Some people will claim I am talking
about reversing type 2 diabetes, which I am not. You can manage type
2 diabetes, but you cannot reverse type 2 diabetes. If you think
that, just ask yourself what happens if you stop managing type 2
diabetes. Yes, it comes roaring back with a vengeance. Some people
even claim you can control type 2 diabetes – no way! You can
manage type 2 diabetes to the best of you abilities, but slack off on
your management and diabetes rears its ugly head.
Some people do an excellent job of
managing their type 2 diabetes and some don't. Others do such a good
job of managing their diabetes that they can bring their blood
glucose levels back into the normal range and do this for years.
Others manage it for a few months and they then struggle to prevent
it from taking over. We are all different and we as people with type
2 diabetes need to realize this. What many people forget is that it
depends on when they were diagnosed and how quickly they start
managing their diabetes.
Some of the things you can do to manage
your type 2 diabetes include:
#1. For some people, it is
shedding extra pounds and keeping them off. This can help you better manage your blood glucose levels.
#2. For others, reaching a
healthier weight will mean taking fewer medications, or in rarer
cases, no longer needing those medications at all.
#3. For the majority, it will
mean if you sit most of the day, 5 or 10 minutes is going to be
great. Walk to your mailbox. Do something that gets you moving,
knowing that you're looking to move towards 30 minutes most days of
the week.
In one study, people with type 2
diabetes exercised for 175 minutes a week, limited their calories to
1,200 to 1,800 per day, and got weekly counseling and education on
these lifestyle changes. Within a year, about 10% got off their
diabetes medications or improved to the point where their blood
glucose level was no longer in the diabetes range, and could be classified as pre-diabetes. Remember, they still have type
2 diabetes, but are managing it in the pre-diabetes range.
Results were best for those who lost
the most weight or who started the program with less severe or newly
diagnosed diabetes. Fifteen to 20% of these people were able to stop
taking their diabetes medications.
If you make changes to your diet and
exercise routine, and your diabetes doesn’t improve, it's not your
fault. You could have been diagnosed at a time when your pancreas
was already too damaged to recover. You are still smart to continue
your diet and exercise routine and manage your diabetes to the best of
your abilities. The earlier in the course of your diabetes
that you make these changes, the more likely you are to stack the
deck in your favor that you won't progress to unmanageable diabetes.
Don't let denial delay this.
Your weight and lifestyle aren’t the
only things that matter. Your genes also influence whether you get
type 2 diabetes. Some thin people are also living with type 2
diabetes. Your weight and lifestyle are things you can change, and
they are important parts of your overall health, as well as steps
that help manage diabetes.
Whatever your goals are, you are aiming
for your best health, not someone else’s. Diet and exercise alone
will control diabetes for some people. For others, a combination of
medication and healthy habits will keep them at their best.
If you have been able to manage on
lifestyle intervention alone, continue to do that. If you need to go
on medication, do what's necessary for your health. You need to take
advantage of the treatment that's going to keep your blood glucose,
blood pressure, and cholesterol in check. Manage your diabetes and
health to the best of your abilities and have regular doctor
check-ups to assist in tracking these.
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