Sugar is Sweet and So Are You

Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach

So you’ve been diagnosed, and been given a prescription , and now you are looking at ways to deal with diabetes.

Rob said the most difficult thing was to have to prick his fingers several times a day, and that he dreaded the thought of having to do this for the rest of his life. I asked him who’d told him he’d have to do this for ever. “Well”, he said, “no one I particular”, but everyone was telling him he had to learn to manage his diabetes, not cure it. He was quite freaked out about having to give up so much. He then “fessed up that, before heading home after work, he stopped by at the pastry shop and picked up his last apple pie.

Rob! You’re not on death row!!!

I asked Lynn, who had been through something similar last year, to talk to Rob. Lynn has been on the lifestyle program for over a year, lost twenty pounds, and not missing sweet “treats” at all. Rob was surprised to hear that she had lost her sweet cravings, and that, best of all, she felt she was thinking clearly once again.

I explained top Rob that we would take a good look at what had brought him to this point, and that he would have to decide whether or not he wanted better health outcomes down the road.

You see, Rob didn’t have to give anything up—that’s not the point at all.

The point is, where does Rob want to go now that he’s been diagnosed? Does he want to eventually lose a foot, or maybe a whole leg? Does he want to go blind? Does being 100 pounds overweight make it easy for him to move around? Does he know that diabetes is often the forecaster of a heart condition, and in his case this could already have happened?

I guess Rob needs to decide what it is he wants. Once he’s done this, we can move ahead with the lifestyle changes. And we’ll do them one at a time. Lynn made the decision, and although she does have the occasional waffle, she doesn’t inhale the dinner-plate-sized ones she used to.

Rob wants to know how to make lasagna that tastes like the real thing, not something made with tofu! No probs. Ann Lindsay has a fabulous recipe, and I’ll e-mail it to him right now.

If you want it too, just shoot me an e-mail or enter a comment.

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.