Main Menu
Healthy Living
Lifestyle Changes: Mike’s Story
Lifestyle Changes: Mike’s StoryPg 1Transcript“Ten months ago, I went to the doctor for my routine physical and received a phone call two dayslater that I had full-blown diabetes.“I was floored, and ‘shock’ would be the first adjective, ‘fear’ all capitalized, in italics and in bold,that would be the second one.“It’s embarrassing to say but I used to eat fast food every day, sometimes twice a day and copiousamounts of it, not one meal, probably enough for a family. When you’re 350 pounds you’re reallynot eating that amount because you’re hungry; there are underlying issues and I think food wassoothing me and comforting me.“I was basically a couch potato. When you’re that heavy it’s difficult to be mobile; it’s difficult towalk long distances and forget about jogging or running, doing stairs. Just the normal stairs in yourhome, a few times a day it’s enough the next day where you’re unbelievably sore in your joints,your ankles, your knees, your hips.“You know, I’ve tried to lose weight many, many times over the years and I’ve been unsuccessfuland I always thought that maybe it was because I had a weak composition and wasn’t mentallytough. And once I was diagnosed with diabetes that fear really lit a fire and motivated me.“They didn’t really say, ‘You need to lose 150 pounds.’ They said, ‘Here are some examples ofmeals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here are some examples for snacks and here are someexamples of different exercises we’d like you to try to do and over time you’ll notice day by day,week by week, month by month the weight will start coming off.’ And subsequently 10 months laterI’ve lost 141 pounds, sent my diabetes into remission and come off all of my blood pressuremedications.“One of the main things that helped me was that I only drink water now. I didn’t used to drink a lotof water before, a lot of sodas, a lot of teas, a lot of sport drinks, and I didn’t know that a lot ofthose things are filled with a ton of sugar.“When I first started working out because of the excessive weight I just would walk for 5 to maybe7 minutes and that would be enough to where I was sore, I was winded, and I just couldn’t doanymore, but I would get up every day and I would continue to do that and after maybe a month Inoticed that I was doing twice as much; after two months I noticed I was doing maybe 4 times asmuch.“At times it is hard but I really try to keep my eye on the prize and again, fear is a strong motivator.“The other thing that motivates me is the love for my wife and the love for my daughter, Kelly andKatie. I want to be around for them as long as I possibly can be and I’m sure they want me to bearound for them as long as I can be. I want to see how my daughter’s life plays out. I want to walkher down the aisle, I want to hold her children, my grandchildren, and that’s something that wasnot going to be able to happen if I continued my way of living and my way of eating.This program is for informational purposes only; for all health related issues please contact your healthcareprovider. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this videofor medical decision making. gn_10228_98 ©Milner-Fenwick, Inc.Lifestyle Changes: Mike’s StoryPg 2“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned about myself is that I’m stronger than what I had alwaysthought; mental toughness is what I’m referring to and I realized as the weeks turned into monthsand the weight started just coming off and coming off, that I had some mental toughness that a lotof people either don’t have or haven’t pulled from yet. The main thing that I would like people toknow is that don’t wait until you get into a situation like I did where you’ve been diagnosed withsomething before you act to try to fix things, because some things aren’t reversible.“I’ve noticed since dropping 141 pounds, I feel like a different person and the things that I’m able todo now are just night and day difference compared to when I was 350 pounds. Those aches andpains from everyday things that you shouldn’t get sore and you shouldn’t get winded from, they’rejust not happening now and the way I feel is so much better than anything I ever tasted when I wasas heavy as I was.”This program is for informational purposes only; for all health related issues please contact your healthcareprovider. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this videofor medical decision making. gn_10228_98 ©Milner-Fenwick, Inc.
Learn how small, positive changes in your lifestyle can lead to a lifetime of better blood glucose control.
Learn how setting small goals toward making healthier food choices and becoming physically fit can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Many of the lifestyle changes you make to manage diabetes also helps manage your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Learn how making gradual changes in your everyday behaviors can improve your blood glucose levels.
