To say Juanita Nemecek has a family history of type II diabetes is an understatement.
“I went to a reunion for all of the first cousins in my family, and only three of us were not diabetic,” Juanita said. “One of my cousins died from untreated diabetes.”
It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Juanita’s doctor diagnosed her in 2020, but the news was devastating, nonetheless.
“I had moved back to Michigan from Tennessee and got a new doctor. I asked her if I was diabetic, and she did a new patient workup on me,” Juanita said. “She gave me a pamphlet that listed all the foods I could and couldn’t eat. I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t eat anything!”
That pamphlet left Juanita feeling disheartened, but that didn’t last. Her insurance company got her to enroll in the McLaren Flint Diabetes Education and Nutrition Program, and registered dietitian Amy Hughes was about to shed new light on everything Juanita thought she knew about type two diabetes.
“I met Amy for an evaluation, and she asked me what the one thing I was worried about was. I told her it was my coffee with cream and sugar in the morning. I didn’t want to give that up, and she said I could have it,” Juanita said. “That surprised me. She said I could have carbs and sugar- just not a lot of them. That didn’t sound so devastating, and my interest was piqued right away.”
So, Juanita started going to the program’s classes. What she learned over those weeks changed her life.
“Amy stressed how important it is to get protein with every meal. Instead of saying, ‘I can’t have sugar or carbs,’ I just tell myself I have to have protein- 30 to 35 grams at every meal. Amy showed us what a serving looked like,” Juanita said.
Small changes led to a big transformation. Juanita started to lose weight, something that hadn’t happened in years.
“I am not skinny, but I am very proud of myself. I weighed more than 275 pounds when I started, and I have lost more than 100 pounds,” Juanita said.
She took metformin, a drug used to treat type II diabetes, to help control the amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. It creates a feeling of fullness that can help patients lose weight.
“I wasn’t losing weight on the metformin until I started changing my diet,” Juanita said. “I don’t get hungry. I eat five times a day. I am eating more than anyone around me, and I am losing weight.”
Juanita learned about more than managing what she eats. She also learned a thing or two about the importance of exercise in managing her disease.
“Once the weight started coming off, I was able to exercise,” Juanita said. “After I lost 40 pounds, I bought a bike and started riding it. I belong to a gym and swim laps in the pool where I live.”
“The goal of this program is not only to teach patients how to manage their disease,” said Amy. “We want to empower patients by showing them that a diabetes diagnosis doesn’t have to be devastating. Part of that is emphasizing to patients to approach meals with the idea that they need to add healthy things, versus taking away foods they enjoy.”
It took Juanita 12 months to lose 95 pounds, and she’s kept the weight off for a year. She is empowered by the results and getting her health under control in some tremendous ways.
“I am now off all diabetes medications. My blood pressure is also now in check; I am on the lowest dose of my medication you can take. I also had a lot of trouble with back pain, and that is improving,” said Juanita. “I feel more energetic. I feel so much better. I am not depressed or feeling bad about myself. I am thrilled.”
The McLaren program has given Juanita her life back and shown her that she can overcome anything if she puts her mind to it, even a disease that has had such a devastating impact on her family.
For more information about the McLaren Flint Diabetes Education and Nutrition Program, click here.