I think the problem with diabetes is it doesn't hurt. You can have uncontrolled diabetes and feel bad and fatigued, but it doesn't hurt. Losing weight helps a person's natural insulin supply do a better job of lowering blood glucose levels. Being overweight, Kyner said, adds to a body's insulin resistance. So the way to lower your insulin resistance is to get your body weight down, eat sensibly and exercise.
Physicians often prescribe such lifestyle changes before medication or insulin.
Most management plans revolve around a diabetic's diet. Too often, physicians say, patients are their worst enemy. Hers are lifelong habits. Her mother, the wife of a Santa Fe Railroad worker, fried everything for her husband and four children. When Cabot nutritionists showed her how to prepare low-fat foods, she struggled.