(Water Running) (Dramatic Music)



 Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you've had a pleasant day, planning a pleasant day, or experience a pleasant day. We're back at Lake Ontario. It is May 25th, and it's about 8 to 10 degrees.



 There's not much wind, and it's an absolutely gorgeous day. There's a few boats already going out fishing, but otherwise it's just a beautiful, peaceful day. I hope you can hear all the birds song and all the other animals that are going around.



 Apart from the beautiful scene, you can probably see a little yellow box at the bottom of the screenshot.



 That is a box of Freestyle Abbott Freestyle Leber II CGM.



 And I have two more at home.



 So as a quick recap, December 2022 I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic.



 And I embraced the lifestyle changes and habits that would allow me to get off my metformin medication.



 By November 2023, I was off medication.



 But I was still attaching a CGM to my body to monitor my blood glucose in the app of my iPhone.



 Well, this is May 2025. In April 2025, one month ago, my doctor said I don't need to use a CGM anymore.



 So I'm entirely dependent on my own ability and awareness and the habits that I've created to not have to wear a CGM.



 Does this mean I'm not monitoring my blood glucose? Well yes it does.



 And I just had a round of blood tests and blood glucose tests and everything was fine.



 And that is why she said, well you've got the lifestyle changes well in hand, the diet changes, everything that's necessary to lower your blood glucose to not quite normal parameters, but you're in the at risk category now. And that's prior to pre-diabetes stage, which I was at before I was diagnosed back in December 22.



 So this is a very very good sign.



 And one of the points that she made is that now we have to look at ways that not only make life enjoyable,



 but also long lived.



 In other words, and it's made very clear in a book called Outlive by Peter Atia, M.D. that having a long life is one thing, but having an enjoyable long life is something completely different. And not many people embrace that.



 So right now what I'm looking at is, well, finishing that book, and there's lots of downloadable PDFs from the audiobook version,



 and studying those and creating another book.



 So far there's been about 20 books that I published on different aspects of living with diabetes, and I'm very much looking forward to that one. Right now I'm writing a book on inflammation and type 2 type diabetes.



 But it's important to not only embrace your diagnosis,



 and embrace your response to it by making the lifestyle changes, which make you healthier and give you that longer life without medications and things like CGM's, which I no longer have to wear.



 But then there is the issue of quality of life and that is equally important or if not more important. Having a long life and not having much inspiration to live that life is probably not as good as someone who is making the lifestyle changes and embracing what is necessary to live a long happy life.

 So that's the update for now and some of the changes which are going to be appearing very soon and I Look forward to writing more books and learning more more books more more information about this condition and how to prevent Prevent it and how to reverse it So that you do have a positive lifestyle and you don't have



 Lots of extra medication I know a type 2 diabetic who refuses to wear a CGM and was on one medication



 When they were first diagnosed and now they're on two medications for diabetes



 they just not interested in making the lifestyle changes and



 Being in that positive mindset



 That allows you to make those changes so I Wish you a happy day. I hope you enjoy your day and



 I'll be getting back to you soon and also Sign up to go to my website mark a ashford.com. That's all one word and Sign up for the newsletters because there'll be more newsletters on Diabetes related subjects coming out soon. Thank you. Bye now



 (Water Running) (Dramatic Music)