On Thursday, January 11, Methodist Hospital hosted a virtual seminar designed to help people understand pre-diabetes and how to prevent and manage type-2 diabetes, from daily exercise to different types of diets to medications.
“If you have pre-diabetes, we encourage you to do the best that you can to eat healthy and to stay active because as shown in a study that the CDC has done, these actions are by far the most effective in helping to prevent pre-diabetes from progressing to type two diabetes,” said the seminar’s host, Carol Sakelaris, registered nurse and diabetes educator at Methodist Hospitals.
For those who have already been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, the seminar presented tips on how to increase life expectancy, stay on the right track, and keep your blood sugar at the levels it needs to be.
“A healthy lifestyle is going to go a long way to help prevent things like kidney problems, heart problems, blindness, and amputations. Listening to your body is important in this process as well. We do not expect perfection. We do not expect you to go from A to Z in one day,” said Sakelaris.
Diabetes in the United States is a significant problem and its causes can be related to life style choices, hereditary factors, or both. Methodist Hospitals wants those who have diabetes to take simple steps to prevent the condition from having a negative impact on their quality of life. In addition to diet and lifestyle choices, there are medications available to help manage the condition. Attendees were encouraged to talk with their doctors about potential treatments appropriate for their individual cases.
It can be difficult for some to have the motivation to make a lifestyle change, but Sakelaris stressed that little by little you can take steps that will eventually become a habit and make it easier to lose weight and keep your blood sugar levels where they need to be.
“If you make some slow and steady healthy changes in your life every day or every week, and set small, achievable goals for yourself, progress will happen. Slow and steady steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle will help to ultimately reach your goals,” said Sakelaris.
“For example, if you lose weight slowly and steadily, you will be more likely to maintain your weight loss than if you went on some kind of crazy diet and lost 30 pounds in two weeks. A reasonable goal would be to lose 5 to 7% of your body weight over a period of six months. For most people, that would mean losing anywhere from maybe 10 to 20 pounds, and losing at least 10 pounds will help tremendously with preventing type two diabetes,” said Sakelaris.
The seminar was the first in a year-long series of virtual seminars on preventing and managing diabetes. The seminars will be held every second Thursday of the month. The next meeting will take place, virtually, on Thursday, February 15. This seminar will focus on bettering yourself as a diabetic and other ways to focus on your health with this condition. To enroll in future seminars, you may visit https://methodisthospitals.org/event-registration/ or call 1-800-909-3627(DOCS).
