Former Gym Teacher Reverses Pre-Diabetes and Drops A1c from 6.0 to 5.6

My name is Rory Wade. I live in Highland Lake, New York, which is in the Lower Catskills. And actually I'm not diabetic, but I was pre-diabetic, and on every medical exam I was creeping closer and closer and closer, so I had to do something before it was too late. You know, my dad was diabetic, and he had issues, and he was on metformin, and he still ate the candy and the ice cream. He didn't help himself. But I'm a little bit different, and I wanted to kind of like know where the parachute was before the plane was going down, so to speak. And so I, I started getting a, uh, continuous glucose monitor to help, and prick the finger, although that's a pain in the neck. And I started doing things to help myself. And I knew I was heading in that direction about 10 years ago when I, I started getting skin tags in my armpits, and I hate them. So I said, "What do I gotta do?" So I started cutting out desserts, and they quickly disappeared. But in the ensuing time, I retired about nine years ago, my fasting blood glucose was going up and I was trying everything: different eating habits, keto, carnivore, and the situation was worsening. Well, no, there was, there was not. But, you know, I was trying to be proactive. My... Again, my dad had diabetes. My mom had some issues, not quite there fully, but I was kind of heading in that direction. So I said, "What do I have to do?" And diet was kind of first and foremost, 'cause I, I was a former gym teacher. I work out every day. Fitness is not an issue for me. I got-- I have that discipline down. But eating, not so much. So I would eat a lo- I would tell people that my only vice was that I ate too much. I ate a lot of food. A lot of good food and a lot of bad food, but a lot of the food that I thought was good wasn't really good, not for me. And I started having issues a couple years ago. The blood pressure was going up. Besides the, the fasting glucose numbers, I started getting fatty liver. It's like, "Oh, my God. What's happening here?" And then I started really getting serious because what I was doing wasn't working. You know, I watched a lot of YouTube, different doctors, scientists, researchers, and, you know, you get a lot of contradiction. So for a long time, I was feeling like I was being bamboozled because it wasn't working. So I actually stumbled across a Robbie video, and Cyrus too. Listened to them, and I got their book. And when I got to page 49, I saw something about how fat in the muscles and the liver will increase or magnify insulin resistance, which I believed I had. That kind of sold me, so I bought the book. I started watching more of his videos, and then I joined up with MD about five months ago. About five months ago- Last May ... I decided to go with Mastering Diabetes, and it's working for me. And I would like to say I'm following it 100%, but I'm trying to be as good as I can be, and I'm getting better every day, but it's working. And it's the real deal. Well, when I started, initially I was like, uh, 95, 96. But, you know, I keep a log. I'm kind of anal. I write down, you know, what I eat, what I exercise, what my blood pressure is, and I do that five or six times a day, and weigh myself every day so I have a comparison. My fasting blood glucose was 102, 103. It was getting up to 112 regularly, and I said, "You know, this is not good." So, you know, I have to-- I gotta change course here. I gotta right this ship. That's when I decided to go with Mastering Diabetes. I like Robbie, not just what he said, but I admire him that he does triathlons, being an athlete. And, you know, if you can do that, and he's- takes insulin and stuff like-- His situation was far worse than mine and he's mastering it. So I said, "If my situation is as bad as his, I should be able to control this." Yeah. And with Mastering Diabetes, I am. Well, I would like to say I wish, but- Mm ... well, when I went in with a fatty liver, the guy just shrugged. And it's like, "Well, what can I do?" And he gave me no answers. He didn't point in any direction. So I, I really felt like I was just a, a ship drifting out there at sea, and, you know, lost. Really lost. And, you know, here I'm trying to help myself and, again, I'm really getting mixed signals from different professionals. Well, again, everybody seems to, you know, have their own hack or... You know? But everybody's selling products. Mm-hmm. They weren't selling supplements or they weren't selling things that are gonna make you better. They were saying it's simple. Whole food, plant-based, follow this procedure, cut out the fat, reduce the sugar, cut back on salt, and you'll see results. So I actually started doing that a little bit before I signed up in January, and I was seeing results. So I said, "Let me investigate fully by committing, and we'll see." Well, everybody and their brother has a plan. You know? And for me, it wasn't about weight loss. It was getting my body healthier. You know, making the most of my best. That was- [laughs] That was a high school, on my high school ring. Make the most of your best. And I was feeling sluggish. Bending over to tie my shoes was getting difficult, 'cause I was developing a little belly there for a while, and it just wasn't adding up. Just again, I-- it seemed legit. And it seemed reasonable, and it seemed practical. And again, the fact that they weren't selling products like so many of them are, I say, yes, go for it. Almost from the get-go, I was watching the numbers go down. I'm doing this by myself. My wife isn't too keen about it, although I wish she would join me. But so as far as preparing some of the meals, 'cause I don't want to eat the same thing three or four days in a row, I was probably having more greens. I would have greens and sprouts, which I started growing myself by the way, every meal, and doing the best I could. But as the months have gone by, I'm starting to appreciate it more. What I'm eating, the beans and the lentils are tasting better. It's, it's becoming more a part of my routine. And I could see that when I was being good and truly staying off, uh, the burgers and things like that, and I was, uh, taking in less fat, my fasting glucose was getting into the 90s, the low 90s. I even got into the 80s a couple times. Now, I've had some setbacks. We went to a couple of functions with some friends, but I know that when I follow the procedure, it works. I'm gonna get results. And the trend is good. My log is proof. Proof's in the pudding. Since starting with Mastering Diabetes, my glucose numbers are regularly in the very low 100s or 90s, and if they go above, you know, 105, it's because I know I had a ste- piece of steak or something like that or I cheated with a dessert. I have a little more get up and go in my step, and you know, because I was feeling sluggish there and I couldn't figure out why. So I buy a lot of frozen, uh, fruit, and I put that in my oatmeal in the morning, and I mix it in with my greens and have, uh, greens, fruit smoothies throughout the day. And it's tasty, and it works. It works. That's all I can say. [laughs] It works. I'm 67 years old, but I would say that there are very few 40, 45-year-olds that could keep up with me. I get together with my buddies and we're splitting wood and all that, and they want to take a break every 20 minutes. I say, "Guys, we just started. Let's go." [laughs] I have, again, a lot more stamina, endurance, and I think if someone, you know, would see me working out in the gym, they would say, "This, this guy's, he's got to be younger than he says he is. He has to be." Well, I'll tell you initially, you know, nobody wants to spend money, okay? But i- if you look at everybody else's plans, if you go out, everybody, all these doctors have, uh, venues on the West Coast where you can come for them and stay a week or a month, whatever, and, and they're, they're talking thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. This is a system which, again, because of my technology inadequacies, I really can't take full advantage of, but the, the price is a bargain for what you're getting. Every week I have a coach, and I can see other people involved. And I would suggest if people aren't doing it to get an accountability partner if you really need one, because it helps. And to keep a log, it helps a lot. I don't know if they emphasize that enough. I tried hooking up with someone who was asking questions, and I said, "Well, let's, you know, talk every other day and see if we're, uh, following what we should be, and if we're not, try to encourage them." But the person didn't pursue it, so. I would say that you definitely should start today working with Mastering Diabetes because you've been waiting too long. Your numbers say it. They're going up. You probably have blood pressure problems. You probably have a lot of other issues that the doctors-- You know, you're going on appointments left and right. I was getting tired of going to doctor's appointments, so they're getting fewer and far between. I'm happy about that. I'm healthier, feeling better. Again, you know, when I was younger, I thought that people naturally were gonna get heavier with age. That's not. It's bunk. If you are eating right and you're active, you're gonna be the same weight you were in high school or college. And I've just-- I am now lower than my college weight at 168. And again, the day I started is I was 181, and I'm down to 168. And again, my goal was not to lose weight, but it's coming off naturally. And I, I'm eating a lot [laughs] of food. You know, I'm eating the lentils and beans and corn and peas and rice on top of all the greens and the fruit. So I walk away from the table very comfortable, and there's no hungry here. Before Mastering, uh, Diabetes, my A1C went up to six, and within, um, three months it was five point six, and I know when I get it again, it's gonna be well below that. Absolutely. I can feel it. Again, I'm still on blood pressure medicine, but the blood pressure medicine that I was prescribed by my cardiologist, Amlodipine, I'm not taking that anymore. I was having some prostate issues, so my urologist gave me, uh, doxazosin, which is also a blood pressure medicine, and with both of them it was way too low. So the doxazosin is a much lower dose, and often I'm still on the low side, so it's just a matter of time before I can k- kiss that goodbye. I would be interested in doing that. If I can help someone who's watching this conversation, that's what it's all about. You know, we're all-- It's-- I don't want to get better by myself. I want everybody to be better. It would save the Americans all that money and, and health insurance and all that kind of stuff, so it's win, win, win. When-- If this is used somewhere, how would I be able to view it? Just to, um... No, I don't want a copy. I would just like to see the finished product, because you, you're gonna be editing, I'm sure. My coach, Karen, asked me if I would do this, and I said, "Sure, if I can help somebody." And you had said that I really, I don't think that my story is remarkable in any way compared-- Some people, you know, were-- had hundreds of fasting glucose and dropped their A1C by, you know, eight points. Mine's, uh, minuscule in comparison, but the difference that it has made and, you know, because I didn't want to get to that point. It's a big change for me, but my story is petty compared to some people.