Jun 10
14
How Do I Know If My Diabetes Program is Successful?
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When you’re working hard at reducing your blood sugar levels each and every day, you will eventually get to the point where you’ll think to yourself, “Is this working for me? Or do I need to change what I’m doing?”
There are six ways you can tell if your type 2 diabetes program is successful. Each one of them must show real progress; otherwise, you risk regressing in your diabetes.
Here are the six:
- Blood Sugar: Your fasting blood sugar level has to be in the normal range for a significant period of time in order for you to be considered healed. As long as your blood sugar levels are coming down to the normal range 80 to 120 mg/dL (4.4 to 6.7 mmol/L), you are making progress.
- Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): When your HbA1c level falls into the normal range, you have achieved success. While it is falling, you are making progress.
- Weight: Any extra weight creates a condition known as insulin resistance where the insulin your body makes has a difficult time getting into your muscle cells. This can eventually wear out your pancreas and create a dependence on insulin injections. For every 10% of body weight you lose, you gain ground on beating your diabetes. Consider every 10% body weight loss as progress and achieving your ideal body weight as total success.
- Blood Pressure: When blood pressure is too high, there’s a risk of developing heart disease. High blood pressure in itself is a form of heart disease. Get that blood pressure level down to normal! You have achieved total success here in this category when your blood pressure is in the normal zone consistently for three months or longer. Consider it a success milestone when your blood pressure starts falling.
- Exercise: Regular exercise can be a difficult habit for some people to develop. When you have a normal routine established, you have achieved a success milestone in this area. When you even choose to exercise on holidays and on vacations, you have achieved total success in this area.
- How You Feel: When you are totally healthy once again, the way you feel when you have type 2 diabetes will be a thing of the past. You’ll feel great most days and love it! Monitor your progress by marking a calendar with a rating for each day. As you gain success in this area, the numbers will increase to a perfect 10 most days of the week.
