats to Catherine for losing another 2 pounds.
Congrats to Sara for losing another 2 pounds.

Winners:

Congrats to Scott for winning the A1C drawing! He will receive an autographed copy of Cheating Destiny by Jim Hirsch.

Congrats to Catherine for winning the Weight Loss drawing. She will receive a copy of When You're a Parent with Diabetes by the OC's very own Kassie Palmer.

May Requirements:

A1C Group
14-day average of 165 mg/dl or below, with no more than 7 blood sugars over 300 and a minimum of 6 blood glucose readings each day.

Mid-month check-in: April 22-23.
Final check-in: May 6-7 (a.k.a. THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH).

Weight Loss Group
A minimum of 2 pounds.

Mid-month check-in: April 22-23.
Final check-in: May 6-7 (a.k.a. THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH).

Prizes:

A1C Group
Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner

Weight Loss Group
Conquering Diabetes by Dr. Anne Peters

In addition:

If you sign up for one of the programs listed in the post below and reach the goal for May, you will be entered into the drawing twice, which double your chances for winning the prize. You must forward a confirmation email from the program for verification.

Edit: I made a mistake with the pricing in the previous post. Two of the programs are pay-programs, one of the programs is free. It doesn't matter which one you sign up for. Also, if you sign up for another program like Weight Watchers, if you can show me an email proving you signed up, you get credit for that too.

Late Check-ins:

If you have not sent in your check-in for April, you must send it to me by 9:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 5 in order to qualify for the May drawing.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Suggestions?
Email me.

Weight-Loss Websites!

The OC New Me website is basically here just to provide support and also report on how everyone is doing. But there are a TON of websites on the 'net that are dedicated to weight loss and showing you how to do it well. There are also some websites especially for people with diabetes who want to lose weight and stay fit. Here's a run-down:

dLife's Diabetes Diet: There customized meal and fitness plans; diabetes-friendly recipes; and tracking not only exercise and weight, but also your blood sugar. Helps with goals in meal planning, blood sugar management, and weight loss. There are free receipes on the website. Edit: The program is not free, it's $19.95/month. However, you have to be a member of dLife first, and that sign-up is free. I got confused.

Fitness4diabetics: A coaching team comprised of diabetes educators, exercise physiologists, nurses and nutritionists. Customized coaching for your particular goals, includes four months of online consultations. They also provide online seminars for participants. Membership is $300-$425 plus a $125 set-up fee depending on the type of plan you choose. Read an interview on Six Until Me with the founder.

OneTouch Gold: Lifescan's diabetes lifestyle website. Includes personalized fitness and meal plans; articles, tips and columns; recipes and coupons; tips on beating burnout and depression; and other health guides. Membership is free.

If you find any other websites for people with diabetes, just let me know! Hope you find these resources helpful in meeting your Challenge goal.

March Monthly Drawing and April Goals

Congratulations!

Anne has won a copy of Diabetes Burnout by Dr. William Polonsky

Kathleen has won a copy of Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes by Amy Tenderich

April Goals

We are doing a repeat of last month.

Weight Loss Group: 10% of your total weight loss goal (i.e. if you want to lose 10 lbs, lose 1 lbs. If you want to lose 20 lbs., lose 2 lbs.)

A1C Group: 14-day average of 170 mg/dl or below with no more than 7 blood sugars over 300 mg/dl

Edit: Forgot to mention the prizes!

Weight Loss Group: When You’re a Parent with Diabetes by Kassie Gregario
A1C Group: autographed copy of Cheating Destiny by Jim Hirsch

Mid-month Check-in: Sunday, March 18
April Check-in: Saturday, March 31-Sunday, April 1

I have extended the April check-in to be the entire weekend. Cut off is 11:59p.m. PST on April 1.

You MUST send me your check-in whether or not you qualify for a drawing. I CANNOT stress this enough. I cannot verify your progress if I don't know where you are starting and ending at.

Help Me Help You...

I have only received 11 monthly check-ins this weekend. Out of that, 5 people qualify for the Weight Loss Group drawing and 3 people qualify for the A1c Group drawing.

Now, we had this problem last month where I received check-ins everywhere from the Thursday before to the Wednesday after. So obviously I have my expectations set way too high for people's ability to all send me their data on the same day. I'd like some input before Wednesday. Do you want to have your own special day to send in your logs? Is a Thursday afternoon just way easier for you than a Sunday? First thing Monday morning? The entire weekend as an option? I'm just trying to figure out how I can coordinate this because right now I feel like I'm disqualifying a lot of people because no one sent in their logs. Ya'll did a great job with the mid-month check-in so I'm just wondering why so many people are a no show this time around.

March Results:

Congrats to...
Scott for an average of 150 mg/dl
Kathleen for an average of 154 mg/dl
Manny for an average of 153 md/dl

Congrats to...
Scott for losing 6 pounds
Sarah and Anne for both losing 4.5 pounds
Sara for losing 4 pounds
Lori for losing 3.8 pounds

Keep up the great work everyone!

Drawing winner will be announced this Wednesday along with the April goals

If you have not sent me your check-in, do that ASAP!! I need it for your records. Thanks!

Thursday Tip of Week...

Gary Scheiner, CDE, is back with this tip:

For better blood sugar control, short workouts (30 minutes, for example) on a daily basis are better than long workouts a few days a week.

Remember, check-in is on Sunday!

March Check-In in One Week!

Just a reminder that the March Check-in is next Sunday, March 4.

You must send them before 11:59 PST on March 4. That's when I turn off my computer and will be done entering in stats.

If for some reason you are not going to be around on Sunday, you can send them to me early. Please ONLY send them early if you will NOT have access to a computer on Sunday. Otherwise, please send them to me on Sunday so I don't lose them! I won't accept them after Sunday.

The March drawing will take place on Wednesday, March 7.

New tips and articles coming this week!

Hope everyone is doing well with their Challenge. Remember to send in any tips or questions to have them featured on the Challenge site!

"My Exercise Goals" by Kate

This was supposed to be posted last week, but things got a little crazy. Here is part 2 on exercise goals by Kate:

My Exercise Goals

Date: _______

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date: _______

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date: _______

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My reward for achieving my goals:



Signed and Date:

_____________________________ _____________

Special Guest: Kate!

Hurrah for other people telling me what to write! Saves me time and energy. Ms. Kate has offered some exercise tips that should motivate us as we move through the next year:

Exercise goals
by Kate

As I reflected on some of the blogs that mentioned that they did not set New Years Resolutions, because they are broken sooner rather than later, I remembered that I had put together a goal setting topic for a support group. I’m an RN who has worked with both kids and adults with diabetes, so in addition to my personal experience I have professional experience. All of us are either here to lower our A1C’s or lose weight, both of which are helped by either starting to exercise, or changing up our exercise routine. According to a recent article on Diabetes In Control by Sheri Colberg, PhD FACSM, “Doing close to three hours (170 minutes) of exercise per week at any intensity improves insulin sensitivity more than if you accumulate only two hours of activity (115 minutes) weekly, regardless of the intensity of your exercise. The length of your physical activities, therefore, appears to be more important for your blood glucose control than their intensity.” In other words, we should all be aiming for about 30 minutes 5 times a week, which can be broken up into 10 minute or more intervals.

If you’re like me, there are a lot of things you’ll do for control, but exercise is one that is a struggle. The American Diabetes Association knows that and came up with a list of possible solutions for our barriers to exercise: http://www.diabetes.org/weightloss-and-exercise/exercise/overcoming-barriers.jsp

“Getting Started” is another great article you should read before starting any new exercise program, and has good tips for those of you who already are exercising. (And as always, consult with your doctor if you have any concerns about what kinds of activity are right for you) http://www.diabetes.org/weightloss-and-exercise/exercise/getting-started.jsp

So, I thought I’d share my tips for writing exercise goals that you can apply to pretty much any goal you want to make.

1. Make it obtainable.
1. If the goal is too challenging, you will be discouraged when you don’t follow through.
2. Make it measurable.
1. Give yourself a week or a month-long goal- not something longer.
2. How many times a week and for how long are you going to exercise?
3. Make it specific
4. Be consistent
5. Have a back-up plan
6. Re-evaluate at the end of the time period of the goal and set another short term goal.

Example:

I will walk for 15 minutes 3 times a week for 2 weeks. If I can’t walk outside, I will use the stairs in my house for 15 minutes or do some light strength training.

I created a word document for you to use to write out your goals if you want and so you can post them somewhere that you will see them every day to remind yourself. I find this helps me, for you it may be enlisting a workout buddy, or getting your family involved. Or you could be working towards being able to complete a specific event, such as one of the fundraising walks for JDRF or ADA in the fall.

Always keep in mind that any moderate activity for 10 minutes or more counts, so be creative to keep it fun. Have a few songs that always make you want to dance? Turn that stereo on for a few songs and dance around the house. Anyone have any other fun alternatives to the treadmill? Please do share!

Read more about this at Become Even More Fit (Part 2) by Sheri Colberg

More from Kate tomorrow!

Wednesday Winners!

Drawing Winners!

Congratulations to Wendy and Mel for being the winners for this month's O.C. New Me drawing!

Wendy won a copy of Gary Scheiner's The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting and Mel won a year-long subscription to Diabetes Self-Management.

Congrats to our Weight Loss Drawing qualifiers:

Mel for losing 8 pounds!
Sarah for losing 7 pounds!
Catherine for losing 6 pounds!

Also, congrats to:
Julia for losing 4 pounds!
Beth for losing 4 pounds!
and to me for losing 3 pounds!

Edit: And to Anne for losing 6 pounds!

A1C Congrats to...

Scott for an average of 137 mg/dl!
Jenny for an average of 135 mg/dl!
Kelly for an average of 136 mg/dl!
Kathleen for an average of 155 mg/dl!
Manny for an average of 135 mg/dl!
Wendy for an average of 156 mg/dl!

March Goals!!

Alright folks, I haven't quite received everyone's records, but it's close enough so I am going to post the goals for March.

Now, this might get a little confusing so read carefully:

Goals:

Weight Loss Group: Lose a minimum of 10% of your goal. That is, if you want to lose 20 pounds, you lose 2 pounds. This is a minimum. I recorded how much you are planning to lose, so I know what your individual goals are. If you aren't sure how much you signed up for, please email me.

A1C Group: 14-day average blood sugar of 170 mg/dl with no more than 7 blood sugars over 300 mg/dl.

Prizes

Weight Loss Group: Diabetes Burnout by Dr. William Polonsky
A1C Group: Knowing Your Numbers by Amy Tenderich

Pretty cool, huh?

Check-In Schedule:
Write these down!

Sunday, February 19
Sunday, March 5

The February 19 date does not have a corresponding drawing. The purpose is for accountability. A1C Group: The maximum 7 blood sugars over 300 mg/dl applies to the second half of the month (February 20-March 5), not the entire month.

Please, please send them to me on time! Don't send them to me early and definitely don't send them to me late.

New Prizes and Guests:

Keep your eyes on this site... Doug Burns, fitness expert and this year's Mr. Universe, is going to be a consultant for the Challenge. He'll be stopping by to offer advice and words of encouragement!

Keep sending in your tips and questions!

New prizes include a gift certificate for a medical ID bracelet from Monsoon Artisans (thanks Beth!), a diabetes messanger bag from Adorn (thanks Kelly!), and three glucose meters, an AccuCheck Aviva, Freestyle Freedom and Freestyle Flash (thanks Sara!).

Awesome! I don't know about you, but I'm excited...

Monday Extension

I'm going to give everyone until tonight to send in their records because I think there was a misunderstanding about sending stuff in, and also the Superbowl was yesterday so that was a bit of bad planning on my part.

To answer George's question from the last post:

YES! Send in your readings/weight when I tell you to. This is the only way I can keep track of your progress and appropriately adjust the goals. Everyone needs to send it in.

Okay, people, come on now...

Turn in your records.

They can't be that bad.

Come on...

I know you can do it.

Soon.

Please.

Thank you.

One More Week....

Logsheets and photos are due next week.....

Nervous yet?

Don't be. I'm sure everyone's doing great, or at least trying their best. I, for one, probably won't qualify for the weight-loss section because I haven't lost any weight. The blood sugar one I might be okay with, but only if this week can bring my average back down.

How is everyone else doing? Remember, you can email me questions or comments you'd like to pose to the entire Challenge community. We're here to work together!

Love ya!

On A Roll...

Okay, I'm nixing my plan to do alliterations as subject lines because I think that would get boring after awhile.

Tuesday's Tip

This one is courtesy of Kathleen:

When you are noticing your blood sugars fluctuating widely, "suck it up" and write down everything! Not just blood sugars, but boluses, basals, food, and exercise. Take a good, close look at and make the necessary adjustments.

My father likes this quote:

What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results each time.

Thus: if it isn't working, stop doing it! I'm glad I could help clear that up.

Pay Up, Baby

The following people have not sent in their wager:

Art-Sweet, Jenny, Sarah, Julia, Kate, Hannah, Lori, Mel, Kelly, Heidi, Erica, Manny, Catherine, Monika, and Shannon.

You have until Friday, January 26 to send in your wager or YOU WON'T QUALIFY FOR THIS MONTH'S DRAWING.

Check-In and Weigh-In Reminder

Just want to remind everyone that you need to send in a photograph of you on a scale and/or your logsheet (either one you've filled in by hand or one you've downloaded) on Sunday, February 4.

The next one after that will be February 18, but there won't be a drawing with that one.

Scroll down to see what the prizes are for this month.

Good luck!

Tuesday's Tip

Tuesday's Tip:

"If you tend to "graze" at night, set an eating deadline for yourself. For example, nothing to eat after 9pm or 10pm. And stick to it."

- Gary Scheiner, CDE

Share Your Secrets:

Making some headway in losing weight or lowering your A1C? Share your secrets, whether it's from a book, a magazine, an educator or your own personal discovery! Just email me what you are learning about being healthy and I will post them on the OCNMC website.

Reminder:

Paypal is now accepting your money! Please send in your wager by Friday, January 26 or... else.

EDIT: I just want to make sure everyone who has signed up is accounted for on my Challenge Track List. Please scan the list to make sure I have your name. If you aren't listed and you have already signed up, please email me asap! Thanks!

1. George

2. Art-Sweet

3. Scott

4. Jenny

5. Sarah

6. Kathleen

8. Julia

9. Kate

10. Hannah

11. Beth

12. Lori

13. Mel

14. Kelly

15. Heidi

16. Erica

17. Bernard

18. Wendy

19. Allison

20. Manny

21. Catherine

22. Sara

23. Monika

24. Shannon

and 25. Anne!

Sunday Success!

I am now a verified member of Paypal!

You can now send me your wager for the OC New Me Challenge on Paypal using my email address, amblass@gmail.com. I'm very happy that this is finally up and running and I can start collecting your money.

Operators are standing by.

Thursday Thoughts

Oh, me and my clever alliterations. Get used to it. I have thought of something for each day of the week.

PayPal Should Perish:

Anyway, everyone who has signed up has been asking me about Paypal and how the heck they are supposed to give me their money. Well, Paypal is evil incarnate. Let me explain.

I actually signed up way back in 2004 for Paypal and have, of course, forgotten by log-in. Because I used my checking account number for that Paypal account, I can no longer use it for another account. On Monday, I tried to close my old account, and miraculously was able to (Paypal even sent a nice note saying it was closed) but I'm still not able to use it because apparently deactivating the old account still means it's being used. Whatever. Yesterday (that would be Wednesday), I went to my bank to find out what my savings account number is. Found that out and attempted to sign up again. Success! Or so I thought. Apparently, Paypal isn't able to verify the account the easy way and is instead making me walk 40 miles through the desert with no food or water. Essentially, they have to send me money to confirm that I can indeed receive money.

So in 2-3 business days, you all will be able to send me money via Paypal. Luckily, I only have to do this once and next year I won't have to deal with this madness.

New People:

Welcome, Manny, Catherine and Shannon to the team! Woohoo! Manny is going to be on the A1C Team, Catherine and Shannon are on the Weight Loss Team.

Shannon, along with Julia, are actually just parents (be nice, it's not their fault they don't have diabetes), but because their group is so small, the parents are going to lumped in with everyone us. So much for reverse discrimination. If we get enough parents, I'll make it their own group, but I'm not handing Shannon and Julia essentially 11 prizes when the rest of you may not even get one. That defeats the entire purpose of the drawings and really it just isn't fair.

Thanks to Diabetes Self-Management for writing a nice little post about us!

End Notes:

1) The 5 pounds/175 mg/dl 14-day average are just the MINIMUM requirements. If you can lose more weight in a month, go for it! You don't have to stop at 5 pounds. You also don't have to send me a photo when you reach 5 pounds. Send in whatever you are on Feb. 4. Please don't send me any more downloads or photos than I ask for. I can't handle the information overload and it really doesn't do me or you any good because it's not like I'm going to do anything with them.

2) Unless donated, prizes are expensive. Some very generous people donated prizes but so far, I only have enough for 6 months. If you have a cool company or excessive funds and would like to donate to the monthly drawing prizes, please let me know. I'm hoping to pick up some more throughout the year at various conferences, but donations are always appreciated.

3) Throughout the year, if you have a particular issue or concern about fitness or nutrition, please email me and let me know. I know lots of people and I can probably track down someone who can answer your question.

Tuesday Tidbits

Since Amy Tenderich posted about the Challenge on DiabetesMine this morning, I've decided to re-open the sign-up sheets for just a few more days in order to catch anyone who is interested who many not have heard of the Challenge until today.

Sign-ups close PERMANENTLY this Friday. I'm serious.

No extensions.

Nothing.

If you're just hearing about the Challenge, email me asap. The requirements for the drawing HAVE NOT CHANGED, so even if you sign up on Friday, you still have to lose 5 pounds or have a 14-day average of 175 by Feb. 4. It's the only way I can keep this semi-fair and not lose the rest of my sanity by having more than two requirements for the drawing.

Any questions, you know where I am.

Monday Memo

The sign up sheet is closed!

We have this year's OC New Me participants:

1. George - weight and A1C

2. Scott - weight and A1C

3. Jenny - A1C

4. Sarah - weight

5. Kathleen - A1C

6. Julia - weight

7. Kate - A1C

8. Hannah - weight and A1C

9. Beth - weight

10. Lori - weight

11. Mel - weight

12. Kelly - A1C

13. Heidi - A1C

14. Erica - weight and A1C

15. Bernard - A1C

16. Allison (that would be me) - weight and A1C

Art-Sweet and Kelsey may be joining since they left comments last week, but I haven't confirmed what they are doing.

EDIT: Kelsey's too busy with her thesis and making a baby (as if that's a suitable excuse for not lowering her A1C... whatever... ;-) ), but Wendy joined the A1C Group! Woohoo!

Now you know who else is in your groups. Talk amongst yourselves. Share ideas, etc.

The first Weigh-in and Check-in is on Sunday, February 4th. Please send a digital photo of you on your scale if you are in the Weight Loss Group. Please send a download of your logsheet if you are in the A1C group. If you aren't able to send in a download, you need to write one by hand and send in a digital photo of your 14-day average.

Monthly Drawing:
Start the year off right!

Weight Loss Group goal: Lose 5 lbs.
Weight Loss Group prize: a one year subscription to Diabetes Self-Management.

A1C Group goal: A 14-day average of 170 or below, with maximum 7 lows.
A1C Group prize: The Ultimate Guide to Carbohydrate Counting by Gary Scheiner.

Drawing on Wednesday, February 7.

New Prizes:

Thanks to Kelly Close (and Challenge participant) for donating two one-year subscriptions to Close Concerns newsletter diaTribe.

Thanks to Amy Tenderich for donating a copy of her new book, Knowing Your Numbers.

Almost There...

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the OC New Me Challenge! I was so worried that no one would want to join (now why on earth would I think something like that?) but I'm glad to be proven wrong!

I will post a full list of participants on Monday.

If you have joined, I have not yet figured out the whole Paypal thing so I will post details on Monday or Tuesday.

If you haven't joined, you better do it fast! I'm not accepting anyone past tomorrow. You have to email me your current stat, your goal and your wager.

If you are doing the A1C challenge, I would prefer it if you could actually email me your logs. I know not everyone can, but if you have the ability it makes things a lot easier for me. Sending a Word document logsheet also works. But please don't lie! If you are doing the weight challenge, you pretty much have to take a digital picture of you on your scale. If you can't, email me.

Finally, here are some updates on our monthly prizes:

- A Pump Pak, mini-Pak keychain (great for carrying glucose tabs) and a pump T-shirt donated by PumpWear, Inc.
- A $100 gift certificate for a necklace at Monsoon Artisans, donated by Beth at In Search of Balance.
- A year-long subscription to Diabetes Self-Management magazine.

More coming soon!

Contest Guidelines have CHANGED!!!

After discussing this with a few people, I have decided to make a modification to the rules.

PARENTS ARE ALLOWED TO JOIN!

However, this is on the basis that parents will be in their own "special" challenge. Most of the prizes will be the same, but parents will have different monthly weightloss benchmarks. This will help me determine appropriate expectations for everyone but not discriminate anyone based on the fact they have a functioning pancreas.

If you are a parent and you want to join, same deal:
Current weight
Goal weight
How much you are wagering

Please e-mail me!

Also, new monthly drawing prizes have been donated by Gary Scheiner:

• Think Like a Pancreas
• The Ultimate Guide to Carbohydrate Counting
  

Update!

I've had a few people tell me that they want to join the OC New Me Challenge but that they weren't able to lose weight. I just wanted to make it clear that you can choose to do the weight or the A1C or both.

Also, the deadline for signing up is January 7, so please EMAIL me if you are going to be signing up. I know a few people have commented, but I need actual emails with your stats, goals, etc.

Update: Some of our first monthly drawing prizes have been confirmed! James Hirsch has donated a copy of Cheating Destiny and Dr. William Polonsky has donated a copy of Diabetes Burnout. More to come!

Thanks!