I Reversed My Type 2 Diabetes and Changed My Life

On President's Day 2010, my family and I set out to go on a few mile cross-country ski adventure at one of our Cleveland Metroparks locations. Unfortunately, I quickly learned I would not be a participating member of our group. I was a fat, out-of-shape, 42-year-old diabetic man whose body would not and could not keep up with his beautiful, healthy family. Having been told the year before by a doctor in Breckenridge, Colorado that, due to contracting high elevation pulmonary edema (HAPE), I needed to cut short another family trip and immediately head back to Cleveland's lower elevation, this was my last straw.

Several days later I began a diet and exercise program that dramatically affected my quality of life and changed my entire outlook on how diabetes and obesity can be controlled.

Within three weeks of beginning to work with the team at The Lifestyle 180 program at the Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute, I dropped more than 16 pounds, was taken off of ALL of my diabetes medicines, and found I was beginning to learn how to recognize and release tension. My health was beginning to return. Even though I had seen multiple dietitians and nutritionists, and been taught for many years how to count carbs and read labels, I had not been able to get control of my disease. The simple and repeated messages of eating nothing with more than two legs (I thought – “No red meat, you've got to be kidding? I'll starve"); no food where sugar is listed in the first five ingredients (I had to throw out most of what was in my refrigerator and cupboards); and eating only whole grains is very easy to follow.

Over the course of the summer, I have gone from a waist of 126.5 cm. to 103cm. In addition, I was part of the Cleveland Clinic Pan-Ohio Hope Ride team and rode my bike from Cleveland to Cincinnati (another truly amazing life journey) I also ran in the Chagrin Falls Blossom Time Festival with my family as well as Race for the Cure.

This weekend, I will compete in my first ever triathlon at Portage Lakes. Every where I go, people will stop and ask me what I have done to change my life, and how it has impacted me and my family.

I am now once again an athlete who fits the image of his profession as a financial advisor and auxiliary police officer. I no longer ask myself, “Will I be around to see my son and daughter grow up?” But rather, I ask, “How can I encourage others to take the small steps that will give them a whole new outlook on the world?”

Jim M. lives outside of Cleveland.