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Diabetes Success Stories
Featured Success Story
Michelle Fairless
Starting Date: 1/2/07
Starting Weight: 165
Pounds Lost: 35
Goal Weight: 125
Michelle Fairless knows a thing or two about victory. First, the 39-year-old homemaker won her battle with weight: In the last six years, she has managed to lose 35 pounds and keep them off. She now shops for clothes in a size 5/6 instead of size 11.(She says that she realized she was beginning to lose weight when "I was walking down my stairs and had to pull my pants up! They were literally falling down!") But whittling down to a smaller size was only the beginning. She has also managed to overcome a diabetes diagnosis with the help of The Best Life.
For most of her life, Michelle says she was lucky-she never worried about her weight. Eating whatever she wanted and exercising only on occasion, she was always able to stay at about 120 pounds. But after she had her third child in June 2000, she struggled to care for the new baby, another child under two, and a nine-year-old; she found that she was left with no time to care for her own needs. As a result, the numbers on the scale began to climb until they topped out at around 165 pounds. Still, it wasn't until she received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in January 2004 that she realized she had to get serious about her health. Michelle knew from watching her grandmother, who also had diabetes, the symptoms of out-of-control blood sugar, and suspected that she might have diabetes, too. "I got the shakes really badly. I became dizzy and almost incoherent. I felt like I wanted to throw up and faint. I was also having blurry vision," she recalls. Michelle scheduled an appointment with her doctor for urine and blood tests, and soon after, she got the news that she'd almost expected. In fact, "my doctor tried to get a hold of me until late into the evening to get me on medication (Metformin) that night."
After that life-changing call, Michelle vowed to make some changes. "I knew I had to get healthy because I didn't want to be a burden to my family. And I knew that in order for me to be healthy, I had to be first on my list," she says. "My grandmother and her siblings had diabetes, and I didn't want to go through what they went through. Immediately, I was determined to beat it and determined that my kids would never get diabetes. I was scared, but I knew that I could do it. I didn't doubt myself for a single second. It's amazing the action you'll take when you're faced with a life-threatening disease."
At first, she tried tackling it on her own: She started walking more and tried to eat as healthfully as she could. But she needed more help and guidance-and when she saw Bob Greene during one of his many Oprah appearances, that's exactly what she got. She liked what he had to say about healthy eating and exercise, and she started putting his advice into practice. Over the next several years, she continued to watch for Bob on Oprah and each time, she implemented the advice he gave into her life. Then, when the Best Life launched in January 2007, she joined. She started making further adjustments to her already healthy diet and stepped up her exercise, going from walking around the neighborhood lake, a three-mile loop, to running. Shortly after, Michelle began to see dramatic results: Her doctor took her off her medication, her vision was no longer blurry, and her vitals and blood sugar levels were normal. In fact, her last blood pressure reading was 112/70, and her most recent hemoglobin A1c result (a number that reflects average blood sugar over the previous two or three months) was 5.4. A reading of 6 or less is considered normal-what people without diabetes would be. And of course, she's happy with her weight.
Why did she choose the Best Life to get back to good health? "Bob teaches you everything that he knows in a simple way. It's like having a personal trainer and nutritionist right there with you!" And she loves the Best Life seal of approval, which makes the tricky work of decoding healthy foods manageable. (Barilla Plus pasta and Smart Balance products are just a couple of the Best Life approved foods that Michelle regularly uses.) She also enjoys the helpful tips and advice she receives from Bob and the other Best Life experts: "I truly love and look forward to getting the weekly email newsletters. There's always something useful that I can apply to my life. The funny thing is now when I get them, I'm already am following all the advice-Bob has taught me well!" Still, she's looking forward to the launch of the new Best Life Diabetes site. "I will for sure refer to the website and often. I feel like I have such great control over my diabetes, but I know that there are still so many things that I can learn-that I need to learn."
Exercise is a big part of Michelle's life now (and a major reason for her success), but that wasn't always the case. Before her diabetes diagnosis, Michelle never exercised because "I thought I didn't need to." In the beginning, Michelle found a pedometer to be very useful. "It was a huge wake-up call as to how lazy I really was," she recalls. Michelle began increasing her activity by starting slowly and gradually working her way up. "I always hated the idea of being in a gym with all the "muscle heads", so I started walking around the nearby lake. After a few years of walking, I started jogging. Then, to save my knees, I started swimming." Michelle ays that finding exercise she enjoys has been critical to her success. "I do fun things that don't even feel like exercise."
Michelle has come almost full circle when it comes to fitness. In fact, exercise is simply part of who she is now. "Everyday I look forward to doing something active, even while on vacation." The now-serious athlete just finished her first triathlon in September 2009, and completed a second one just a month later. "I'm not even kidding when I say that this wouldn't have been possible without everything that I've learned from Bob," she says. "I really never skip my workouts because I have so many fun choices-jogging, biking, swimming and spin classes, to name just a few." Some blood-pumping tunes don't hurt, either. "I always know that once I put on my iPod [with upbeat, fun music] I'm good to go."
Michelle's focus on food has also changed quite a bit. "I was never a junk-food or fast-food junkie-I simply didn't have proper nutrition. I became a vegetarian in junior high and gave up all meat, eggs and milk. I lived strictly on carbs-bad ones-until the day I was diagnosed with diabetes," she says. "It doesn't take a fatty, sugary diet to cause serious problems; a diet lacking in proper nutrition will get you there just as fast." Now, she stocks her kitchen with healthy foods, including these essentials: olive oil, steel cut oats, nuts (especially raw almonds and walnuts) and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetable. That way, she always has the basic ingredients for a nutritious snack or meal, such as any of the Best Life recipes, including Baked Pasta with Pumpkin and Spinach, one of her favorites.
"It's amazing how great you can feel, and what you can accomplish when you get the proper nutrition and exercise. When I look in the mirror, I see a woman who is much healthier now at 39 than she ever was at 19-and a woman who has stopped the cycle of diabetes in her family. By learning how to cook, eat and exercise properly, I have passed that onto my husband and my children, and they are living a healthier life because of the Best Life. My reward is that I no longer have diabetes and I feel pretty damn sexy at 39! Bring it on, 40!"