When Chris Harper was diagnosed with diabetes 15 years ago, he took the diagnosis seriously and changed his lifestyle to improve his health. The changes made a big difference. After just one year, he had lost weight, and his blood sugar was at a good level.
“When I was diagnosed, I took it very seriously,” he said. “After a while, I started cheating a little here and there. I lied to myself and said I’d be fine because I was still taking my medication, but I wasn’t fine. I just thought I was. In reality, I was eating more than one serving size, and I ate things I shouldn’t have.”
Chris then saw signs that told him he needed to change. “I started having more and more issues than I had previously,” Chris explained. “For example, foods that didn’t used to bother me began spiking my blood sugar more.”
Beverages like diet soda and sports drinks suddenly gave Chris problems. With those issues arising, he enrolled in Sarah Bush Lincoln’s Living with Diabetes Program. “I realized that there was a point where I had to get back on track,” Chris said.
The Living with Diabetes Program staff helped him do just that. Living with Diabetes is a multidisciplinary program designed for those who have just been diagnosed and also for those who have been living with diabetes and want to be healthier and feel better.
Though he received some education and guidance 15 years ago, participating in the Living with Diabetes Program gave Chris an entirely new understanding of diabetes, plus more tools to successfully manage his life. “The staff members are very knowledgeable, and they explain everything in a way that’s easy to understand,” he said. “They also held me accountable. They made me take it seriously.”
Chris now carefully checks food labels, consistently checks his blood sugar levels, follows a better diet and exercises. The biggest change for Chris has been that he more strictly follows serving sizes. “I used to be a big eater,” he explained. “I learned that you don’t have to stuff yourself. Now I can eat a smaller portion size and be full.”
Chris walks one or two miles every day with his wife, Rita, and he monitors his diet and blood sugar more often, also with her help. Whereas he used to eat a 14- or 16-ounce steak, he now eats a 6-ounce steak and follows healthier serving sizes with other foods. He admits that every now and then, he is tempted to cheat with food, such as cinnamon rolls—his Achilles’ heel—but, generally, he is doing great. “I am taking things a lot more seriously than I used to, and I’m trying harder,” he said. “I’m making better decisions, and I’m keeping better track of my health.”