Ben Welch Reversed Type 2 Diabetes and Lowered A1c from 7.1 to 5.7

Ben Welch, Western Washington, type 2 diabetes. I've been really struggling with a lot of physical challenges, ⁓ I would say the last five to seven years, and it really caught up to me over the last year-ish, and was having a lot of back pain, a lot of foot, ankle pain, just wasn't active as I once was. I was a very active person and loved to be outdoors, and just something didn't feel quite right. ⁓ I've been having some issues and actually had a big toe half amputated because it got infected. And some complications to that, got it fixed up, went in for a follow-up kind of corrective surgery, if you will. And the nurse is prepping me for outpatient surgery and is like, we're testing your fasting blood glucose. it's a little high. And I was like, wow, that's never been an issue for me. And I've checked it occasionally just with my EMS background. Just occasionally would check my blood sugar. And it was always tracking. My blood labs were always tracking fine in terms of that. But that got me thinking, gosh, after this surgery, I need to talk to my primary care physician. she did some tests. And lo and behold, I've got gosh, an A1C of 7.1. And she told me I was diabetic and it just was crushing. It was crushing for my ego and for who I thought I once was and who I was becoming and so many more questions than answers and just a lot of ⁓ confusion and heartache. just not feeling well, being my heaviest and sluggish that I've ever felt. And I just knew this wasn't my true self and ⁓ was ready to make a change. You know, there's all these little small micro actions throughout your life. And I think we recalibrate and, you know, a lot of people have annual... ⁓ New Year's resolutions, I never was that type of guy. I just felt like I could recalibrate if I took some steps backward and get back on track with my physicality. And it just wasn't happening and ⁓ I knew that I needed some help. Yeah, so ⁓ my A1C was 7.1 and ⁓ before that it was low fives, know, ⁓ even lower than five, I recall one time in my life. Again, it was nothing of a particular marker that was ever remarkable for me because it was just never a concern until that fasting blood glucose for a surgery prep. Love mastering diabetes. I had heard of them before. I had seen them on YouTube. I have been, there was a ⁓ time in my life where I was plant-based when I was in my 20s. That lasted a short, brief time. Had a variety of diets in my life. And, you know, like I said, the last five to seven years struggling with physicality and my weight. And, You know, I would say probably a year ago when my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease was really, it was last summer. She had been vegetarian since age six. She just didn't want to hurt animals and I always respected that. So she was our one vegetarian in the family. It was a long, long health and scary health journey, but we finally got answers for my oldest daughter. So she was a full-blown celiac diagnosis last summer. And ⁓ so we even had to revise and really laser focus in on her diet. And it got me thinking, I want to honor her. I want to honor our challenges as a family. ⁓ So for so many reasons, but mostly my daughter, I'd been looking into plant-based communities and had followed some folks and was watching online videos. ⁓ And again, mastering diabetes was not a surprise. I've seen them before, especially looking at plant-based videos on YouTube. And then I decided, again, when I had that scare this winter in January with my diabetes numbers, I'm going to go all in and join these folks. Yeah, great question. I think we all are maybe sometimes pessimists at heart and ⁓ especially I can be and I had my doubts. I like so many other people have tried different diets and different ⁓ physical routines and just nothing never seemed to sink, really sink for true success. And I... I just, I don't know, something just hit me maybe after the holidays too where I was just like some of the lows I've been. And ⁓ there was some optimism that crept in and I'm forever thankful for that. optimism basically just, know, loudly told me once in my head, you know, randomly like this is absolutely reversible. You don't have to be defined by this. you can become the person you've always wanted to become and get more physical and become the best in shape you can be even in your late 40s. And you can be the thinnest you can be your whole life. And I just, believe that I can get there. It wasn't too, I don't want to say seamless by far. It was a challenge, ⁓ but the concepts weren't really new or foreign to me. I really embraced it. It made a lot of sense. ⁓ I just was frustrated at getting myself dialed into systems and routines, right? And I think that really can set the foundation for anybody's success. We all fall, but that was the biggest thing. The first few weeks was, is this doable? Can I sustain it? ⁓ I think those were the biggest concerns. Yeah, absolutely. I would say within the first two weeks, not even two weeks, ⁓ started testing my sugars and I was like, wow, I'm on to something here with this program. This program's definitely on to something. ⁓ But the real just ⁓ shining moment was, I was anxious for... ⁓ I got the diagnosis in January and she said, hey, my doctor said, hey, let's follow up in three months. Let's look at your labs. And just so anxious those three months and waiting and waiting. The last couple weeks prior to labs was just really nerve wracking. And to see that A1C from 7.1 down to 5.6, 5. something like that, 5.7. Yeah, was, yeah, kind of shed a tear. It was kind of emotional and felt great after two weeks. Just amazing. Hmm. Great question. Nothing really too remarkable stands out. think fruits and vegetables makes a lot of sense. We've been told that since we were little kids. Grains and whole grains made a lot of sense to me. ⁓ I was anxious about the different grains. I've not been exposed to some different foods on this diet. So I would say just the exploration of new foods. Some new fruits and vegetables that I've never tried in my life. Some new grains that I've not tried in my whole life. So I would say that. trusted him, dove right in, no issues at all. Yeah, they made sense. They were delicious. No issues at all. And super filling, wonderful. But again, it goes back to those processes of just, I feel squared away for kind of my first half of the day, but the evening is tricky for me. I need to really have a game plan and a meal, a planned meal, because after work, like many of us, you Life has a lot of activities for us after work. So evening is a struggle. Late evening has always been a struggle for me, especially working shift work and just emotionally eating and staying up super late in my life. So really trying to work on my second half of the day routines. Since I've been working with Mastering Diabetes, shed tremendous amount of weight, I think pretty early and quickly. So 269 down to 245 currently. yeah, A1C 7.1 down to 5.7. And I don't know if I answer that. I kinda got stuck there. Yeah, since working with Mastering Diabetes, able to get lighter, able to feel really good. It's hard to describe. It's ⁓ kind of a clean feeling. Internally, you're just feeling like you're, well, we're all in that before. know, athletes call it a flow state, but you just feel good and physically good. And when you feel physically good, you can do more physical things and it's a snowball, right, Brian? So you're just, ⁓ I hadn't thought about running in a long time and I'm like, let's jump into it and start. So started doing daily runs, ⁓ try to do it every day. And a crazy thought the other day, you know, just kind of crossed through in my head, gosh, I have never done a marathon, you know, at 40, well, 46 and a half could I do it? And so, I don't know, I think I'm training for maybe a half marathon, maybe go for a marathon and. just the strength is up there as well. The focus, the energy throughout the day is definitely sustainable. I appreciate it, man. Yeah, great question, Brian. I had my doubts, you know. I was quoted the price. ⁓ They also, for a year, they quoted me a half of a year price. And I just went for the full year. It makes a lot of sense to me every day and each and every day. It's just growing in my mind how ⁓ comfortable I feel with making that choice. ⁓ best investment is in yourself, right? I mean, your first investment should be in yourself. And a year gives me a really good foundation of, you know, skillset, knowledge, understanding. Biggest component for me though, the accountability. ⁓ It's hard walking, you know, this path that we find ourselves. I mean, we're all just trying to reconcile what is really kind of a crazy messy life. And we're trying to understand it to the best of our ability. We need someone there listening. We need someone championing us, someone not ⁓ beating us down, but also just keeping us accountable in a polite, courteous way like, yeah, you slipped up at this meal or yeah, you slipped up the last few days or heck. I mean, I hope it doesn't become weeks or months of an issue, but a year long ⁓ prescription, subscription to Mastering Diabetes really helps for me in terms of the accountability and having a coach weekly check-in sessions with like-minded folks. The Zoom calls are very fun, supportive. Pick up these little nuggets, these little golden nuggets of info each week, so very helpful. The coaching is the biggest part of my success with Mastering Diabetes. I know there's times where I could probably cheat, I could lie, I could go around a corner, I could find a work around, whatever you want to call it. ⁓ But I know that I need to check in daily with my coach ⁓ with some numbers and I know I need to be seen and heard weekly. And starting, and we had an instant connection too. You know, it's neat to just find a connection with somebody. We're human and we're social creatures and the ability to connect on some things outside of your diet and your routines, right? It has been special. If you're considering working with diabetes, do it. Just do it. Jump. If you're considering working with mastering diabetes, go for it. Please, please do this for yourself. With, with, I know there could only be some questions, doubt, really scary thoughts, ⁓ other things I've not tried before, why would this, etc. Whatever's in your mind. ⁓ I would just encourage you, my recommendation, invest in yourself, jump into this, start slow. One, not day or hour at a time, one minute at a time. Ask away all the questions, call up your coach, the resources are there, the human connection is there. But learn and have fun with it. It's really easy. It might sound daunting, but it's really, really easy once you get going and the human support and connection is right there. So just one minute at a time, invest in yourself, go for it. I think you're gonna find what you're looking for. Okay. I'm going to check, Brian, to make sure I've got my exact, yeah, I appreciate it. Okay. All right. So since working with mastering diabetes, my A1C went from 7.1 to 5.9 in less than two and a half months. Correct, no diabetic medication. Yeah, thanks Brian. You know, it's... We all have an interesting life and lots of challenges along the way and ⁓ we all make our choices and... ⁓ I'm not going to blame it on my career. I'm going to blame it on my choices. it's been eye-opening the last five, six years with these physical ailments and gaining weight, not feeling right, not feeling good. It has been just really hard. It's been really hard. sorting out who I am, sorting out my relationships with family and friends, sorting out past relationships and sorting out past memories, ⁓ reconciling the stressors and traumas that we all face. And ⁓ it's a hard journey, but it's a beautiful journey if you can get to a realization that there is hope. ⁓ There are people that care. You gotta be willing to put the work in. one minute at a time. And one thing I've learned, Brian, the last few months is it's okay. Like just that phrase, it's okay. You are enough. It's enough. Like no regrets. And so ⁓ we all are working through some things. And I've had a really hard five or six years, a really hard five, excuse me, six to eight months. And this was just the top of it. Or the below's I should say actually, right? It was just everything piling on in my life. And this was just a devastating diagnosis. And I'm glad I just stood up, got up. We all have to get up when we fall down. And... Mastering diabetes, no joke, they came into my life when I needed them. I've shared that, I thought it would be kind of cheesy and corny, but I've shared that with my coach recently. You have no idea the impact that you make on another human. You might have a horrible day, but it's the little actions, the little things you said during that day that can make a huge difference in someone's life. And I hope you and others don't. Don't forget that we are making impact on the daily. At the end of the day, I firmly believe it's us. It's all about us connecting with others. And mastering diabetes literally saved my life and this coach has really ⁓ saved my life.