Self-Care for Diabetics

In 2005 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. After the birth of my son, Isaiah. In denial, I fought against making dietary changes, for several years. This resulted in multiple trips to the emergency room visits and weight gain. My wake-up call was in 2019 through the loss of my mother. Her passing started my journey to a healthier life and a healthier me!

I am delighted to share a few self-care tips that personally changed my life. You do want to consult your physician as everyone's health is different.

1. Exercise:

• Find a workout buddy to take this weight loss journey with you.

• You can start by walking, signing up for your local gym, or finding a personal trainer.

• A personal trainer helps set personalized activities related to your health and weight.

• A personal trainer can provide daily meal preps and exercise guidelines to help you on your journey.

• A personal trainer can hold you accountable.

• Set realistic weight goals: Remember the goal is to become healthier. Do not become discouraged if you do not lose weight quickly.

• Take your weight at the begging of your journey.

• Keep a log to track your progress.

2. Nutritional Changes:

• It may be challenging to alter your food habits, however, starting off with portion control can definitely help.

• Consult with your physician for a nutrition recommendation

• Set a meal schedule and avoid late-night eating.

• Increase water consumption

• Reducing sugary drinks and sweet intake.

3. Track your Medication:

• Consider creating a medication schedule.

• This will remind you to take your medications prescribed

• Track how your medication makes you feel.

• Stay in tune with how you feel while taking medication.

• Create a Journal to log any feelings of abnormalities. It is helpful to also write down activities and times of occurrence

• Monitor your blood sugars

• Monitor by checking before and after every meal

• Keeping an eye on your blood sugars after eating certain meals can help you determine which food affects your blood sugar the most.

4. Support Group:

• Find a support group to motivate you and push you. My support was my trainer and life coach.

5. Remove unhealthy lifestyle habits:

• Smoking:

• Smoking can lessen the effectiveness of insulin. Smoking makes managing the disease and regulating insulin levels difficult.

• Alcohol Intake:

• Limit your alcohol consumption

• Keep on hand glucagon kits in case of Emergency

I recommend consulting your physician before implementing these tips.