How I Changed My Life: My Diabetes Weight Loss Journey

Weight loss isn’t one-size-fits-all. It took a lot of experimentation, soul-searching, and reevaluating to figure out what worked for me and what didn’t. 

Growing up, I was always the “fat” friend. I started hiding food and binge eating in my early teens. I went on my first diet at 15 years old, eating only Special K cereal, and lost 30 pounds. Of course, those results were temporary, and I quickly rebounded to my higher weight.

The biggest in my circle of friends, I graduated high school wearing a size 14–16. Three years after graduation, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 21 years old. My diagnosis didn’t shock me. After all, both of my parents had type 2 diabetes, though they weren’t diagnosed until their mid-40s.

Research told me my blood sugar would improve, and I could avoid complications of the disease if I lost weight, but that wasn’t enough for me to take action. I lived in denial for years before deciding to take control of my life and make considerable lifestyle changes.

Join the free T2D community!

Connect with thousands of members and find support through daily live chats, curated resources, and one-to-one messaging.

Sign up

Why I decided to do something about my weight

I get asked a lot about what finally made me do something. How did I go from the person who used to circle the parking lot for 10 minutes to find the closest parking spot possible to the person who ran half marathons for fun?

My son was 7 years old, my daughter was 2 years old, and I was at my highest weight, 288.5 pounds. My A1C was in double digits, somewhere around 11%. I couldn’t play. I couldn’t be the active mom they deserved and was so tired of watching my own life on the sidelines.

I wanted to get on the floor with my baby girl and play without worrying about how I would get up. I wanted to run around the backyard and not have to take a break because I was short of breath.

I wanted my kids to know that no matter what, being here, being alive, and being their mom was my priority. I would no longer let my toxic relationship with food take precedence over my health and my family.

How I changed my habits

I wish I could tell you to just “eat less and move more,” like there was some sort of magical formula for weight loss success. Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t one-size-fits-all. It took a lot of experimentation, soul-searching, and reevaluating to figure out what worked for me and what didn’t.

At the core of my transformation is self-discovery. I had to dig deep into my relationship with food, identify my triggers, and come face-to-face with long-held beliefs that were keeping me from becoming the best version of myself.

There’s a common misconception that a weight loss journey is purely physical, based on eating a specific number of calories and carbs and doing a set number of minutes on the treadmill. Based on my experience, calories, carbs, and activity minutes are the least significant factors contributing to my success.

I had to be willing to do the uncomfortable work of “self-help.” Would it have been easier to pick a “diet,” hire a trainer, and do whatever was prescribed? Sure. And I’d done that in the past and achieved temporary results.

But it wasn’t until I put all the elements together, the physical, mental, and emotional work, that I saw sustainable results. The reality is I knew what to eat and how to move. I needed to learn how to edit my self-talk and how to love myself enough to stay the course.

I started changing my habits one by one to avoid feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. I created an online support community where I could share the good, the bad, and the ugly of my diabetes management and the roller coaster of emotions that come along with it.

I made small, subtle changes to my way of eating and practiced personal development daily. I set activity goals that required me to show up for myself every day.

Exercise didn’t come naturally at first, so I needed to get creative and keep myself moving. I signed up for a 5k, obtained my Group Fitness Instructor Certification, completed a triathlon, and even trained for 3 years to earn my black belt in Tang Soo Do.

Personal growth, mindful eating without severe restriction, and daily movement led me to steady weight loss, eventually landing me at half my highest weight. Mission accomplished! Let’s celebrate! OK, now what?

Meeting my diabetes goals

My strange new reality is that, for the first time in my adult life, I don’t have a weight loss goal. Who will I be without the constant battle with the scale? My size has been such a focal point of my existence for so many years that it suddenly feels like I have room to think about and explore so much more!

My latest blood work results showed an A1C of 5.9%, the lowest since the early 2000s. Cholesterol, kidney function, and blood pressure are all in the target range. I’ve officially surpassed my initial goal weight and have maintained within a few pounds in either direction.

OK, not to be Debbie Downer, but there’s no finish line. I didn’t hit my goal, suddenly celebrate with a bacon cheeseburger and a hot fudge sundae, and call it a day. No one gave me a medal. I’m still practicing all the healthy habits that got me here, and I know these behaviors are required to live a long, healthy, fulfilling life. 

I’m currently recovering from a tummy tuck that removed about 2 square feet of excess skin from my abdomen. I was talking with a friend who had been through the same procedure about all the emotions I was feeling leading up to surgery, and she put my feelings into words I couldn’t find for myself.

She said the tummy tuck was emotional because she’d done that to herself. It was the visual representation of her previous unhealthy relationship with food — how she’d used it to cope with things she couldn’t mentally or emotionally handle at the time. It was far more than just skin removal for her.

This sums up how I feel about my surgery. After all of the mindset work I’ve done over the last decade, the surgery was the physical separation from my former self.

The takeaway

At 46 years old, I finally feel, after 25 years of living with type 2 diabetes, that I’m in the driver’s seat of my health and wellness instead of being controlled by the ups and downs of this disease and all that comes with it.

Whether you’re looking to lose 20 pounds or 120 pounds, a weight loss journey combined with chronic disease management can feel overwhelming. Looking for the “why” behind your goals, creating and maintaining a growth mindset, and setting small goals and benchmarks can help keep you focused along the way.

Remember to show yourself some grace and to love yourself enough to keep going when it’s hard. You’re worth it!