“We have the power to turn our lives around, one little step at a time. That life with your spouse/partner, children, rellies, and friends is far more important than having to waste away in your little corner feeling sorry and eating yourself to death.
My journey began in late September 2017, when after feeling slightly unwell, seeing my GP, and the results of the ensuing blood tests revealed that, among other things – I was a Type 2 Diabetic (hitting 51 (8.25 mmol/L?) on that scale they show you.) That was a very rude awakening, especially heading into the holiday season where food and drink was going to be abundant and without reserve. The room literally spun around as I was faced with a reality that I have been trying to escape all my life — the possibility of having the disease just because my grandparents had it in their later years.
Some background: I am a 53-year old male, and what people would call a couch potato. My idea of exercise was mowing the lawn, tinkering in the garage with a DIY project of sorts, or doing minute sprints during my so-called weekend sport where I would only average 10-12-thousand steps. My job meant that I was driving more than I was walking, though not at all too taxing in terms of stress. My heaviest weight in 2017, a couple of months before I was diagnosed, was 100kgs. – not huge in the whole scheme of things, but was considered obese for my 179cm (5’10”) height, and pants size of 96.5cm (38-inch) and yes, that didn’t account for the huge overhang of a spare tyre!
The first step was to revisit Alda Lee, a dietician/nutritionist I saw 9-10-years previously when I had other health issues. Suffice to say that my first few sessions with her were unsuccessful just because I wasn’t determined enough to sort out my situation, not to also mention I was getting hungry and grumpy. However, this time around, the wakeup call’s consequences were going to be far direr if I let things get out of hand.
We discussed the nuances of Type-2 diabetes and the consequences if I let this disease go unabated. We agreed on steps to reduce my sugar and caloric intake without having to feel hungry all the time. As mentioned previously, my initial foray into getting better was held back by the fact that I got too hungry and grumpy… and we were going to avoid this by having smaller meals frequently throughout the day. We set target weights, timings, and also discussed the importance of the dreaded word – exercise!
It was hard going at first… Having to measure my food intake to ensure that I was only taking in the allotted portions… having to see my usual portion size whittled down to a fraction was difficult. Far more devastating was cutting down on my love for craft beer – this continues to be a struggle. Far harder still was getting the mind-set to do the dreaded exercise. I was screaming for air after 2-3-minutes on the elliptical trainer. Walking was easier but that meant I wasn’t getting my cardio-workout… but, anything to get my step-count up to 10-thousand (the recommended number of steps a day) was important. (use your phone or better still a Fitbit and the companion app to keep track of your step count.)
Weighing in was also initially a step I loathed. This was going to be concrete proof of whether I was putting in enough effort to turn the tide, the proof in the pudding as they say. Eventually, every gram lost became reinforcement and reward spurring me to do more. It pays to keep track of your progress to reinforce the fact that you are indeed headed in the right direction. (I used a scale with Bluetooth and app to keep track of my progress)
As I write this, it has been 5-months since my journey started. I am 88.5kgs as of this morning (26/02/18,) essentially lost the spare tyre and 7.62cm (3-inches) off my usual pants size, spend 45-minutes on the elliptical trainer increasing the cycle and tension rates, and to top it all, based on my latest blood tests – I am no longer a “diabetic” — I skipped the pre-diabetic stage and am down to 40 (6.7mmol/L) on the glucose measurement scale!
Yes, embarking on a journey starts with a single step. Go forward, never look back. Focus on what is important in life – your spouse/partner, children, friends, and dare I say, on yourself. After all, you are what you make of yourself!”
John Tongco
Feb 2018
