Jack has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 75 years. For most of that time, he was just going with what he’d always been told – to minimize carbohydrates, but otherwise just live his life and dose the insulin accordingly.
But last year, he was faced with a few health scares. Jack had been struggling with his weight for years. But matters became more pressing when he broke his arm, and it didn’t heal well due to complications from his diabetes, leading him to need a major surgery. At the same time, he received a high coronary calcium score. This was just after his sister had a triple bypass surgery, so the news of his own health concerns hit particularly strong.
Jack’s wife, Diane, had been plant-based for 13 years. She’d tried to share information about the health benefits of the lifestyle with him in the past, but he hadn’t been interested in giving it a try. Now, he was motivated to learn.
He attended a few webinars hosted by Forks Over Knives, one of which featured Robby as the guest speaker. Jack found it helpful to learn from a fellow type 1 diabetic who could truly understand his experience. He booked a call with Robby, and after speaking with him, felt ready to jump in and give this a try. He joined the coaching program and started working with a private coach on the Mastering Diabetes team.
With the support of his wife Diane, Jack dove in with 100% commitment to the Mastering Diabetes Method. They downloaded the weekly meal plans, diligently went through the online course, attended all the coaching calls, and prepared and ate the recipes – which to Jack’s surprise, were actually tasty! As a team, they refined everything to fit Jack’s needs and preferences over time. Both Cronometer and the decision trees were particularly helpful for them in that process.
One of the most difficult challenges was simply shifting their mindset around food and diabetes. Both Jack and Diane had come into the program thinking that carbohydrates were the problem, and limiting them was the key to managing diabetes. It was mind-blowing for Jack to be able to eat such high amounts of carbohydrates (200g/day), and he actually had a difficult time eating the serving sizes of the meals. In time, they came to understand and embrace the high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, especially as Jack could see and feel how his blood sugar was affected.
Things felt even better, of course, as Jack started noticing the results. He was losing weight for the first time in years, and without trying. His time in range was going up. He was able to eat more carbohydrates, while taking less insulin. He felt more in control of his blood sugar. At his next visit to his doctor, his A1c had gone down to 5.5% and he had lost 25 pounds.
Header | Before | After (5 Months) |
|---|---|---|
A1c (%) | 6.5 | 5.5 |
Weight (lbs) | 185 | 148 |
Total Cholesterol | 95 | 81 |
Triglycerides | 78 | 64 |
Today, they have a seamless routine. They’ve found what they enjoy and what works for Jack, and it all flows easily and naturally.
In their words, discipline creates freedom. Rather than suffering from the highs and lows of flying by the seat of his pants, Jack has found how much opens up for him when he has a system that he can rely on, and knows how different foods will affect him.
Jack credits the Mastering Diabetes Method, along with no longer drinking alcohol, for no longer feeling the aches and pains that for years had become a daily occurrence.
If you’re feeling resistant to all the change, Jack gets it. For years, as Diane would bring him information or encourage him to join her in her lifestyle, he wasn’t ready to take the leap. But today, he’s grateful that he finally did. “It’s worth it!” he says. And it’s never too late to get started.
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