Have you been told by your doctor that your diabetes will progress regardless?
That in years to come you will likely develop some type of complication like neuropathy or eye issues?
Is this true?
Yes and No, because it depends on how well you take care of yourself.
Diabetes Is Not A Life Sentence
Having type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence, it does not mean you have been sentenced to death by neuropathy or heart disease.
Certainly your risk is higher, there is no doubt about that, and it’s probably why doctors say your condition will progress.
There are also studies that show many people do progress along a continuum.
BUT it doesn’t have to be that way.
Work Hard To Keep Diabetes Under Control
You will have to work hard to keep your diabetes under control, at least until you know what works best for your body.
Once you know the types of foods to eat and avoid. Once you get yourself into a good exercise routine, then you can limit the wear and tear on your pancreas, and you can limit the effort required by your endocrine system and other organs to manage the necessary processes.
It’s mostly up to you because progression will occur if you don’t do anything about it. If you just leave it up to medications and insulin, then you can pretty much guarantee your condition will progress. And in people where there is not good control, then chances are this will occur.
BUT it doesn’t have to be this way. You need to be PRO-ACTIVE!
It’s up to you to take control and not let it control you.
Eat VERY Well and Exercise Regularly
There are 2 simple things that are going to make all the difference.
1. Eat VERY Well
Eat a whole foods low carbohydrate diet like the one we promote on this food list here. And choose the right type of carbohydrates, check out this guide here.
Often drastic changes do need to be made when it comes to diet, and if you want to stop the progression of diabetes, then yes this needs to happen and the sooner the better.
However, there are still loads of delicious blood sugar friendly foods and meals to eat and enjoy, which is what our weekly meal plan service helps you do.
2. Exercise
Insulin resistance is a key factor in diabetes and one of the best things to help with this is exercise. It also helps with blood sugar control too but the mere action of pumping the muscle helps increase your insulin sensitivity. Our bodies were made to move, so move more!
You MUST schedule this into your daily/ weekly routine.
Age Can Make Things Harder
Lots of people say that as they get older it can get harder or take a bit more work to control diabetes, unfortunately this is just the nature of ageing for all of us.
But again this doesn’t mean a progression will occur. It just means you may have to tweak things a bit more from time to time to keep everything on track.
Diabetes Is Reversible!
It is a myth that diabetes will progress regardless!
Yes there are lots of myths around diabetes. But there are plenty of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes and yet their bloods are normal and have been normal for 30 years, without meds, without insulin.
There are also many studies that have shown that type 2 diabetes can be reversed through diet and lifestyle intervention alone.
What does that mean for you? It simply means making diet and lifestyle changes.
Start with this food list.
Then get to know your carb sources.
And know your blood sugar levels.
Those 3 things should help get you underway.
Wishing you the best in health. :)
Thank you for this. I had gastric surgery five years ago and lost 50 kg. My bloods have been great since then. I exercise and eat well and am very mindful of my health. The GP the other day, just scoffed at me and told me my diabetes will come back. I was shocked at his attitude. But I choose not to believe him, so your article has come at a good time to encourage me.
Sorry to hear that Anna, that’s not very encouraging. If you are proactive, it will help you stay healthy!
This is a super encouraging and helpful post. Thanks for the emailed link and invite to view it.
I have been a DMP member for several years. I was diagnosed with T2D ~5 years ago and found this website, became a member, and completed the 30 day challenge. I loved the information and was able to lower my A1c to normal levels and keep it there until recently. This year my levels have gone up and at the moment seem unpredictable – normal for several days and then suddenly unexpectedly high for a few days. I’m feeling discouraged about it and not sure how to proceed.
I did subscribe to the meal plans for a year, but found it hard to integrate them into my family’s rotation. I still enjoy the website, especially the blog posts, but am disappointed that there is no longer a search box. I hope the decision to remove it will be reconsidered.
Keep up the good work, and thank you for your assistance.
Greetings,
Hope you are doing good and heath.
I thank you for all the information about diabete that you have been published to us, truly it is of great help to many and mostly to myself. I was diagnosed with Diabete in October 2021 and i was very terrified when the doctor told me that my blood sugar level is 27.
Since that day, he did not give me any medication but he advised me to go to the the nearest public clinic but i did not go and im not on any medication.
One month after i have been diagnosed, i came across this web and it has been of greet help though many of the food looks like i do not know them, i try to be vegetarian as possible and when i tested again last month my Blood sugar levl was now 9.1. I’m now having hope that it can be possible to reverse diabetes.
Therefore, i would like your advise on my preoccupation in my mind….
Can i still go for medication? Or not.
Hi Well, it’s good to see your levels have reduced, well done. You should consult with your doctor or the public clinic regarding medication.
I have never had to be concerned about Diabetes until I Married in Oct, of 2013. My wife was over weight for years and about 5 years ago took it upon herself to loose weight. She lost over 150 pounds. About 4 years ago she had to go in insulin, but her Dr. did not monitor it very well. She was working two full time jobs, ate badly and rarely exercised and was just not financially able to properly take care of herself. When we met and married I was determined to help her. This was a MAJOR learning curve for me. She did quit one of her jobs and moved to my home. She loves her job and is good at it even if it doesn’t pay all that well. On top of that she has to drive 85 miles one way to work that’s 170 miles a day. She leaves when it is dark and gets home exhausted after dark after working 8-9 hours and then driving 4 hours. We joined a gym but she is just to exhausted by the time she gets home to go. I fix her a Healthy breakfast that she can eat on the road and fix good food for to eat at work. After that I can’t monitor what she is doing at work. She skips most meals during the day and drinks about 1/4 of the water that she should. I work locally and go to the gym 3-4 days a week and I so much want her to be more a part of our daily lives. I hate to fuss at her about her eating and fluid intake but she is taking her medication far better now. She has Neuropathy in her legs and feet and last year it was discovered that she had Retinopathy and had four surgeries last year along with lots of shots in her eyes. I have been there for her all every single time. Still she does not seem to be getting better. I am so discouraged at this point. She is only 48 and I don’t want to loose her to this illness. ANY advise or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Danny, thanks for stopping by :)
This is a difficult situation because it sounds like your wifes diabetes is poorly controlled, which is why she may be getting worse and not better.
You can only do so much yourself, and you are doing GREAT!! She is lucky to have you helping her.
Skipping meals will increase blood sugar and stress can increase blood sugar too. Does she monitor her sugar and a1c levels? Are her levels high? Is she aware of the devastating consquences of not managing it better? Do you think she would make a better effort to eat regularly?
In the end it involves both of you, so don’t feel bad about pestering her, YOU CARE, and that matters!!