Preventing Diabetes: My Journey to Health and Wellness

“You have pre-diabetes,” my doctor said. He looked at me seriously. ‘So that is a precursor to type two diabetes, in your case.’ Fuck. I knew this was coming, as my father’s side of the family also has diabetes and it is usually hereditary, but I didn’t know it would come so soon; I’m only twenty-five. “This can be largely prevented by losing weight,” said the GP. This conversation took place six months ago.

Stir

That was the day I decided to change course. I had gained more and more weight in recent years and was now quite overweight and had a BMI that was too high. I hardly exercised, mainly spent the days sitting at my desk and did not pay attention to my calorie intake, even though I am a small woman of 160 cm and a writer and columnist by profession (which does not involve any exercise). Besides, I was huge foodie; someone who actually lives from eating moment to eating moment, and likes to make a party of it and unpack it.

Yet that had to be different. Nice, that one body positivity- exercise, and very important too, but for me my health now came first. I didn’t want to get sick at all costs. Don’t get diabetes. Because I knew better than anyone what implications that would have; constant fatigue, blurred vision, poorly healing wounds, bloating, frequent trips to the toilet, infections that often return to the body, high blood sugar levels, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and even an increased risk of depression. I already knew all this because I saw how my grandmother, father and aunt struggled with it all their lives. I had to and will avoid my fate.

Motivation

It took a lot of effort, and it was difficult to start, but because I had good motivation this time, I also had iron discipline and perseverance. I started writing out shopping lists; only with products that were low in calories, because that was the only one in my refrigerator. These were mainly many types of vegetables and fruit, supplemented with some low-fat dairy, low-carb bread, lentil pasta, and… zero sugar snacks. For months my breakfast consisted of a banana and a glass of green smoothie, my dinner mainly of casseroles from the oven with lots of vegetables such as sweet potato and Brussels sprouts, with a bowl of soup or salad. In addition, I went for a walk every day, even if it was only for twenty minutes; I had to walk, even if my house was on fire. No excuses. Moreover, I went to a group class at the gym at least once a week; I knew that I would cope better than if I went alone.

I should have done this earlier

Now it’s been six months and I can’t say anything other than what I often think; I had to do this sooner. Not only do I feel super energetic, light and healthy for the first time in years, I have also become extremely self-confident. Exercising not only makes you lose weight, it gives you a completely different body; everything becomes tighter, more beautiful, firmer and stronger. Your buttocks become rounder, your stomach becomes flatter, your legs become more muscular and your arms become stronger. And if you feel physically stronger, you also feel mentally stronger, I now know from experience.

Exercising is not always fun, and you don’t always feel like it, but it is necessary. For me it is now an indispensable part of my life. A year ago I never thought I could say this, but I think keeping moving was once the intention of the one who ‘created’ us. Otherwise you wouldn’t be rewarded very much for it in any respect.

2023-12-23 14:55:13
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