Success story: diabetes

Learning to live with diabetes. Getting it straight.

Being recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Tom, a 55-year-old employee of a manufacturer, was somewhat overwhelmed. He knew his condition was serious, but manageable. Even so, he couldn’t help wondering how he was going to cope with it all.

In addition to high blood glucose levels, Tom also had high blood pressure. Tom’s friends and family, wanting to help, gave him lots of diet advice. The problem was that all the information he received was conflicting. “Don’t eat sugar.” “No, some sugar is fine in moderation.” “Eat sugar, but include protein.”

Tom knew he had to get accurate information. Since his company offered StayWell health coaching, he signed up.

Tom's health coach recommended reliable resources for good information, including the StayWell Online® Web site and local diabetes classes in his area. His coach also mailed him educational materials about relevant topics.

With ongoing guidance from his health coach, he:

Met with his doctor and a registered dietitian
Set goals to follow a consistent meal plan
Participated in diabetes education classes
Ate more vegetables and monitored his salt intake
Walked one mile, three to four days per week

At the end of his coaching program, Tom had lost 80 pounds, his cholesterol decreased by 50 points, his HDL (good) cholesterol increased and his blood glucose dropped to normal levels. Plus, his blood pressure decreased to a healthy range. With great family support, Tom plans to sustain his healthy changes using his new-found arsenal of health skills and tools.

Testimonial

“The encouragement and feedback are invaluable. It gives you the affirmation of not having to face your challenges alone! It is a fantastic program!”

Fact

Tom lost 80 pounds, reduced his cholesterol by 50 points, increased his HDL (good) cholesterol, decreased his blood pressure and dropped his blood glucose levels to a normal range.