Diabetes-Don't wait too long!

Road from 250mg/dL to 90mg/dL in 2 and a half weeks!

About two weeks ago, I was on my way to meet my client for our evening training session after being on break for a while. I was greeted with a fact that he went to doctor that day and got diagnosed with diabetes....

Since, unfortunately, T2D (TYPE 2 DIABETES) is very common these days and highly dependent on one’s lifestyle, I did not get that much up upset, because I do know it can be dealt with.

Insulin Resistance: Type 2 diabetes is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, where the body's cells do not respond effectively to insulin.

Now, with blood glucose things can become very tricky if you do not pay enough attention, and If you just think that it is going to disappear on it’s own. It won’t.

Again, unfortunately, my client’s doctor did what is very common these days as well, and that is prescribing drugs and sent him home. Well, ok, some might say that is reasonable thing to do until you do little bit more thinking.

As I mentioned above T2D is mostly related to bad lifestyle with no activity and tons of carbs rich food where we become insensitive to our own insulin, but still somehow manage to shovel carbs into our system without control and basic physiological understanding of how that system work. This being said, it is easy to conclude that just medicine will not have any long-term effect... why?

Simple answer to that is: HABITS.

If we don’t know how insulin and glucose are related and how system works, most likely we will not have our habits matched to what body requires.

Insulin facilitates the uptake of glucose into cells, particularly muscle and fat cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later use. By promoting glucose uptake, insulin helps lower blood glucose levels.

Let’s go back to my client and his recommendations...

With medicine, he also got notice to come after one month and re-check his glucose level...Of course I will not forget to mention that his fasted glucose level was at 252mg/dL (normal levels as per most health organizations is 70-90mg/dL) which is very high...

Thinking process goes on: Wait, now I am at 252 and that guy wants me to monitor it once month? What if 2 days after goes to 300? 350? What then? What can that mean for my body and tissues?!?!

No!

Let’s do it the other way:

Step 1: Educate - Highlight importance of dealing with current situation to the level where people will understand it and start working on it as soon as possible.

Step 2: Monitoring blood glucose daily first thing in the morning.

Step 3: Immediate revision of diet with usage of prescribed medicine.

Step 4: Immediate implementation of physical activity (certain type of physical activity which is ‘’diabetes friendly’’)

Step 5: Discipline.

Believe it or not this is all that it takes to reset your body and bring glucose level to desired numbers. Is it hard to do? Not actually when you know what is at stake.

Conclusion: After 2 and a half weeks we have managed to get 90mg/dL this morning. I would call that a huge WIN!

Not that we just managed to put sugar under control, but in process, new habits have been created which are now going to stay for life. Something new has been learned, and as well will stay there for life. We are not machines, we are not perfect, and also we do deserve to have a bit of cake here and there.

If you are 40+ and struggling with weight loss, check your blood sugar and make sure insulin does what it should do. Luckily, insulin is hormone that we can control the most. If needed, follow steps mentioned above and see what happens.

Stay strong,

Darko