YOU CAN REVERSE DIABETES!

In September, 2005, my doctor told me that he needed to change my diabetes treatment from oral medication to insulin. As a type II diabetic, my A1C blood sugar level had reached 10.0 (6.5-7.0 is the desired range), definitely out of control. I was very reluctant to accept this, because I figured that once on insulin, I would never get off it! My doctor agreed to give me some time to postpone insulin treatment.

I quickly concluded that weight is simply a function of calories – eaten and burned. And I concluded that weighing daily was essential to monitor my progress, and what was working and not working.

I quickly analyzed foods for low calorie content and also low on the glycemic index, and limited my diet to foods meeting this criteria. In January, 2006 I discovered a HUGE SECRET: egg-beaters, which provide protein yet only half the calories and none of the cholesterol that is in natural eggs. I started eating four scrambled egg-beaters with sliced tomatoes and sourdough wheat toast for breakfast at Cracker Barrel; three hard-boiled eggs without yolks and diced tomatoes for lunch; and an egg-beater omelet, sliced tomatoes and rye toast for dinner at Perkins Restaurant. I have also learned to eat and enjoy vegetables, turkey, and fish.

I switched from swimming to exercise equipment at the beginning of December, 2005 when the St Andrews Family Fitness Plus closed the pool for renovations, I started doing 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer, and worked up the 45 minutes, over the lunch hour. I also started doing push ups, sit-ups on an incline, and several other machines on the circuit. The wide range of equipment at St. Andrew’s is excellent and provides for variety in exercise. I also do 200 crunches each morning.

When I revisited my doctor this past May, I was down 70 pounds, with an A1C of 5.7, and cholesterol of 100. I no longer had diabetes and no longer needed cholesterol reducing drugs. I stopped taking oral medication for my diabetes, and that was now three months ago.

By September 6, 2006, a year after this journey started, I was down 100 pounds, which was my goal. The reversal of diabetes eliminated many of the side effects of diabetes: swollen ankles, slow-healing cuts, and erectile dysfunction (ED)! I return to my doctor in early November, and expect an A1C below 5.0.

I turned 62 this month, and I am fitter and more energetic than I was in my high school years. I am now stabilizing, with continued exercise and a controlled diet. And of course daily weighing.

The success story line is that diabetes CAN be reversed. The “secrets” to success? Low calorie foods. Egg-beaters, and vegetables. Drink lots of water. Vigorous exercise. A fierce determination. And most importantly, weighing daily.

-Steve B.