Mystery Solved

For those of you who have not seen Walker in the past 6 months you might be quite shocked to see him now.  No, he does not have some crazy hair do (ha! could you imagine?).  No he's just 40 pounds lighter than he used to be.  Did you just say "whoa!"?  Yes that is the appropriate reaction.  Walker started losing weight shortly after Taylor was born (yeah just what every new mother needs- a husband who is losing weight while she sadly dreams of the clothes she used to be able to wear) without really changing anything at all.  At first we thought that maybe he was just losing weight because he had stopped lifting weights.  However, his weight loss became more rapid over the summer and finally last week I told him that enough was enough and it was time to consult a doctor.  Walker went in for an appointment last Tuesday where they did a blood draw.  He went back yesterday and received a diagnosis: Diabetes Type 2. 
Huh?  Doesn't that happen to people who lead really bad lifestyles?  Yes, and was Walker one of those people?  No!  Besides maybe eating junk food at night occasionally (well okay maybe a little more than occasionally) Walker leads a pretty healthy lifestyle.  He never stopped working out (just switched to more cardio), never smoked, doesn't drink heavily, and eats right for the most part. 
So what gives?  Well type 2 means either two things: 1. your body is resisting the insulin it makes or 2. your body simply doesn't make enough insulin.  Walker's body is doing the latter.  Now, his dad was diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 years ago from leading a poor lifestyle.  I'm thinking that what happened to Walker is hereditary and really had nothing to do with his lifestyle.
So what does this mean?  Well, obviously Walker needs to follow new nutrition guidelines.  He also has to take 2 pills twice a day.  His doctor says that if he follows the diet and keeps working out, he won't need to start insulin shots for a while.  However, it sounds like going on the shots eventually is inevitable.  As in, this isn't going away. 
This also means that Taylor's risk (and the baby's) for diabetes is very high.  Not only is it on Walker's side of the family but my grandpa had adult onset of diabetes type 1 (the juvenile kind).   I'm honestly wondering how early kids can develop diabetes.   I need to do research obviously, and talk to her pediatrician but if it's possible for babies to have it from birth, could it be why she doesn't gain weight?  Oh my could you imagine having to give a toddler a shot every day?  I think I'm getting ahead of myself...no need to worry until there's something to worry about right?