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Results in 4 Days and A Whole Lot More! Stephen’s Story

Article written and reviewed by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH
Published February 13, 2023

Prior to participating in the program, Stephen was struggling with managing his diabetes, but that all changed when he attended the Mastering Diabetes retreat. In addition to improving his blood sugar control, Stephen also saw an improvement in his physical health, dropping from 220 pounds to back in the 190-180 range. 

Not only did his physical health improve, but he also experienced a boost in his self-esteem and energy levels, leading to an increased desire to engage with others and participate in social activities. The impact that this program has had on Stephen has been emotionally huge and has truly transformed his life. Want to learn how he did it? Keep reading!

A Lifelong Journey

Stephen’s journey towards a healthier lifestyle started when he was diagnosed with a health condition at the age of 11 or 12. Growing up, he and his family had a love for comfort food like pasta, meat, mashed potatoes, and gravy. 

This resulted in Stephen not eating to live, but rather living to eat. He started making changes to his diet, and admits he adhered about 80% of the time, but didn’t feel he was seeing the changes he wanted. 

Then he attended the Mastering Diabetes retreat, and saw a 100% improvement in his health. The retreat – being around fellow people living with diabetes, and learning just how much he could change his life with food – helped him to change his relationship with food, which was previously being used as a coping mechanism for emotional issues, low self-esteem, and grief.

A Life-Changing Transformation

Stephen's health has improved dramatically since attending the retreat. He was able to bring down his body weight from 220 pounds to the 190/180 range, and his average blood sugar levels went from 150/160 to 70-100, with the average being 115. 

The retreat also helped him to take away the anxiety associated with managing his health condition and brought down the carb-to-insulin ratios of his basal insulin to 25:1 from 13:1. With exercise, he was able to bring down his bolus insulin from 1:10 carbs to insulin to 1:25 carbs/insulin.

Now, Stephen follows a comfortable diet routine, starting with an intermittent fasting in the morning and having a nice chai tea. He has a salad for lunch with fruit, beans, rice, and quinoa and goes a little heavier in the evenings with a salad, fruit, lentil curries, or quinoa/red lentil pasta. 

And that’s not to say Stephen never wavers. He aims to follow the diet 90+% of the time, as he knows the results are more pronounced that way than at lower levels, but still balances the Mastering Diabetes lifestyle with family occasions. 

More importantly though, Stephen no longer uses food as a coping mechanism and has been able to beat the food addiction. He now has the confidence to go out and talk to people, which has improved his self-esteem.

Finding Your Right Path

Stephen's journey towards a healthier lifestyle has been a huge emotional and physical transformation. The retreat was a turning point in his life as it helped him to change his relationship with food and manage his health condition effectively. He now knows how food affects him and is able to appreciate the balance that is necessary for a healthy and happy life.

Want to learn more about how you can be our next success story? Just go to www.masteringdiabetes.org/start

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.