Start Diabetes Prevention Now! Your Life Depends On It!

Diabetes prevention is critical especially among men because the disease has shown its biggest rise in this group. Over the past 30 years there has been a 100 percent increase in diabetes diagnoses.

According to the American Diabetes Association there are almost 24 million americans (adults and children) who have diabetes. Of that total, almost 6 million are unaware that they have it. I was one of them.

Five months ago I decided to increase my life insurance so I went through the standard tests including the urine test which showed that I was not excreting protein. If I was excreting protein this would have meant that my kidneys were not functioning properly and is a sign of diabetes. Everything appeared to be fine.

I'm thinking I'm in good shape there should be no problems...right? Wrong answer boss! My agent called back and said that I am an undiagnosed diabetic and my premium will be higher because of that! I immediately made an appointment with my doctor to find out what's going on.

Diabetes Prevention - What Is Diabetes In The First Place?

I had heard about diabetes many times in the past (people usually called it "sugar") but I didn't know what the disease was really about. Thus I did't pay much attention to it. All I knew was that I had seen people with limbs amputated because of it.

After I found out that I had it I started doing a lot of reading trying to find out if there was anything I could do to "cure" myself. I found out that diabetes prevention actually has to become a way of life from early on because once you have it there is no cure. That was the bad news and I wasn't too pleased about that.

The Good news is even though there is no cure (yet), once diagnosed you can live to a normal lifespan as long as you make the necessary adjustments to your lifestyle.

There are four major types of diabetes:

Pre diabetes - Based on a fasting glucose test your blood glucose level falls into a certain range. While the glucose level is elevated you are not quite a diabetic. You have to take steps for diabetes prevention now before the disease "sets in".

Type 1 diabetes - The pancreas is not producing insulin at all thus daily insulin shots are needed. Between 5 and 10 percent of all diabetics are type 1.

Type 2 diabetes - The pancreas is producing some insulin but the body is not using it effectively. May be controlled by diet or medication depending on your doctor's recommendations. Most diabetics fall into this category.

Gestational diabetes - Occurs during some pregnancies

Diabetes Prevention - How Did I "Catch" Diabetes?

* Family History - If you have more than one immediate family member (mother, father, sister or brother) that has diabetes you should actively keep monitoring your glucose levels to ensure that is does not "sneak up" on you.

* Obesity - If you are severely over weight this appears to allow diabetes to develop more easily. 80% of all diabetics are overweight!

* Lack Of Exercise - The human body was made to move but in today's society there is a premium placed on doing regular activities easier. Soon you will not have to get out of bed to do anything because everything will be conveniently there for you to use.

* Age - The older we get the more likely we are to develop diabetes.

* Ethnicity - For reasons yet to be determined African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to develop the disease than caucasians. Some scientists theorize this is because of the rich high salt diets both groups eat.

These days it is essential to practice diabetes prevention because of our society's general trend toward a more sedentary (couch potato like) lifestyle.

Diabetes Prevention - How Was I Diagosed With Diabetes?

After some more research I got ahold of myself and decided to be very proactive and change my lifestyle.

My doctor took another blood test and when the results came in it showed that my A1C was slightly higher than normal at 7.3%.

The A1C blood test is a key test that monitors your average blood glucose level over a 3 month period. This number tells you how well you blood glucose level is being managed. A normal A1C is under 6%.

Although, from what I have researched, in order to get a conclusive diagnosis of diabetes I should have been given a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). I will have to ask my doctor to perform one of these tests. Just taking blood test alone may be misleading.

Be that as it may, after finding out this news it was time for me to take action I wasn't about to let diabetes get the best of me!

Diabetes Prevention - Steps I Took To Combat Diabetes

* Cut Calories - I used to eat large meals after 9 pm and then go straight to bed. This was a very bad habit! It was a surefire way to gain weight because your food digests much slower laying down. While my doctor did give me a meal guideline to follow I simply reduced my portions and I when from 222 lbs to 205 lbs in about a month.

If you are diabetic and you ingest too many calories this will definitely affect your blood glucose level adversely. Lowering calories is a key step in diabetes prevention.

* Cut down on my beloved Snapple Iced Tea - I used to drink about 12 of those drinks per day just loved the taste! Not only did it add to my blood glucose level it substantially added to my caloric intake because each bottle is 125 calories.

The common myth is that you can't use anything with sugar if you have "sugar". Well you can but you have to be sensible and not over do it.

* Monitor Glucose Level Daily - To ensure that my glucose level was not out of line. I use the Aviva AccuCheck and according to consumer reports it's good although they do have cheaper glucose monitors (if you don't have health insurance) that provide more accurate results.

When I first received my monitor I would prick myself like 10 times a day, which was totally unnecessary! You don't need to prick your self more than 3 times per day. I guess I had developed a little OCD when it came to that.

After I noticed my strips were finishing rapidly and I had to pay for additional strips (my insurance only covered a 3 month supply). I realized the error of my ways and started to test myself like I had some sense!

* Increased Cardio - I have always lifted weights but I only did cardio when I participated in sports (football, basketball etc.) I did ride my bike frequently when I was younger but have not done that much for the past few years.

Since my diagnoses I have started walking 3 times a week for an hour. I'm trying to add more days as my schedule will permit. Walking combined with weight has enabled me to have a 4 pack now (I used to have an 8 pack! Those were the days when I could go shirtless...sigh).

* Meditation to reduce stress - I try to get at least 15 minutes of quiet meditation in every other day. This not only helps lower my glucose level it helps lower my blood pressure.

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