This article is part ofHealth Divide: Type 2 Diabetes in People of Color, a destination in our Health Divide series.
Sarah Bryant is a type 2 diabetes advocate living in South Carolina. After losing her husband to heart complications from type 2 diabetes, she vowed to live a whole and healthy life. Sarah loves to travel, exercise, and cook: all things that helped her manage her diabetes better.
I first saw the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes when my husband had a stroke, leaving me as his primary caregiver.He later passed away due to his condition, but I still struggled with my diet. True, I knew I was probably eating more fat than I should, and sugar had always been my ultimate weakness, but I had a hard time making any lasting change. I would go through periods of eating well, only to fall off the wagon and binge on bread or sweets. The same went for exercising: I would get into a routine for a couple of months and then gradually lose motivation. I didn’t understand what adopting a healthier lifestyle truly meant.
My Encounter With Diabetes
It wasn’t until late 2019 that I noticed something was wrong. I started experiencing extreme fatigue that would last all day, no matter how much sleep I got. I could hardly function. After this had gone on for a month, I started to wonder if I had an iron deficiency, so I finally went to my healthcare provider. She ran some tests and later told me my blood sugar was in the diabetic range.
Sarah BryantThat was when I realized that if I wanted to get this disease under control, I couldn’t rely on other people to tell me what to do.
Sarah Bryant
That was when I realized that if I wanted to get this disease under control, I couldn’t rely on other people to tell me what to do.
I didn’t want to depend on medication, so the healthcare provider’s office referred me to a diabetes education class. At the orientation, the nurse said the goal was to keep myA1Cat 7.0. The only problem? My A1C was only at 6.5, which was already interfering with my life.
That was when I realized that if I wanted to get this disease under control, I couldn’t rely on other people to tell me what to do. I would need to advocate for myself and take matters into my own hands.
Creating New (Better) Habits
The thing about making a lifestyle change is that you need to be able to stick to it. A diet may be a temporary fix, but you risk returning to your old eating habits when it’s over.
After my diagnosis, I started exploring different ways of controlling my blood sugar. I tried theketo diet, but I was miserable. It wasn’t sustainable. I needed something I could see myself doing long-term without falling off the wagon and undoing my progress.
I found a Facebook group dedicated to a plant-based, whole food, oil-free diet. It allowed me to have fruits, vegetables, and whole grains without feeling I was depriving myself. I also started focusing on reducing processed foods and avoiding sodium. By paying more attention to ingredient lists, I could make informed decisions about what I put in my body and cut out excess salt and sugar.
The Exchange Method for Managing Diabetes
Around the same time, I also discovered x you can use for exercise. I fell in love with it. It was a fun way to be physically active, but it also helped with many of my other aches and pains. It didn’t feel like exercise, making it easy to add to my routine. I now jump on it every day, in addition to walking on a treadmill, and I’ve never felt better.
Finding My “Why”
What this journey has taught me is the importance of becoming your own best healthcare advocate. No one knows your body better than you do—not even your healthcare provider. If something is wrong, you owe it to yourself to give it the attention it deserves and to speak up when you have questions. And that was what I did. By making these sustainable lifestyle changes, I was able to lose 50 pounds and bring my A1C down to the normal range without medication. I can even indulge in the occasional fried dish or sweet treat without sliding back into old habits.
Since that day in 2019, I’ve had many people see my changes and say things like, “I wish I could eat like you.” I always tell them the same thing: when your “why” becomes big enough, you will. For me, that “why” was seeing what diabetes had done to my husband and knowing that I could prevent the same thing from happening to me. When you have something powerful enough to motivate you, you can take the necessary steps to make a change.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chen R, Ovbiagele B, Feng W.Diabetes and stroke: epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals and outcomes.Am J Med Sci. 2016;351(4):380-386. doi:10.1016/j.amjms.2016.01.011National Library of Medicine.Type 2 diabetes: Learn More – Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chen R, Ovbiagele B, Feng W.Diabetes and stroke: epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals and outcomes.Am J Med Sci. 2016;351(4):380-386. doi:10.1016/j.amjms.2016.01.011National Library of Medicine.Type 2 diabetes: Learn More – Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Chen R, Ovbiagele B, Feng W.Diabetes and stroke: epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals and outcomes.Am J Med Sci. 2016;351(4):380-386. doi:10.1016/j.amjms.2016.01.011National Library of Medicine.Type 2 diabetes: Learn More – Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes.
Chen R, Ovbiagele B, Feng W.Diabetes and stroke: epidemiology, pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals and outcomes.Am J Med Sci. 2016;351(4):380-386. doi:10.1016/j.amjms.2016.01.011
National Library of Medicine.Type 2 diabetes: Learn More – Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes.
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