Dear Pamela,

 

I just found out my A1C level puts me in the category of “pre-diabetic.” 

I have always been full-figured. At times I have hated my size. In my 40’s (I am now 48), I had accepted it, but now all of the stress and shame is back. 

Over the last two years I have worked on fiber, protein and walking, but weight keeps piling on anyway. 

The doctor suggested I take GLP-1 drugs to help.

I hate taking medication, but it has stirred up more feelings than just that.

It makes me feel hopelessly fat, out-of-control fat, like I am a total failure at caring for my body and need to cheat and take the easy way out. 

If I lose weight on the drugs, people will judge me.  If I don’t change anything and become diabetic, people will judge me. 

Please help me decide what to do. 

 

Sincerely,

Diabetic Danger Zone

 

Dear Ms. Danger,

 

Hello down there! Let’s pull you out of the emotional vortex you have fallen into.

Say, “I don’t need friends who act like foes” (Thank you Rob Base).

Remember, what people think has nothing to do with you, everything to do with themselves , and those haters aren’t going to pay your medical bills, so Let Them (thanks Mel Robbins) think what they want.

Without the shame and judgment, let’s attack this like the medical issue it is.

What is high A1C?

Because medical technology is rad, a couple drops of blood let us know that the food you eat is spending more time hanging out in your blood than getting delivered to your cells to provide energy. 

Wanna guess the top three risk factors for high A1C?  Being overweight, stress, and being +45 years of age (aka either deep in, or flirting with, perimenopause). Check, check and check.

What to do about high A1C

Our objective is clear: take action to help move nutrients through the loop of mouth-to-stomach-to-blood-to-cells in a system that is currently dragging along like a sullen teen at 7am.

Here are some key behaviors that will help:

• Lean heavy on protein and veggies.
• Eat real, unprocessed, fiber-rich foods that enter your blood slowly.
• Eat throughout the day, rather than eating light in the morning and heavy at night.
• Get some excellent workouts, but also get up and move for 5-10 minutes every hour (flexing muscles act like a thirsty sponge, pulling nutrients from the blood without insulin). Ten squats every bathroom trip is an excellent way to check this box.

For some, hitting this list works like a charm, but I have also worked with ladies who nailed all things, but couldn’t get the needle to budge and needed more help. That brings us to the meds. 

What do GLP-1’s do?

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is naturally made by our bodies.  It helps us use the food we eat and helps the brain register fullness.

Some people break down GLP-1 FAST.  So, the fact that they want more food is not them having weak willpower, it is a physical and mental scream for more food compared to people who break down GLP-1 more slowly. 

So, should I take the GLP-1’s?

Guess who is sooooooo not a doctor. Me! 

But, I have watched this story unfold firsthand with different outcomes.

One client didn’t have much to lose but took the drugs to slim down in her middle. She ate less of her “normal diet” (read as: not protein and veggie forward), which bottomed out her energy. I have a photo of her curled up on my gym floor, picking nap over deadlift. 

She lost weight, made up of fat and muscle.  Once she stopped taking the drugs, she gained her layer of chub back.  In the end she looked the same, but it cost her a couple thousand dollars and a couple pounds of muscle; the muscle being the biggest loss in my opinion.

On the other hand, I had another gal who used the muted appetite to choose chicken and broccoli over cheese and crackers and committed to pilates and weight training (basically everything on the list from above). When she stopped taking the drugs, she was well-positioned to maintain all of her efforts.  

 

I see a very clear path for you.  Whether of not you do the drugs, the list of clutch lifestyle changes are the same.

If you do the drugs, don’t sweat it.  See them as your personal launch pad to up your game on all the best health-supporting habits.

 

Sending chicken, broccoli, squats, strength, and love,

Coach Pamela