Kathy, 66

Who:

Kathy, 66, Vernon BC

Age diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

Number of years in remission

1 year

Life Before Diagnosis

I worked full time and had a busy life with two children. For many years I had no health problems, but both my children were very large, more than 9 lbs, which I have since learned is a risk factor for future type 2 diabetes. And my Dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes so I knew it was in my family. As I aged, I was steadily putting on weight, which wasn’t helped by the fact I had to drive 2 hours to and from work, I was working at a desk job, eating junk food and not getting enough exercise. As a kid I was a lover of sweets and carbohydrates —breads, pasta — but I was always very active, swam competitively, played soccer and did many other sports.

Symptoms

I didn’t have many symptoms before my diagnosis. Just slow and steady weight gain into my 40s.

Diagnosis

I was diagnosed with diabetes when I had a physical at my doctor’s office and my lab tests came back with high blood sugar on two tests. I was referred to a diabetes education class at the Vernon hospital and I attended all the sessions, about five in total I think. I learned a lot, but there was never any follow up with a nutritionist or other supports.

What did you do?

For many years I tried to manage my diabetes with exercise and what I thought was a healthy diet. I was eating Cheerios in the morning with skim milk and grapefruit. I was limiting bread. I did lose weight but my blood sugar continued to creep up. I tried to do more exercise. I was exercising a lot! Riding my bike for 90 minutes every day, walking every day. Then, independent of the diabetes, I had a health issue and needed abdominal surgery with a colostomy bag for 3 months. I was put on metformin after the surgery and felt horrible. For the reversal surgery I went off the metformin and began to feel great. But then because of my rising blood sugar my doctor wanted to put me back on an even higher dose of metformin. I thought there's got to be another way, I am not going back on medication again. I started googling for other options.

What happened next?

I found you guys at diabetesremission.ca. WOW. This site has been such a game changer for me. It didn’t take that much change. I just reduced my carbs. I switched my daily breakfast from Cheerios with skim milk (which was very high carb and low protein I found out) to high protein Greek yogurt with three strawberries and one piece of bacon. It fills me up and gives me lots of energy for riding. My blood sugar came down, I lost weight, my BMI returned to the normal range. My husband and I are riding bikes every day for 1hr 45 minutes along the Okanagan rail trail. We walk our dog, play tennis once a week. I am feeling great and I have gotten off the metformin. There is no need for it now. We are quite lucky because we are so active and we really enjoy it.

What is your favorite meal?

It would have to be breakfast. I love my Greek yogurt with strawberries and the one slice of bacon. And I have a cup of coffee with cream. So easy. So satisfying. We make most of our other meals from scratch, which we enjoy. As your site says, we focus on whole, minimally processed foods with protein and vegetables and low sugar fruit.

What do you want others to know?

I want others to know that you can do this! It takes a bit of will power but it can be done. I do cheat from time to time, but I know the consequences of my decisions and choices. My husband encourages me to track my blood glucose and that also keeps me on track. If you get off track, you just get back on track as soon as you can.

Top Tips

My top tips are to be stubborn and use the information on this site, as it really helps. Read the testimonies for inspiration and reach out to others so that you have support. Remember, there are many things in life you cannot control but you can control what you put in your mouth. I want to thank diabetesremission.ca for all its support and information.