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Losing 26 Pounds and Dropping Her A1c 4 Points in Just 3 Months! Cat’s Story

Article written and reviewed by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH
Published January 30, 2023

The story sounds all too familiar to many people! An A1c at 10.9%, cholesterol and triglycerides off the charts, and living in fear of what came next. 

But what’s familiar to everyone in the Mastering Diabetes community is what came afterward – after 3 months, an A1c of just 6.9%, with cholesterol and triglycerides in normal ranges, and feeling 26 pounds lighter (very literally)!

Cat’s nurse was amazed at the results from the program, but what was even more shocking was the way Cat did it – stepping away from the conventional wisdom of ketogenic and high-fat diets to the low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet her body needed. 

Now, Cat’s sharing her story. It was a hard investment of time and effort at first, especially in the fact of tons of misinformation, but for Cat the blood work doesn’t lie. 

A Shocking Diagnosis

Seeing an A1c of 10.9% can shock anyone, and for Cat the hardest part of her diabetes diagnosis was the uncertainty about how she could overcome this condition. Eventually, she found her way to the Mastering Diabetes Book, YouTube Channel, and Meal Plan, but in order to understand how she got there, you have to understand the journey. 

In the aftermath of the pandemic, Cat started to notice symptoms that told of possible diabetes, and emphasizes how severe those symptoms can be. Extreme thirst and exhaustion are one thing to read about, but an entire other to fully experience.

Cat couldn’t go more than a few minutes without feeling a need to drink, and she noticed her skin growing paler. She was so tired she could barely make it to work, and came home to go to bed immediately afterward. 

At first, Cat thought it was just the results of a hectic, difficult year during the pandemic and the following winter, but Cat sensed that with her thirst and fatigue there was more to the story. She had a few test strips from a glucose reader, but her levels were so high that the meter wouldn’t read it. 

Reasoning that maybe the strips had gone bad, Cat got fresh ones and measured again – a blood glucose level of 33 mmol/L, or over 600mg/dL. She was lucky she caught her numbers when she did!

Cat quickly realized that something serious was happening, and she needed to make some changes. A whirlwind of research brought her to the Mastering Diabetes program, and after collecting as much information as she could, she decided to invest in the Meal Plan. 

She saw testing out this new method as a love letter to herself, an investment in her health, and a chance to prove everyone wrong…

Following the Research Isn’t Always Easy (For Strange Reasons!)

As Cat explains, when you’re first diagnosed with any form of diabetes it can be scary! All Cat got from doctors, endocrinologists, and online research was negative information. “It only ever gets worse,” was the common thought about diabetes, and the road seemed paved with more meds, worsening insulin resistance, eventual dependence on insulin, and an early curtain call. 

But the more she found success stories, and the results of others who had bucked conventional wisdom, she started to feel like she could surprise everyone. Showing the doctors that she could find success with a high-carb diet full of “whole foods and plant-based yummy goodies” was a massive source of inspiration

And Amazing Results!

After just 3 months when she returned for her first round of tests, Cat definitely felt better, but she wasn’t sure if the results would show. 

And needless to say, they did!

And it wasn’t just the numbers that improved for Cat. She noticed that she didn’t look as gray, and was able to bring energy back to her life.

Not bad for a 3 month investment in herself, Cat thought, and the blood work didn’t lie about just how much of a life change Cat might have been in for!

A Lifetime Solution

Looking back, Cat’s thrilled that she found the right plan for her, even though she’s the first to admit that she didn’t do the method perfectly. She didn’t add any additional exercise, and every once in a while she definitely had a cheat meal or two, but in her next round of tests her numbers continued to improve. 

And what’s more, Cat is feeling the mental changes. She doesn’t buy as many bags of chips or chocolate, and hugely enjoys the meal plan and how simple it makes life. All the information she needs is there, there’s no need to calculate or adjust portions. She just makes recipes she loves for breakfast, lunches, and dinners. 

From Cat to You

In terms of favorites, Cat is spoiled for choice. She’s now a big fan of mixing fruits and vegetables, something she hadn’t done often prior to joining Mastering Diabetes, and every time she’s broken her comfort zone her body has told her “do more!”

She laughs that now she finds herself eating foods that she wouldn’t have even considered a few months ago, like black rice and tropical fruit with coconut, the chickpea Waldorf salad, summer soups, roasted carrots and beans, Asian sales and noodles.

“It’s all right there in your inbox, everything you need for prep, how to prepare the meals, the ingredients. You just sit down and do everything, it’s very easy, and usually I’ll have a little bit left for leftovers too!”

The meal plan was the game changer for Cat, but what she’s most proud of is the dedication it took to stick to these great meals. Now, she can look back at her numbers and go “wow, I changed this slowly and steadily over time, and I can see the results.”

Congratulations Cat, and thanks for taking the time to share your story with us!

About the author 

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, and Robby Barbaro, MPH are the coauthors of the New York Times bestselling book Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes. They are the cofounders of Mastering Diabetes, a coaching platform that teaches people how to reverse insulin resistance via low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition. Cyrus has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002, and has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from UC Berkeley. Robby was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2000, and has been living a plant-based lifestyle since 2006. He worked at Forks Over Knives for 6 years, and earned a Master’s in Public Health in 2019.