I'm Dr. David Hite, a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
I provide Diabetes Education classes for a large non-profit healthcare organization in Sacramento, California. I know that most of you can't attend my diabetes class in person at the clinic, so I've created an educational DVD and this e-book "Type-2: Straight Talk About Diabetes Self-Care" to help you understand Type-2 Diabetes, and learn how you can Take Control of Your Diabetes or offer needed help to a friend or loved one who may be struggling to avoid the medical complications that often come with this disease. This information is also perfect for those of you who have pre-diabetes and want to reverse those symptoms and avoid progression to diabetes. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to get my complete Diabetes Basics-Take Control DVD presentation and learn even more about your condition. Good health. Live well.

Type-2: Straight Talk About Diabetes Self-Care

Diabetes is a chronic condition. It’s not yet curable. But we do know some secrets to help you stay healthy and avoid diabetic complications. Your doctor is a very important part of staying healthy, so visit and have blood tests 2-3 times each year so you can spot potential problems early and to make sure you're still on track. But also remember what you do for yourself when you leave the doctor is just as important as anything your doctor can do. The secret involves Taking Control of your diabetes by following my 5 M’s of diabetic care. Sounds simple, but you all know that diabetes is a complex and frustrating medical condition. There’s a lot to learn, but the more you know, the easier it will be to stay healthy. I hope this section specifically on the topic of Motion will help to answer some of your questions and set you on the road to good health.

MOTION

My doctor wants me to exercise, and I would if I only had more energy.

Lack of energy is one of the most common complaints I get from my diabetic patients, but the reason for this tired feeling might surprise you. Remember earlier I discussed how extra sugar is trapped in the blood? You may be feeling tired and hungry because the sugar in your blood simply hasn’t been delivered. It has to be absorbed into the cell for you to have energy. Your cells aren’t getting energy because the doors are jammed shut and insulin is having a tough time getting them to open and accept the sugar from your blood (insulin resistance). Using your muscles can help that. You see, because they protect us from danger, muscles have a special ability to draw those unburned sugars into the cell. Imagine there was a fire and you needed to escape, you would have plenty of energy right? Well you can use this to your advantage and the great thing is there doesn’t have to be a real fire to do it. The next time you feel tired and hungry check your blood sugar level. If it’s 80 or lower, it’s time to eat. But if it’s 180, you have plenty of fuel in the blood. Don’t eat and add more fuel on top of it, burn what’s there by going for a walk or by doing some other form of gentle exercise. When the muscles begin to draw these sugars from the blood you will actually feel better. Talk to your doctor and get the okay; then start slowly with a type of activity that you enjoy and suits your lifestyle.

I tried exercising and found that my blood sugar was actually higher when I got back.

This is true for many people, but don't worry about this type of sugar rise unless it persists long after your exercise is over. Just as breathing increases with exercise, sugars are released from the liver when active muscles call for it. Sugar levels, just like your breathing, will return to normal or lower in a short time. In fact since exercise stimulates your metabolism, your body will continue to burn excess calories long after you’re activity has finished. Right now as you sit and read this your body is burning fuel, and just like a car, how much you burn depends on how fast you’re going. Well, your body is idling right now so you’re only burning a minimum amount of fuel, about one calorie per minute. When you’re out walking, doing yard work or house work, your body is burning about 5 calories of energy every minute. If you walk for 1 hour each day you’ll burn up over 2,000 excess calories of energy each week that would have been stored as fat. In a year’s time that’s over 30 pounds of fat. You can see how this really adds up. Some very fit people can exercise at sustained levels that burn well over 10 calories per minute. Remember Lance Armstrong? His main concern regarding food was “am I getting enough”. Wouldn’t that be a welcome problem to have for a change?

Here are some other helpful books and websites that will help you stay motivated and on track.

Diabetes Burnout by William H. Polonsky, is a supportive guide to keeping you on track during tough times.

For healthy eating tips I think the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is a good guide to follow, but remember you will have to limit your intake of fruit.

Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto is a fantastic book and will make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about food. His advice is simple: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Follow his motto: "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't."

The South Beach Diet is a lower carbohydrate diet that encourages eating lean protein, healthy fats, and high fiber natural "good carbs".

Check out Toma Grubb's website and new book Toma's Diabetic Diet - A Layman's Guide to Controlling Blood Glucose with Diet.

He includes a trial version of CyberSoft's Nutribase-7 Personal Plus Nutrition and Fitness Software that helps you make healthy eating choices and track the results.

One of the early pioneers of diabetes information online is David Mendosa. His website is an excellent source of information on all things related to diabetes. Toma and David are both living well with diabetes and are an inspiration to others wanting to control their blood sugars and avoid health problems by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

A good book and resource for understanding glycemic index and healthy eating is The New Glucose Revolution. by Jennie Brand-Miller.

I also think you should get a calorie-counting guide and begin to learn about the foods you eat. I recommend Allan Borushek’s The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carb Counter. This book is full of great ideas and explanations about how to make healthy food choices.

For those of you who like to chat online, I will recommend a wonderful website where you can network with other people with diabetes, ask questions and get ideas and support at Diabetic Connect.

Finally, if you would like to get involved with community-based programs that increase awareness about diabetes, the American Diabetes Association website can help get you connected and active locally.

I hope my explanations in this e-book have been helpful. If you have not already, I encourage you to get my complete Diabetes Basics-Take Control DVD presentation and learn even more about your condition. Be your own advocate, your own best friend, and most importantly, don’t beat yourself up over small setbacks. Believe in yourself and in your ability to take control of your life and control your diabetes; then take the first step toward living a healthy life. Remember, knowledge is powerful only if it leads to positive change. If this e-book was helpful or if you have suggestions to improve it please email your comments to: Doc@healthdoc.org. Good health. Live well.

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