My Diabetes Journey - 14 Days Later

Last week, I did a post that highlighted my journey that I'm on when it comes to controlling and even reversing Type 2 diabetes.

No sob story, no feeling sorry for me...I made the commitment to put in the work because like I mentioned, I have 4 very important reasons why...

I thought I would update the journey so far, and share with you the highs and lows of the past 14 days since I was diagnosed.

Let me be brutally honest...When the doctor said to me "You need to make drastic lifestyle changes and get this blood sugar down"...That was literally the ignition I needed.

Sadly, like I was saying last week...I almost knew this was headed my way, but we tend to take things with a grain of salt until it's too late. I feel lucky that I caught this now and have the ability to make changes in basically everything in my life...To help reverse this disease!

So drastic it was....

Two things needed to change.

First was diet. And the second was exercise.

Before the diagnosis, my diet consisted of pure carbs and massive portions. Even though I wasn't a soda drinker, because of the carbs I was eating, it turned it all to sugar. So carbs / sugar...Had to be cut and portions drastically reduced as well.

Also, I was a heavy coffee drinker. Never put sugar in coffee, but decided...We're going drastic...So I cut that out as well and have been drinking teas over the past few weeks now.

So for me it was an easy decision. Change it all!

I cut carbs out to a minimum, literally the only carbs I'm getting now are from tiny servings of fruit and vegetables. I also get a few from my go to snack now...Almonds and walnuts!

My diet now consists of about 80% veggies. Lots of leafy green salads and an avocado a day ;)

No cereals, no breads, no rice!

It's actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be...I'm enjoying the fresh vegetables and cooking my own food every day.

Next was....Exercise!

And....I clocked in over 318 lbs, and the doctor said I needed to lose a pound a week.

My exercise plan before the diagnosis consisted of...Walking to my home office and bedroom, making a stop or two in the living room. So this needed a kick start...Big time!

Being this heavy and basically not active for the better part of 20 years, it's an uphill battle just to get up off the couch. But I live in the middle of nowhere Canada, that is surrounded by plenty of nature...

So here's what I decided to do....Hike!

Each of those dots represents a day since May 1st I've been on the trails.

So 15 out of the 18 days, I've been outside, getting fresh air and getting the feet moving.

Speaking of fresh air...

I live close to a 3.5 km trail that I've been hiking on each day for the past 2 weeks.

There's even a few hills to conquer which really gets my heart pumping and burns those calories!

I have a partner with me each day too....She is enjoying the views!

That hill might not look like much, but trust me for this 300 plus pound guy....It was an event to get to the top LOL

And here's the best part about doing these daily hikes and staying active...I've been using the @ActiFit app religiously since beginning my 'drastic lifestyle changes'.

There's been a couple of 10k days in the mix there...And that is my next goal...To get to an average of 10k steps a day!

And here's the results of me...Changing my diet and getting outside almost every day for the past few weeks....

I started at 318.6 lbs, and within 7 days I was down to 314.8 lbs...

This past Sunday I weighed in at an even 308 lbs...More than 10 lbs lost in 14 days.

Crazy to think, I'm close to being sub-300 lbs...And it's been about 20 years maybe even more, since I've been that weight!

But here's the best part...

That is my blood sugar reading over the past 24 hours. I've basically been in my target range for the past 4-5 days, and it seems to be holding steady.

I'm learning a lot about my body and how it reacts to certain foods and with this game plan I've been on...I can see down the road how this disease can and will be reversed!

For anyone out there, struggling with weight or type 2 diabetes, here's the honest to God truth...

When you've had enough, and that fire lights under you...

You CAN change your life.

You CAN lose the weight.

And you CAN get this stuff under control.

And even though I'm only 14 days into this journey...I'm only just getting started!