Warnings, there were warnings. Years of warning. I'd leave my doctor's office each time highly motivated thinking I can lose it. I can do it. I can get skinny and be healthy again. 2 days later, I'm back to my old habits of overeating, being sedentary, and getting more and mor depressed. It's a long story (see blog) but in the last year I started getting some cognitive behavioral therapy help to support life's stresses and changing behaviors that lead to my eating and poor lifestyle habits.

Well, it was inevitable. If you don't change over the years bad things will happen. In this case "good things do not come to those who wait". I knew it was coming but didn't really do much to prevent it. The doctor said "Yes, I would can now say you are Type 2 Diabetic". My A1c level was at 190. That's really high, isn't it? The diagnosis came about 2 weeks ago. I'm still processing and evaluating and getting ready to learn more about what is happening to my body. My saving grace is that I know that Type 2 can be reversed or at least controlled with weightloss and a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately, my past history has very little success in this arena so my confidence level at this time is quite low. How am I going to turn this around? Am I capable? So many questions running through my mind.

I'm only 38 years old. This wasn't how I planned life to be. Where are all the happy dreams I had when I was a kid? Instead, I've begun isolating myself, lacking in friends, feeling like I can't go to my family for support because they will only criticize.

Ok, let me go get the mop. I need wipe up this mess I've created of my life and start clean and fresh.

If anyone has a success story on how they turned their lives around, please share with me. I could definitely use some encouragement and inspiration right now.

My husband, who's 60 was in your spot and he has controlled it with diet and exercise. It was not easy, but it can be done. He started eating the same way that I do, no red meat, low fat, low carb and riding a stationary bike in his office most days. A big breakthrough for him was going to a dietitian for several sessions and learning what foods he could eat and be healthy.

Good luck! (hug)

In August 2009, after learning 2 years previously I was now a Type 2 diabetic, I began the MRC weight loss plan. At the start, my A1C was 7.8, but from just 3 weeks ago, my A1C is now dropped 5.8.

You can reverse it. Just do it!

Wishing you much success!

Joy, what is MRC?

Anyway ... inspiration? Well, my grandfather had type 2, and I saw him go through ****. He never had control of his blood sugar, and suffered terribly for it. Heart disease, kidney failure, eye problems, he had the works. I was and am just terrified of this happening to me, and happening younger than he was when he had it. Another person I know had to have his feet amputated, and then he went through the kidney failure and all the rest, too.

I know it's not fun to hear about these things, but it's the only thing that scared me enough to do something. I know it is not the best motivation, but it's the only one I have right now. Otherwise, I think I would have just ignored it or given up.

You can do this! I did. I'm still struggling, but I'm doing it. Find the best plan for you, and do the best you can do with it. I'm not saying you have to be perfect, but you will feel better if you do the best you can.

Good luck!

+1

I was recently diagnosed pre-diabetic. Felt many of the same things you are feeling. Still feel them occasionally. Like theCandEs, fear is a great motivator for me.

However, I was frustrated at first because I was exercising fairly regularly and was eating carefully most of the time. I got the lectures from doctors about needing to lose weight, but I couldn't (I should have known something was wrong that "eating less and exercising more" would not cure). I decided to drastically reduce carbs by pretty much eliminating grains and refined sugars. Essentially, I am following the Primal Blueprint way of eating. My fasting BG is still higher than I would like it to be, probably because my eating has not been perfect, but my post-meal BG when I watch carbs is perfectly normal. My fasting BG is trending down, unless I have a "bad" meal the day before, and I hope it gets to normal levels soon. Oh, and I've lost about 10 pounds since my diagnosis without really trying. My clothes are all getting too big, too.

I would suggest you invest in a blood glucose meter and test foods when you eat them. There is a lot of good information and a protocol for testing on the Blood Sugar 101 website. As advised there, you need to take control and determine what works for you. The meter is the best tool to help you do that. For myself, I don't care what anyone says, I will not include something in my diet if it makes my BG go up.

You can do this!

A year before my diagnosis of pre-diabetes I spilled sugar in my urine at a routine physical. My gtt showed hypoglycemia. I was good, and worked on weight loss, got down to 173 and did fairly well until life stress got to me. I regained what I lost, and my ability to control my sugars left me. I am doing well now, but may never completely reverse this, but can manage my sugars with a lifestyle change I can maintain.
The support you find here can be so inspiring, I hope we can help you get a handle on your problems so you can get better and be your best.
welcome

julzchiki I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Let me suggest a book that is wonderful to help you understand all the things you feel plus so much more. It is called The First Year Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker. She is a Type 2 diabetic herself. The one thing that helps that she shares is that "It is not your fault that you have diabetes". That helped me a lot. She takes you through of a lot of what she felt when she learned she was diabetic and then she shares all the things she learned when she researched diabetes. It explains what we need to do and how. Also discusses finding the right way of eating and exercise for yourself.

Please don't beat yourself up. We all struggle with the same things and feelings. I was diagnosed with this several years ago and reversed it with diet and exercise when I lost almost 75 lbs. About 3 years ago I started gaining weight again and the diabetes returned. At first I was angry with myself for letting this happen again. I think I thought it wouldn't return. I know better this time, but the weight doesn't come off as well as it did before. I have to work harder at it. I've tried different things and found that a pretty strict low carb diet plan is the way for me to correct this. You may find your way will be different. One of the things I found in the research I've done about diabetes is that the doctors and even nutritionists can give us their advice and help, but we have to become the manager of our diabetes ourselves. Even my doctor told me that the people that are successful controlling their diabetes are the ones who work at managing it themselves.

There is a lot of inspiration and help here for you with the support that you need on this journey. Feel free to voice your feelings and also to ask questions.

Thanks so much for all of your support. I'm still in denial but need to put changes into action.

TheCandEs: Yes, fear is a good kick in the pants. I have a friend's mom who had diabetes. I don't know her full story but she lost both her legs and then died. So sad! With me, fear sometimes freezes me which isn't good. But, I'm so young and have so much life to live, I don't want that to be my story.

sf40, JessLess, : I've done many diets before where it's been low carb, healthy proteins, low to no sugar and have experienced sugars but like all the other diets in my history I've given up after a short period of time. Why do our bodies want all the bad stuff? I wish it would just crave veggies... all the bitter ones; keep me away from the sugars. LOL! It's so tough. I now hate the word diet and have been working on replacing it with the word "health". It's a struggle each day but this last month, I've definitely been eating more veggie salads instead of the usual fattier meals I've been known to eat. It's a day by day journey for me.

I will be leaning 3FC for more support. This is a scary road. I haven't given up (I'd be dead if I was) but boy are these eating, esteem, and health issues tough.

Thanks for all of your encouragement.

You know, I sometimes still feel in denial. I went almost two months before I was able to use my meter (fear). But it has been so empowering to see what impact certain foods have. I was at a buffet this morning with muffins, pastries, etc., and none of it looked good enough to eat because I was envisioning what the number on my meter would be. Give yourself some time and take care ...

I completely understand! I'm pre-diabetic, but so close to diabetic numbers that another doctor would probably dx me as full-blown.

Fear is indeed a great motivator, but so are the folks I've met online. There are a LOT of pre-Ds and Ds on this board who don't post in this subforum. And there are a lot of diabetes boards where you can get a lot of good information (and some conflicting info, too, of course!) and great support.

For me, I've found Blood Sugar 101 to be the perfect place for me to start. With a blood meter and regular readings, I could tell exactly how my body was reacting to what I was eating. Unlike any other motivator before, THIS is what is helping me say "no" to the many sugary/starchy things that I used to "just have one" on previous diets. I can't have one. One will spike me. I can see the reaction immediately. I can't argue with it, or justify it. And after a while, I found I no longer tried to justify it. I don't have the same cravings I used to have. And I've lost a good chunk of weight in the past 8 months, too!

I would like to recommend two books -- neither of which are diabetes-specific. They deal with change management... how we make permanent habit changes in our lives. They deal with weight loss, and the mental aspect of weight loss.

One is Martha Beck's "Four Day Win". It really gives a great overview of how we change, and gives amazing tools for setting goals and actually DOING them.

The other is Judish Beck's (no relation) "Beck Diet Solution: How to train your brain to think like a thin person". This one deals very specifically with weight loss issues (like planning ahead of time, and dealing with being hungry) and gives a number of tools and strategies you can use on any eating/exercise plan.

You may be able to get them from your library, to see if they are helpful enough to you to buy them. I did... I've read so many diet books over the years that I've become VERY picky about which ones I actually buy. But these are among the few I own, and read regularly. They are among the most-recommended books in lists in the 100+ Club forum (where I usually hang out). There is even a Beck subforum on this board where you can ask questions about the Beck Diet Solution and get some accountability with other Beckites.

All that being said, I just really want to emphasize that you are NOT alone. And that this is NOT your fault. There is a lot you can do to keep your blood sugar under control. We can help!

I have been dealing with my pre-diabetes for about a year. which in my opinion is a bunk term. Either you have diabetes or you don't, fine lines really don't cut it. To top that off, many sources will give conflicting information as to what constitutes the diagnosis which drove me crazy the first few months I was trying to wrap my mind around it.

I bought a meter and tested for about 3 months. I kept a spreadsheet until I could figure out what made the number shoot up and what made it drop. I also learned that there were times I could not figure out the high reading at all. I gave up testing and went on a diet about 5 months later.

After losing 70+ pounds I still have pre-diabetes. I can control it by being under 40 carbs a day, more than that and my numbers go up. That means it is controllable, but weight loss did not reverse it. The moment I eat the carbs, it shoots back up. I prefer seeing my BG number under 100, which it does stay at on low carb.

The biggest challenge I think was just accepting the responsibility of my health. It was such a reality check for me to realize that my past eating really did have more impact on my health than just being obese. I thought for so many years it was just a matter of taking off the weight and look better, but now, it is serious stuff to stay a normal weight and be ALWAYS careful of my food choices. I test daily now and keep my health the focus.

Learn all you can, above all be open to new information and learn what YOUR body needs to get the numbers in the healthy range.