Newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? If you’re like most others who have been through this, you are likely feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, nervous, even hopeless.
And you’re not alone. Navigating diabetes can seem daunting at first - but have confidence that you CAN stabilize your blood sugar and gain control over your health.
In this article, I’ll share 4 specific places to start, 6 frequently asked questions, and provide a clear path on where to go from here.
How do I start?
#1 Keep calm and take it one step at a time
It can be hard to look at the big picture, but that is exactly what you need to start with. A good foundation of knowledge to build on is just as important as the good foundation on a home. If you want to gain control and keep it from toppling over just so you have to start back at scratch, there are a few things to understand.
First, keep in mind basic diabetes management. It comes to this:
Check blood sugar: your doctor may suggest how often you should check; but as a good rule of thumb, start with taking a fasting blood sugar (right when you wake up), and 2 hours after your biggest meal.
Eat well: nutrition is a complex topic, but rest assured that I have much more to show you. You can start here.
Move your body regularly: physical activity has multiple benefits. It immediately lowers blood sugar to help you control in the moment, but also improves insulin resistance and your metabolic rate which leads to long term success.
#2 Ditch the overwhelm - here’s how
There is a lot of info out there about reversing diabetes, especially when it comes to nutrition, and it can often sound contradicting.
Avoid using “Dr. Google”, and remember that what worked for your family friend, Facebook friend, or other acquaintance, may not work for you. Every body is different for a large amount of reasons, so be sure you find what works for you, and learn good science-based nutrition info from reputable sources (not opinion or hearsay, which can lead to overwhelming confusion).
#3 Learn how to eat well for blood sugar control
I have tons of nutrition information to get you going. First, visit this FREE on-demand training that I created to show you how to eat well to control blood sugar, and lower your A1c.
In a nutshell, be sure to remember overall health rather than getting narrow sighted by thinking only of carbohydrate. It is not necessary to ut out all carbohydrate foods, and can actually be harmful and cause negative long term effects!
On that note, learn to identify carbohydrate foods and determine what is considered a wholesome food. You will also learn this in the training video linked above. Leaving there, you’ll be able to understand which carb foods tend to spike blood sugar, and which are nutritious and tend to stabilize it.
#4 Create consistency and make changes you can stick to
Make long term goals, but focus on the short term actions that lead you to the goal. Here’s a video on exactly how to make a plan to get started and stay consistent.
If you make drastic changes, you are 99% guaranteed to not stick to them for the rest of your life. For this reason, you will likely experience short term results such as a drop in A1c and weight, only to see them rise again after you quit those drastic measures.
Diabetes is a long term disease - lets not choose short term results.
To avoid this and see positive changes in your overall health, longevity, and quality of life, make lifestyle changes that you are happy to continue. Most importantly, find support in doing this! Having support and guidance every step of the way produces greater results that those who go it alone.
FAQ's
Can I reverse it?
Using gradual lifestyle changes, you can improve your pancreas and liver function as well as control symptoms of diabetes (such as high blood sugar). This is commonly referred to as “reversing” Type 2 Diabetes.
However, the underlying condition of Type 2 is still present. So if you were to stop eating well and controlling blood sugar through your lifestyle habits,
The key to this is making changes that you are happy with for the rest of your life, so that you can see the long term reversal effects. This is how you lower your A1c and improve overall health and longevity, and stay consistent with it.
The good news? These good lifestyle habits can become effortless! So that you don’t have to worry about blood sugar and food 24/7. If you’d like to learn how, feel free to reach out to me here.
Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day - take actions toward lowering your A1c today, and continue building upon them to drop that A1c and keep it there.
What do I eat to keep my blood sugar down?
Consuming wholesome foods that contain high fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals is vital to staying nourished and stabilizing blood sugar. You'll learn more about this in that free training I told you about.
What can’t I eat?
The truth is, there is no such thing as a “diabetes diet”. Each body is different for so many reasons, including insulin resistance, metabolic rate, carb sensitivity, other medical history, etc. etc. (the list goes on). So there is no food that you CAN’T eat - you simply need to learn how to work them into your eating pattern in a way that will not raise your blood sugar too high. This is a topic that I work closely on with my Drop Diabetes clients.
How do I get my high blood sugar down quickly?
If your blood sugar is high, here are a few things you can do to lower it in the immediate future:
Hydrate: drink a couple big glasses of water to bring blood glucose (BG) down.
Walk: move at a moderate pace for at least 10 minutes. This will burn up some of the glucose that’s in your blood stream currently. If you have time for more, consider walking or being physically active for up to 30 minutes (or longer if you’re medically able to).
Choose a protein snack: next time you feel hungry, opt for a protein rich snack to help fuel you without raising blood sugar further.
Can I control diabetes without medications?
Most people with Type 2 Diabetes can manage with lifestyle! Medications are often brought up right at diagnosis, but I highly recommend choosing to control your blood sugars by eating well, moving, getting enough sleep, and taking care of your body and mind.
This will improve overall health (not just improving diabetes, like targeted medications would) and help you avoid possible side effects and complications medications.
Will losing weight help?
Well, not directly. The improvement in your health does not come from dropping the number on the scale. A healthy weight loss is simply a “side effect” of the healthy habits you’ve created for yourself. Living, eating, and moving well are what actually improve your health - NOT the scale.
Where do I go from here?
Feeling better? I hope so! Type 2 can feel overwhelming at first, and there is plenty to learn. But remember to ditch the overwhelm, and take it one step at a time to see REAL long term results.
Want to see cooking demos, exclusive free trainings weekly, and be able to ask questions of me as well as interact with people who are also going through what you are? Join my free Facebook Community.
As always, feel free to reach out! I promise to get back to you.
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