Journalist ARA JANSEN was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year. After attending a DESMOND program, learning more about diabetes and building a support network, she’s feeling stronger in both body and mind.
“Last year, at the end of November, I abruptly found out I had type 2 diabetes when I took myself to the emergency department of a local hospital. A wound hadn’t healed, even after a week of bombing it with oral antibiotics and injections. Something was definitely up.
After diagnosing me with type 2 diabetes, the endocrinologist listed all the things I couldn’t eat (which seemed really long) and what I could eat (which seemed way shorter). In that dazed moment I thought I’d be doomed to eat mung beans and sprouts forever.
Once I got home, and without thinking too hard, I boxed up every item with sugar and donated them to grateful neighbours. It wasn’t long before Christmas, so the house was full of chocolate, shortbread and other yummy things I was definitely looking forward to eating.
When I told my personal trainer I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, he was excited. Too excited. How dare he be that gleeful!
I hate that he was right, but he was. I’d been trying for a long time to lose weight, kick my soft drink and sugar addiction and learn to cook. We agreed that my diagnosis would be the motivation I needed to truly make a change.
In order to centre myself, I put my journalist hat on and started talking to people, researching and learning. I borrowed dozens of books from the library, including a stack of cookbooks, and worked through the shopping lists I got at the hospital.
Seeing what I could actually eat really helped calm me and I felt more in control. There looked to be a lot of choice. It was so very different from the sugar-laden, takeaway and carb-heavy diet I’d been eating for decades. Taking inspiration from the cookbooks, I decided to use the plate method to get my eating on track and my blood sugars under control – half a plate of greens and vegetables, a quarter of a plate of protein and a quarter of a plate of carbohydrates.
I started teaching myself to cook and making all my meals from scratch. As a lifelong sugar addict with little ability to moderate volume, I decided if I was going to heal, I was going cold turkey. Sugar would now come from fruit, yoghurt, a square or two of very dark chocolate and the odd something I missed in a jar.
After a very short-lived week-long experiment of artificially sweetened drinks, I decided while it might contain no calories, the sugar messaging to my brain would simply make me want more. That was the end of it for me.
I kept learning as much as possible and attended a DESMOND course (DESMOND is short for Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) with a small group of people in Hillarys, most of us recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
At DESMOND it was useful to hear other people’s stories and get clearer on the science of blood glucose and insulin resistance in a way that was easy to understand, as well as learning what foods are carbohydrates and how these turn into glucose in the blood.
To help keep me on track and in focus, I’ve brought together an amazing health team who are wisely guiding and cheering me – a personal trainer and exercise physiologist, a diabetes educator, a dietitian and two coaches. I’m also continuing to scour the library for inspiration.
Alongside my friends, these generous people have been kindly responding to all the food photos I’ve been bombing them with. My favourite creation, which has become a weekly staple, is homemade hummus under oven-baked chicken and roast vegetables – carrots, red onion, capsicum, sweet potato, broccoli and zucchini.
I’ve kept my diet pretty tight because, as someone pointed out to me, I am a bit of an all-or-nothing gal. Sometimes I think, ‘what if I can never eat a donut, a regular chocolate bar or a biscuit again?’ That thought is too depressing. Instead, I remind myself that those foods are just not for this season – and keep moving.
When I met the endocrinologist in hospital, the first question I asked was how long it would take to get off the drugs and into remission. I thought five years was a safe bet. “Life is short,” he smiled. “Two years.” I said I’d hold him to that and do everything I could to hit that goal.
I’ve lost more than 15kg so far and the gym weights continue to go up slowly, my blood glucose levels are well in range and I’m looking forward to seeing my next HbA1C. I’m still not as active as I’d like, but I’m working on small wins. When I’m at my desk writing I move for two minutes on the hour. I might dance, do a yoga pose or stretch, or do the dishes with oomph.
My goals for the next two years are very clear – lose weight, get off all medication and keep my blood glucose levels in a good range with food and exercise.
As a recovering sugar addict, I’m also determined to learn the lessons of healthy eating I missed along the way. All the while knowing my body and my mind are better for it.”
Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and feeling overwhelmed?
Our free DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) program is an interactive workshop that helps build your confidence to manage your type 2 diabetes your way. It’s for people living with diabetes, talking about diabetes.
If you can’t attend a face-to-face program, you can sign up for myDESMOND, an online version of the program you can attend at your own pace.
DESMOND and myDESMOND are funded by the NDSS and free for NDSS registrants with type 2 diabetes.
How to get in touch with us
If you have questions or concerns about diabetes, for yourself or someone else, you can book an appointment with a diabetes educators online or at one of our clinics or call our free Diabetes WA helpline on 1300 001 880 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm) to speak with a caring, experienced diabetes health professional.
