By making small, sustainable changes in her eating habits, Sara was able to reverse her prediabetes, getting her labs out of the prediabetes range and back into the normal range. In addition to decreasing her risk of type 2 diabetes and improving her overall health, she was also the lucky winner of February’s $1000 BEATDiabetes Drawing.
We spoke with Sara about how she was able to reverse her prediabetes, what advice she has for others trying to make healthy changes, and what she plans to do with the $1000.
How long have you had prediabetes? My primary care has been monitoring my fasting glucose and A1C since 2019. When I entered the prediabetic range, we began discussing prevention strategies given a strong history on my mother’s side of diabetes in the family.
What has been the biggest challenge for you in trying to eat healthy and stay active? One of my biggest challenges is consistently making healthy food choices. I love bread and pasta and have had to work to reduce those in my diet. I have been able to successfully lose weight with diet modification in the past, but struggle with maintenance. I was interested in the program whose focus was more toward small, sustainable modifications.
What changes have you made that have helped improve your health? I have worked hard to reduce the amount of diet soda I was consuming thinking those were safe calories. I found when I consumed them in large quantities, they made me hungry or want to snack. Over the last year I have been able to reduce to one diet soda a day and significantly increase my water intake.
What motivates you to make healthy choices? Wanting to increase my energy level and a desire to take active steps to prevent some of the side effects I have seen that accompany diabetes.
What advice do you have for others trying to prevent their prediabetes from turning into type 2 diabetes? One thing that has been helpful for me was to focus on small changes to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Different approaches work for different people, so try to get some early success by selecting the lifestyle changes that speak to you and chose ones that you can realistically adopt.
Why did you decide to sign-up for BEATDiabetes? I was in my primary care office frustrated over some return in weight I had been successful in losing the previous year when I noted a flyer in the office. This sparked some conversation between myself and my physician regarding whether I might not be a good candidate for the program and if my doctor had seen it be successful for others. Prior to leaving the office, I scanned the QR code on the flyer and and made the decision to enroll.
How has the BEATDiabetes program helped you address prediabetes? I am enjoying the format and opportunity to get practical advice on some of the challenges I have faced in making healthier decisions. I particularly like the text messaging component that sends those daily prompts and encouraging messages about small changes adding up.
What do you plan to do with the $1000? I am still contemplating how to best utilize the prize from the drawing. Some thoughts are to invest in a new pair of walking shoes to motivate me towards the goal of 150 minutes per week and potentially rewarding myself for hitting my six- month goal with a little trip to the Eastern Shore where I can walk and take in some beautiful scenery.
Take steps to improve your prediabetes or type 2 diabetes control and
the next winner could be you!
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