An Unexpected Diagnosis
Tonya is an elementary school reading specialist and mother of 4 that has always considered herself to be health conscious. Prioritizing wellness isn’t a foreign or new concept for her – she has big goals that require her to be physically and mentally healthy, and she always did her best to take actions that supported that. So it felt very unexpected when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
At the time of diagnosis, her blood glucose was 377 and her A1c was 10.4. The doctors put Tonya on metformin, and even though her cholesterol and blood pressure were both in their respective healthy range, she was also given prescriptions for a statin and blood pressure medication because those are recommended for someone living with type 2 diabetes.
She was left feeling overwhelmed, confused, helpless, and alone. When she got home from the long day at the hospital, she put her face down on the counter and cried. She looked at her husband and said, “I’m starving, and I’m afraid to put anything in my mouth.”
The Journey Begins (With Cutting Carbs)
Like most of us would in these circumstances, Tonya started looking for information about her new diagnosis. What she found at first was not motivating or reassuring. She discovered that for most people, diabetes gets worse over time. Symptoms worsen, medication doses increase, and it requires a lifelong commitment to symptom management.
Still, she wanted to do everything that she could to regain her health and not be brought down by this new health challenge. She joined a support group that recommended she follow a very low-carbohydrate diet. She was drawn to this approach because she saw how steady the blood glucose lines were for people following it.
However, she soon realized that she felt like she was eating less healthy than she ever had in her life. It started to make sense why doctors would be recommended to put patients with diabetes on a statin or high blood pressure medication, because she knew that eating higher amounts of meat and dairy products would raise her cholesterol and blood pressure. Intuitively, this didn’t feel right to her.
Time To Do A 180
One day, in one of the diabetes-related Facebook groups that she’d joined, someone mentioned eating a high carbohydrate for diabetes and shared a few resources. Tonya was skeptical but curious, so she looked into the resources that were provided, which led her to follow the trail of information to other research studies, podcasts, documentaries, and eventually to the Mastering Diabetes book.
By the time the book arrived, she had enough information to know it was something she wanted to give a try. She was ready to take action.
Tonya has a CGM, and after her first high-carbohydrate breakfast, her numbers were a lot higher than she was used to when she was eating the very low-carbohydrate diet. This was a scary experience, but she believed the science behind the high-carbohydrate approach enough to stick with it and trust the process. She also reached out to the free Mastering Diabetes support group on Facebook and received lots of encouragement there, too.
“I Can’t Remember The Last Time I Felt As Good As I Do Now”
It wasn’t long before her body adjusted to eating high-carbohydrate meals. After just two weeks following the Mastering Diabetes method, Tonya felt amazing. She was sleeping well, had tons of energy, resolved her constipation, and even felt less stressed in response to life’s challenges. She can’t remember the last time she felt as good as she does now.
At her most recent appointment with her doctor, Tonya’s A1c had gone down to 6.8. Her fasting blood sugar is between the 90s to low 100s. She is no longer taking her statin or blood pressure medication, and has an appointment to discuss stopping the farxiga (which she had switched to from metformin). While her weight wasn’t a concern, she also lost 8 pounds with no effort and she’s enjoyed that bonus perk too.
Header | January 2025 | April 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Fasting Blood Glucose (mg/dL) | 377 | 100 |
A1c (%) | 10.4 | 6.8 |
Weight | - | Down 8 Lbs |
Medications | Metformin 500mg twice per day, farsiga, statin, high blood pressure meds | Farsiga |
Tonya is excited to have the weight lifted off her chest that she felt at the original diagnosis. She’d experienced intense despair when she’d thought she was on a path of progressively worsening health. Now, she feels healthier than she’s ever been and she has faith that her health will continue to get better and better as time goes on.
Finding A New Way With Food
Tonya and her husband have always cooked together. They are learning and finding their way within the low-fat plant-based whole food diet, finding new staple meals. Here are some photos of what they’ve been cooking up together:
To anyone on the fence, Tonya suggests giving this a try for a few weeks and seeing how you feel. Go all-in and give it a fair shot. Try lots of different foods to find what you like. But just try it out and see what happens, because your life is worth it.
Some people might say that they could never give up burgers, but Tonya would say that she can’t give up her foot or her eyesight. Tonya says to focus on what you gain through this lifestyle, not what you give up. In her opinion, what you gain is so much more important than anything you let go of in order to get that.
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