Tom Pearce was somewhat surprised when he found out about three weeks ago that he has diabetes, but he knew other people weren’t.
“People expect me to have it,” he said. “I’ve got to lose some weight.”
The Bowling Green man knew he would need help in controlling his disease. He recently took a pre-diabetes class offered at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall to learn lifestyle changes he can make.
“My wife came with me. That shows a big support,” he said. “(The class) will make a lot of difference in the long run.”
Many people are familiar with diabetes, where the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to change sugar, starches and other foods to energy. Pre-diabetes is a medical diagnosis that involves an impaired fasting glucose, said Teresia Huddleston, clinical nutritionist and regional diabetes coordinator at the Barren River District Health Department.
“It’s above normal, but it does not meet the criteria for actual diabetes,” she said. “We used to use the term ‘borderline,’ but we don’t use it anymore.”
According to the March issue of “Diabetes Forecast” magazine, the cost of treating diabetes in the United States is expected to triple to $336 billion per year over the next 25 years. One in three adults is at risk for developing diabetes, Huddleston said.
“With pre-diabetes, there’s a 50-50 chance of it turning into diabetes if you continue your current lifestyle,” she said. “It is treated with lifestyle modification.”
At a recent pre-diabetes class, Marissa Hesson, certified diabetes educator for The Medical Center, talked to participants about the condition.
“Doctors are not going to want to diagnose you with diabetes on one reading,” she said. “It’s a wake-up call. It’s time we start to make changes.”
Exercise and healthy eating are key to controlling pre-diabetes, Hesson said. People should aim for 150 minutes of exercise a week – such as 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Those who are inactive should start slowly and get permission from a doctor before they start an exercise program.
“I’m reading things that say that 10 to 15 minutes of walking is better than nothing at all,” she said. “You can start at five to 10 minutes and add on to that.”
Shedding weight also helps, Hesson said.
“If you’re overweight, losing five to 10 pounds can reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes,” she said.
Controlling portion sizes and the amount of carbohydrates is also important, Andrea Norris, registered dietitian at The Medical Center, told the class.
“You want to choose the right carbohydrates. It’s not that these things are bad,” she said of foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes. “It’s just how much you eat.”
Non-starchy vegetables are considered a “free food,” meaning these can be eaten more. Carrots and fruit can also be eaten, but carefully. People should also watch out for fruit juice.
“Carrots can sometimes break down real fast and make blood sugar go up,” she said. “You need fruit, but you have to watch how much fruit you’re eating. Fruit juices can have just as much sugar as soda.”
A single banana or apple can even be too much at times, Norris said.
“Watch apples and bananas in the store,” she said. “They’re often bigger than a single serving size.”
Norris suggested participants eat three meals a day with three snacks.
“When you skip breakfast, it slows the metabolism,” she said. “You need consistency in the timing of your meals.”
Fiber also is important, Norris said.
“It acts like a vacuum. It sucks up fat and sugar,” she said. “It’s bulky, though, so drink more water.”
Instead of buying sugar-free foods, Norris suggested choosing regular foods and watching portion sizes.
“Sugar-free adds extra stuff (to make it taste better),” she said.
Pearce said portion size has been his biggest problem.
“I eat a lot of everything,” he said. “I commute, so I have a terrible tendency to eat in the car. It usually means fast food.”
Although he already has diabetes, Pearce said the class helped him. He plans to change his lifestyle by beginning an exercise plan, which includes bicycling, and planning his meals better. He has an application on his cellular phone that helps him keep up with his eating habits.
“If I plan what I’m going to and do the plan, I’ll be OK,” he said. “This is a chance to start making some of these changes.”
— For more information about the pre-diabetes class at the Health and Wellness Center, call 745-0942 or toll-free at (877) 800-3824. For more information about the health department’s diabetes education class, call 781-8039, ext. 119.
