From prevention.com
By Traci Nawahine
Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes often means major changes to diet and lifestyle. Here’s how one woman does it
Last year, when I was 49 and had just gotten over my second bout of COVID-19, my heart sometimes beat really fast, so I went to a cardiologist. When I told him that I was constantly thirsty and had to use the bathroom more times a day than was humanly acceptable, he ran some tests and found that I had developed type 2 diabetes. I was so frustrated with myself, because I knew I had a family history of diabetes and had been told by my doctors that I was prediabetic.
I quickly made up my mind to take care of myself, for two big reasons: One is my family—my kids were grown, but I still needed to be Mom. The second was that I’d worked very hard to build my career at a utility company, and I was missing a lot of work because I was sleeping so much and feeling nauseated. I knew I needed to get my A1c under control and get back to work. Here’s what I did:
I changed my diet
At first, I was really frustrated with meal planning, but a registered dietitian helped me figure out what worked best for me, which was to up my protein and eat fewer carbs. I used to love a Starbucks cold brew with heavy cream, but now I make my own coffee and use sugar-free non-dairy milk. My go-to breakfast is cottage cheese with an egg and pesto. For lunch, I’ll usually have a salad with some protein in it. My husband, Jason, cooks dinner, and he has been so great about looking for keto-friendly recipes. When I travel for work and have to eat out, I always check the menus online first. I love restaurants that have protein bowls or allow you to customize your meal.
I learned to handle temptation better
I have a 19-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter at home, and they still love junk food. The things I miss the most are candy and chips, but I have stevia-based sugar-free candy when I get a craving, and I always have protein chips in the pantry; otherwise I would reach for the Doritos.
I am on top of my glucose levels
I use an Abbott FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor, and I check my numbers two hours after I eat to make sure they’re between 90 and 100. Since I usually eat three meals and two snacks a day, that means checking five times a day. I’ve found that if my numbers are too high, exercise is the best way to get them back down. I also take a GLP-1 medication, and I’ve lost more than 50 pounds since I was diagnosed last year.
I’m vigilant about other health risks
Diabetes can raise your risk for several other conditions; my doctor has encouraged me to stay on top of my eye health, so I’ve had three or four eye tests in the past year. My kidney numbers are also a bit high, so I get frequent lab tests.
I get up and move!
I sit at my desk a lot for work, but I also have days when I am out in the field and get more steps. I’ve started to use my smartwatch to make sure I get at least 20 minutes of physical activity per day. After dinner, I do some time on the treadmill, stair climber, or exercise bike.
I lean on my team
My biggest support is my husband, who helped me get my butt in gear and try to get things under control. He’s a great shoulder to cry on when it gets really hard and I feel like giving up. I also found a support group on Facebook. We do a roll call every morning in which everybody plugs in their fasting glucose numbers, and we share meal ideas and give each other advice.
I practise gratitude
One of the best things about losing weight and managing my diabetes is that I have much more energy. I can walk all of Disneyland without getting winded, and I can even get on some of the rides I couldn’t enjoy in the past because of my size. My goal is to learn to live my best life within the confines of diabetes.
https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a64770566/how-to-thrive-with-type-2-diabetes/
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