There’s no need to revamp your life in one fell swoop after you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, but it is important to start making gradual lifestyle changes. The things you do in the early years after diagnosis can set the stage for how well you’ll manage your condition long-term. Make changes gradually so each new habit can sink in before you adopt the next one. Ready?
Diagnosed with diabetes?
You might feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry:
This special report offers clear, precise actions that you can take now to thrive. These tips are helpful if you’ve lived with diabetes for many years, too.
As you may know from experience, diabetes is managed day to day by the person who has it rather than by a health care provider. “Diabetes management is self-management,” says Patti Geil, R.D., CDE, coauthor of What Do I Eat Now? (American Diabetes Association, 2009). “Individuals with diabetes manage their own condition 95 percent of the time, so knowing what you need to do is key.”
Living well means focusing on seven behaviors:
eating, physical activity, monitoring, medications, problem solving, coping, and reducing risks. “You won’t learn everything you need to know about managing your diabetes by reading one book or having one appointment with a certified diabetes educator,” Geil says. “Learning about successful diabetes management is a lifelong process.”
Stop the blame game.
“Some people will get into self-loathing and say, ‘I caused this. This is all my fault,’ ” about type 2 diabetes, says Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, author of Your First Year with Diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2008). “Realize that you have it now, and the steps you take now will affect your future health. Dwelling on the past is not going to help your future health.”
View it as an opportunity, not a crisis.
Learning to eat more healthfully, exercise more, and take better care of your health is good for anyone — with diabetes or without. “This is a healthy lifestyle,” says Garnero, PWD type 1. “This is a chance to turn your life around. You can do this with the right information and the right support.”
Make changes slowly.
It’s tempting to want to make several changes at once, but it’s really not necessary, says Kate Cornell, 56, PWD type 2, of Williams, Arizona, who was diagnosed in 2005. “Take your time and learn as you go,” she says. “You’ll get there. I still slip up now and then, but I keep on moving forward.”
Put yourself in charge.
For Michael Bidwell, 54, PWD type 2, of Cincinnati, taking responsibility for his health after his diagnosis set the stage for success. “Our doctors, nutritionists, and endocrinologists are all consultants,” he says. “We are the ones in charge. We need to know how to adjust our diet, exercise, and meds to create healthy balance that allows us to function, feeling well.”
Know there will be setbacks and accept them.
Don’t expect perfection every day. “There will be days when I’m more on top of my game, and there will be days when there are slip-ups,” says diabetes educator Theresa Garnero. Prepare for those so you take things in stride.
Have backup strategies for tough situations.
Holidays and parties can derail the most determined plan to eat well and exercise regularly. Your best ammunition is to have a plan for dealing with these occasions. “If you know it’s Thanksgiving and someone will insist you try her pie, how will you work that into your day? Make a plan so you know ahead of time what you’ll do instead of reacting,” Garnero says.
Get psyched.
“Try to remember you can be a healthy person living with diabetes” because the emotions of diagnosis can derail even your best intentions, says Kim DeCoste, R.N., CDE, a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).
Get educated.
“It’s not possible or practical to ask for medical advice every time one plans to eat, take medication, or deal with minor illness,” says Tami A. Ross, R.D., CDE, coauthor of What Do I Eat Now? (American Diabetes Association, 2009). Here’s how to boost your know-how and your confidence level.
Learn about your type of diabetes.
Read. Take classes. Visit the websites of reputable organizations such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA; diabetes.org) and the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE; diabeteseducator.org). But don’t forget to take a day off from learning, says David Wade, 40, PWD type 2, of Denver.
“I realized that I had reached overload when I lost touch with my life enjoyments,” he says.
Master the art of reading food labels.
Knowing how to decipher a food label is essential to planning nutritious meals and snacks. In addition to selecting the most healthful sources of carbohydrate and adequate but not too many calories, it’s important to limit harmful fats (trans and saturated fats) and sodium. At first, go easy on dining out — and all its calorie and sodium traps — as you build nutrition knowledge that will help you order with confidence.
Build carb consciousness.
In the body, carbohydrate has more effect on blood glucose levels than protein or fat — but it’s still a necessary nutrient to include in a healthful eating plan. “If you can control the amount of carbohydrate you eat, then you can have some control over fluctuations in blood glucose,” diabetes educator Theresa Garnero says.
Learn how many carbohydrate grams are in your favorite foods and meals, and create a meal plan (a registered dietitian can help) that designates how many carb grams to eat at each meal. Opt for fiber-, vitamin-, and mineral-rich sources of carbohydrate (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy) rather than empty calories, such as regular soda.
Monitor your blood sugar.
Keeping tabs on your blood glucose levels at the times recommended by your health care provider helps you understand how your blood sugars are affected by certain foods, physical activity, illness, stress, and other factors, diabetes educator Kim DeCoste says.
Be aware of serving sizes — yours and those in restaurants.
Many people are shocked to realize they eat a lot more than a serving. “Open up your pantry and fridge, look at what a serving size is, and compare it to what you eat,” says dietitian Tami A. Ross. “A lot of my patients say they eat two or three times that amount.”
Get organized.
Managing diabetes is like managing anything else — it takes a strong team of players, careful attention to details, and a smart plan. Here’s what you can do to prepare your winning strategy.
Arrange necessary health checks.
Certain tests and procedures, such as blood pressure readings and dilated-eye exams, can establish your baseline and, when checked regularly, provide warning signs of developing complications.
Set SMART goals.
To boost your odds for success, create goals that are specific (S), measurable (M), achievable (A), realistic (R), and time- bound (T), says dietitian and diabetes educator Patti Geil. “SMART goals give you a framework for accomplishing your goals,” she says. For instance, instead of saying, “I’ll lose weight by eating more fruits and vegetables,” tell yourself, “I’ll have a medium fresh orange for breakfast three days this week.”
Meet with a certified diabetes educator.
CDEs are trained to help people develop the knowledge, skills, and tools for managing diabetes. “The diabetes educator will help you develop an individualized plan to take care of your diabetes,” says Kim DeCoste, R.N., CDE, a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). “Most people who participate in diabetes self-management education (DSME) feel much more prepared to take care of their diabetes.”
Take your medications as prescribed.
“If your doctor recommends medication, it’s not because you have failed in some way,” diabetes educator Theresa Garnero says. “Instead know that you need a little extra help to lower your blood glucose.”
Research what insurance covers.
Some insurance plans cover certain blood glucose monitors, smoking-cessation programs, and DSME. Medicare, for example, covers up to 10 hours of DSME during the first year of diagnosis and follow-up sessions in later years.
Get support.
Don’t go it alone! To succeed at the lifestyle changes diabetes requires, surround yourself with friends who understand.
Enlist support from other people with diabetes.
For Michael Bidwell, 54, PWD type 2, of Cincinnati, having friends in online communities has been invaluable. “I don’t have a lot of face-to-face friends who have diabetes, so I rely on the ones online,” he says. “They can guide us, educate us, and encourage us so that when the going gets tough, we can get our butts in gear and do what we need to do.”
Tell family and friends.
When Kim Kircher, 40, of Crystal Mountain, Washington, was first diagnosed with diabetes, she kept it a secret, only to find herself struggling when she experienced hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). “What I’ve found, of course, is to educate my friends and family before I need them,” she says. “That way, when I’m getting low, I don’t also have to explain what I need from them.”
Know your pharmacist.
Having someone who knows every drug you’re taking can help you avoid dangerous side effects and interactions, dietitian Tami A. Ross says. Ordering all of your meds from one pharmacy is ideal, but you also can take a list of your medications as well as vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies to a pharmacist for review.
If you only do one thing … exercise, say two experts, both with type 1 diabetes. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get blood sugars under control and avoid complications, says Sheri Colberg-Ochs, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Exercise has the ability to make your insulin work better, meaning you can get by with less, and to lower your blood sugar and blood fat levels,” she says. “Being regularly active has also been linked to a lower risk for almost every potential diabetes-related health problem.”
“Even if you can only exercise for a few minutes, that’s OK,” says Gary Scheiner, CDE, an exercise physiologist in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. “Try to do a little more each day.”
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