How have you done it? Tell me what you've done. How does it work? What do you eat?
Those are the questions I've been asked the most. But, the question that remains unasked, but that I think is the most important is how do I stay motivated?
I've lost weight before. I've done weight watchers, fad diets, nutri-system, cabbage diets. Done spin class, tried Yoga. Failed. Failed. Lost almost 50 pounds, gained back 70, failed, failed, failed. Why is this time different?
Motivation. Before, it was never worth it to deprive myself. I mean, sure I felt like a big, fat freak (fat people are the last group it is socially acceptable to pick on, harass, make fun of and hate. Don't believe me? Watch a stand-up comedian and see who he/she makes fun of. That'd be us fat folks, thanks). But, after failing a bunch of times, I kind of quit caring about it. Basically, I gave up. What the hell, right? I was fat for years, didn't seem like it was gonna change, so... whatever.
Then, came the diagnosis. My exact words when my doctor told me my Hemoglobin A1c was 10.6 was "Holy shit." My heart hit the floor. I'm a nurse. I have seen the end result of diabetics who do not control their blood sugars. Blindness, amputation, kidney failure, strokes, heart attacks, death. None of these appeal to me. I heard a sound almost like the buzz of a bumblebee in my mind. It was fear, cold fear. It was that buzzing you hear before you pass out. I didn't pass out, but believe me, the terror was enough to send me there.
So, I decided things were going to change. No diet. No superficial reasons. No doing this to look better or fit societal norms. This time, I was doing it for life. I was doing it for my life and I was doing it to keep my life. This pretty much was me choosing to lay down and die (possibly a piece at time) or stand up and fight. My motivation spiked and hasn't dropped since. My motivation is staying alive.
Yes, it's nice to have dropped weight (52 pounds now). Yes, it's nice to wear smaller clothes. It's nice to be able to make it thru a full hour of Zumba. But, it's even nicer to feel so much better now that my sugars are under control (usually around 100 to 120).
So, the part no one asks about is a part I can't help them with. You gotta find your own reasons to fight your diabetes. Maybe it's to live and see your kids grow up. Maybe it's to keep your vision so you can read. Maybe it's just to show your doctor you can. Whatever motivates you please find it. If you are diabetic, don't just pop a pill and forget about it. Pop a pill, take a shot, whatever you gotta do, but FIGHT for your life. Don't let diabetes take you one piece at a time.
