Small Changes Add Up
Lyndsi dePrado cried when her doctor diagnosed her diabetes in 2002. "It was like the sky parted," says dePrado, a Houston-area human resources manager. "I was angry and embarrassed because I had not been tuned in to the reality of what could happen." DePrado had been overweight her entire life, cycling on and off diets and even undergoing gastric bypass surgery. "But I never learned how to rethink my eating habits," she says. As a result, the weight kept coming back: Even her surgically shrunken stomach stretched out over time. When diagnosed at age 44, she weighed more than 260 pounds, wore a size 24, and had blood sugar levels of 550 mg/dL.
A Promise Made
About 4 months after her diagnosis came the incident in the department store. On her way to the plus-size section, she stopped on the first floor—"where all the stylish clothes were," dePrado says. While she browsed, imagining herself in a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans, a sales associate came up. "I'm sorry," she said, "your size is on the second floor." Feeling her face flush, dePrado said "Thank you"—and kept looking. Then she promised herself that when she reached a smaller size, "I'm going to come back and buy a pair of these jeans."
DePrado had already started modifying the way she ate, such as gradually cutting the number of colas she drank per day. But an idea hit her when pondering how she'd save more than $100 for the pricey jeans: Every day, she stashed one quarter in her pocket as a reminder to make one additional small, permanent change. At day's end, the quarter went into the jeans fund. To earn it, she would order off the children's menu at a restaurant, for example; cut back to 2 scoops of ice cream from 3; or substitute lemon juice for butter on baked potatoes. "The hardest thing was getting off the couch," she says. Five-minute walks that left her gasping eventually became hour-plus jaunts that covered miles. She knew it would take time for both small pocket-change and small behavioral change to add up: "The extra weight didn't just suddenly appear," she says, "so it wasn't going to just disappear."
Lyndsi dePrado used a quarter in her pocket to power her new healthy habits.
Reaping Rewards
Encouraging results came quickly for dePrado: She dropped 18 pounds after about 2 months and started feeling more energetic. Just as important, her blood sugar started dropping—and because she made long-term changes in her eating habits, the weight wasn't coming back. In 2 years, her blood sugar was normal and she had dropped 135 pounds—enough to walk back into that store and buy her Ralph Laurens. "I felt like I had just won an Academy Award," she says. "I was proud and felt like I could do anything if I was really serious, planned it out, took my time, and worked at it."
Success Stories
- Make a plan. DePrado's first step after diagnosis was to think and pray. "I had to look at the big picture over the long term, with goals and gradual steps that made sense for me," she says.
- Track your eating. By keeping a food diary, dePrado learned what she did wrong—like drinking 6 sodas a day. Today, she's down to 1 a week—or less.
- Don't talk about "losing" weight. If you lose something, you can find it again.
- Get 2 meals from 1. At restaurants, dePrado asks the server to immediately put half her food in carryout—and bring it to her with the bill when the meal is over.
Patient Tools
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Daily Glucose Tracker
Use this handy grid to record glucose levels quickly and easily. -
Exercise Journal
People with diabetes say that they are more likely to remain motivated when they keep track of their physical activity. This simple, easy-to-use tool can help. - View More Patient Tools >>>