Cindy Walton Reduced Fast-Acting Insulin by 70% and Dropped A1c to 6.4

I'm Cindy Walton. I live in Rochester, Washington, and I am an insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetic. About seven years. Well, um, my blood sugar was being managed by, um, general practitioners, and they didn't always do a very good job, and I was very, very frustrated, and I ended up with a lot of lows, um, which was really scary, and I knew there had to be something better out there. And so I started doing some research and found Mastering Diabetes, and I thought that it might be worth trying. So, that's what I did. I'm thinking. What felt most frustrating during that time was not getting, um, a specialist, like an endocrinologist on board, um, that, um, really could manage my diabetes much better than the general practitioners could, and I, um, just felt blindsided. Um, the, the doctors would tell me, "Okay, just eat, you know, a diabetic diet and, you know, go onto this website and, and follow the instructions," and that was not helpful at all. Um, my, um, insulin usage, um, before I started Mastering Diabetes was about thirty-five units a day, uh, for my fast-acting, and now it's eight to twelve units a day. My slow-acting insulin, I didn't even have any before Mastering Diabetes, and when I started out, it was fifteen units a day, twice a day, and then now it's only ten units twice a day. My A1C before starting Mastering Diabetes was eight point one, and now it's six point four, which is considered pre-di- pre-diabetic. And yay. Um, let's see. My cholesterol, um, has gone from two ninety-four to one thirty-seven, and my fasting blood glucose was in the upper two hundreds, and now I'm down to one twenties, and I have dropped thirty-eight pounds. Um, my husband and I had started, um, plant-based, um, eating, um, and we felt so much healthier. And, um, we did that for a while, and then we ended up going back to eating the standard American diet and just felt awful. And when we found, um, uh, Mastering Diabetes was plant-based, um, that was, um, something that really intrigued us and something that was a new approach. And, uh, so we got the Mastering Diabetes, uh, book and, uh, started watching some of the videos on YouTube and, uh, gave them a call and, uh, thought about it for a little while and then decided that, um, it was worth the investment, you know, into ourselves. And, um, my husband, uh, passed away, um, before we could both do it, um, so I decided that I would, you know, carry on by myself, and, uh, best decision of my life. Let me think about this for a minute. Um, what I was considering was that it was a- an investment and a long-term commitment. And I wasn't sure if I was ready to do either of those. And so I really had to do some soul searching and decided that my health was worth it. And, um, my diabetes was just so out of control, and I needed to do something. And I'm, I'm so glad that I did. Um, I decided to commit to the program because I was so tired of, of trying to do it alone and not getting any results, and I knew that I didn't have all of the tools to do it. And, um... What was the rest of the question? The first few weeks were totally awesome. Um, my, um, coach, um, talked to me about getting an endocrinologist, and I'd never had one before. And she also talked to me about getting a continuous glucose monitor. I didn't even know what one was. And, um, not knowing anything about diabetes, um, I was just feeling like someone finally was listening to me and helping me get the help that I needed. And, um, so once I got those things, I stopped feeling so frustrated. And then there was the, um, online education so that I really did learn about diabetes and, um, I could go back over it again and again and, um, really, um, let it sink in and really learn it. And I, I feel so empowered now. It's, it's just, it's such a good feeling. Um, what surprised me the most was the, the volume of food. Um, I just, I didn't think that I'd be able to eat that much, but, um, I surprised myself. [laughs] I can eat a lot. [laughs] And, uh, and it's, it's good, healthy food and, um, that makes me feel good about myself too. And, um, what was the rest of the question? My early aha moment was when I felt the support, not only from my, uh, coach, but from the people in my group. They are very supportive, and we learn from each other, and that was so helpful. And then, um, there are, um, other coaches that are supportive in their office hours that they provide. And then there are, um, group learning, um, opportunities on different subjects, and then there are also, um, pre-recorded videos that you can watch and, um, you know, meal prepping and, and, um, exercises and all kinds of things. So there's, um... You can just be learning all of the time. Oh my gosh. Okay. Um, my, um, A1C was eight point one, and it's now, um, six point four, which is pre-diabetic. And, um, I just, I couldn't be more proud. That just makes me smile so much. And, um, I'm hoping to go further until I'm no longer diabetic, and I know the program can get me there. And my, um... Let's see. My, um, blood glucose was in the upper two hundreds, which is horrible, and now I'm down to the one twenties. And my, um, cholesterol was two hundred and ninety-four. Now it's down to a hundred and thirty-seven. Um, I was taking thirty-five units of, of fast-acting insulin, um, a day, and now I'm taking eight to twelve. And I wasn't even taking any slow-acting insulin at all, and now I'm taking, um... I started out with fifteen units twice a day. Now I'm taking ten units twice a day. And I have lost thirty-eight pounds. Hmm. Well, I'm more energetic, so I can, I can do things, um, physically that I couldn't do before. Um, and, um, I'm, I'm starting to influence other people, which I think is really neat. And, um, one of them is my son. I live with my son, and, uh, he was saying something the other day about, um, maybe going back and, and, uh, going to a vegan diet, which is, you know, close to plant-based, so I was very pleased about that. Um, I think he sees the change in me and, uh, how happy I am and, um, how, um, independent I've become and empowered. Absolutely. Um, because, um, I, I have gotten more out of it than I ever thought I would and, um, I would do it again and, um, I'm going to continue to stay in the program, um, because I just keep learning more and more, and I get the support that I need. And right now, um, that's really, really important. And, um, I also want to give other people support. And... It's just an awesome program, you know? It's, it's so well worth it, and if I was to tell someone, you know, about it, I would say, "Go for it," you know? It's, it'll change your life. And, uh, it's changed mine, and, uh, it's just, it's awesome. It's such an empowering feeling. My gosh, um, there are so many, um, um, problems, medical problems that are caused by having diabetes, um, and they're all very scary. And by reversing diabetes, you put yourself at less risk for those kinds of things. And, um, you'll live longer, and you'll live happier. Okay. Before Mastering Diabetes, my A1C went from eight point one to six point four. I really wasn't on any. Okay. [laughs] Sure. Yes.