It’s now been over 7 months since I was formally diagnosed as a Diabetic. If you’ve been following my story, then you know that I follow a special way of eating and simple exercise routine that helps keep my blood sugar levels in check.
How do I battle diabetes?
I do four things:
I take medicine.
I eat low carbohydrate meals.
I exercise everyday.
I try to stay stress free.
These four ways, along with God and a good support system keeps me accountable in my battle.
I Take Medicine
I currently take 500 mg of Metformin twice a day. One that I take during breakfast and one that I take during dinner. Metformin itself does not lower blood sugar itself, but it helps to allocate and direct insulin where it needs to go.
Even though Metformin is the only diabetes medicine that I take. There are many that may take this along other diabetic medication and/or insulin. If you have been prescribed medicine, take the medicine as prescribed. If you are experiencing side effects, then contact your doctor to discuss those concerns. Please do your research before taking any new medicine.
I Eat Low Carbohydrate Meals
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I eat only low carbohydrate and healthy fats/ketogenic way of eating. That means that I only eat 20-30 grams of carbohydrates a day. My meals consist of 70-75% fat, 25-20% protein and 5-10% carbohydrates. I do not eat any grains, starches, starchy veggies except for turnips and spaghetti squash lentils and 95% of fruits. This way of eating is not new, but in recent years, more people have adapted into this for weight loss, cancer and blood sugar control. This helps keep my blood sugar normal and as a result, I get full quickly with smaller and healthier portions.
I Exercise Everyday
I had always considered myself as someone on the go, but honestly, it was never intentional. When I found out that I needed to be tested for Diabetes, I contacted my mom, who is a nurse. She recommended the most important piece of advice to fight diabetes: EXERCISE! Walk 30 minutes everyday. Immediately, I’ve started walking around in my neighborhood for 30 minutes. Seven months later, I still abide by the same morning routine. Each morning, I walk around my dining room table for 30-35 minutes, listening to the Bible and sermons. Sometimes, I even walk an extra 30 minutes while taking our three children to the park later in the day. Recently, I had participated in two 5k fundraising walks for Autism and Diabetes. I’ve completed both walks in less than an hour! It was such an accomplishment because at one point, I couldn’t finish a walk without being out of breath. Changing your diet and taking medicine will help you in your fight, but adding a daily exercise routine is a game changer that I strongly recommend if you want to keep consistently normal blood sugar levels. Whether it’s walking, running or aerobics, stay consistent and keep moving!
I Try To Stay Stress Free
Our blood sugar levels fluctuate daily. Anything can raise or lower your blood sugar. Being constantly stressed can definitely raise your blood sugar levels to unwanted levels. For those who know me personally, they will realize that I live a very busy life. I am a wife and mom of three, work from home running two organizations, blog and still manage to maintain a normal social life with family and close friends. Things can get stressful for me very quickly, especially if I don’t stay organized. Two tips that I used to stay stress free is to set boundaries and learn to say no. I set certain boundaries for my businesses which allows me to do what I am able to do and what I am not able to do. For example, one of my businesses require me to attend some community events. I tend to decline events that require me to be outdoors or provide no food. Because I am aware of how weather affects my blood sugar and I try to stay consistent during meal times, I know when to accept or decline.
I also know how to say no to events and tasks that require me to do more than I can do. I have always been the type to want to keep my word and please others, which are characteristics of being a people pleaser. I had to learn that you can’t satisfy everyone and that life happens. It’s not the end of the world to say no. The ability to say no is the result of setting realistic boundaries.
This game plan has changed my life for the better. I am taking better care of myself, which helps me take better care of my family. Take some time this week t set up your own diabetes game plan.When you decide to fight Diabetes head on with a solid game plan, you get results like these:
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
