Wow, this year is already halfway over. It has been quite a wild ride, and for me, this may even be an understatement. 

Let me preface this by saying none of what I am about to share is for kudos or notoriety. I truly could care less about any of that at this point in my life (sorry, ego-driven, early career former self). 

Sometimes life can hit you fast and unexpectedly. And it can be A LOT. We’re all human — chatGPT has no attribution here — and sometimes those hits can knock you down pretty hard.

How you get back up and respond is the key.

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Receiving a Type-2 Diabetes Diagnosis

In February I was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. I was devastated. All I could think was “Why me?”

Sure, there’s a family history of diabetes on both sides, but there are people way unhealthier than me, right? This sucks. 

After some difficult days and anger-driven self-reflection, there wasn’t anyone to blame but myself. Turns out that starting the day with a terribly unhealthy soda or an energy drink paired with fatty foods or even candy isn’t part of a balanced diet.

Who would’ve thought? 

Anyone who has worked with me over the past 8 years knows this was my reality for quite some time, even to the point that coworkers probably saw it as a personality trait. 

After mulling over the diagnosis, I returned to the doctor for clarification. I was told I could continue my diet as usual with the prescribed Metformin dosage, but I’d need to take the medication long-term. There wasn’t much belief that things could change for me naturally. 

That’s when my competitive side kicked in.

It was time to make a lifestyle change and give a big middle finger to doubt. 

Education About a Type-2 Diabetes Diagnosis

I read numerous books to educate myself on the subject, and how I could better myself in the long run. This book said one thing, another said something else, but I pulled anything and everything I thought could help better myself. 

One book, in particular, resonated heavily and helped change my mindset from fear and self-loathing to actionable change. That book was The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung.

Lifestyle Changes are the First Step to Curbing a Type-2 Diabetes Diagnosis

I bought multiple cookbooks and changed my entire diet. Gone were the sugary drinks and sweets and in came protein-rich meals with hearty servings of fruits and vegetables. I reduced my carb intake to under 100g per day. Black coffee became my best friend. 

Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely challenging cutting out so many things that I would have considered favorites for basically my entire life.

I thought I’d hate it, but I found creativity in cooking. My cooking journey became my newest form of meditation and self-expression.

For healthy diabetes-friendly recipe ideas, follow me on Instagram.

I began lifting and walking 1.5-2 miles roughly 4-5 times each week. I met with a dietician and was given a diabetic-friendly plan, but through all of this change, I was still a bit skeptical that I could ever get better.

Dealing with Stress Through a Type-2 Diabetes Diagnosis 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention… all of this was occurring just a few months before my wife and I were expecting the birth of our first child. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions.

This diagnosis was bigger than just me. It was my responsibility to be around for my family for a long time. 

Our son was born in April. I can’t put into words how happy I was (and am). He’s the best thing that’s happened to my life. But even with this effervescent sense of joy, there was still a cloud of lingering self-doubt flowing through my mind.

Igniting Creativity for Mental Stability and Personal Growth

On top of all of this, I began taking on more responsibility in my day-to-day at work. Naturally, longer hours ensued.

I was hungry. I was stressed. I was tired as fuck.

My days were hard as hell. 

But then I started to see not only physical progress but mental progress as well. Through all of it, I started to feel refreshed and revitalized. The fire was burning. 

That’s when everything clicked. The creative juices began flowing more consistently than they had in years. I can whole-heartedly say I have never done better work in my life than I have over the past 3 months while balancing all of the craziness in my personal life. 

I never would have expected to say that after everything going on outside of the typical 9-5. But I found solace in design. It was a place to look and feel great. Emotion was pouring into every new project.

Digital ads, campaign ideation, website designs, presentation decks, you name it: I was kicking ass and taking names. 

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Overcoming a Type-2 Diabetes Diagnosis

Flash forward to now, three months after the original diagnosis. With the work I put in, I am down 40 lbs (and counting!) and have effectively lowered my A1c from 7.3 to 5.3, dropping the need for medicine, and kicking the diabetes diagnoses altogether. 

I’m not one for conspiracies, but I do find it rather comical how doctors who are supposedly “there to help” don’t tend to share information about how to truly kick a Type-2 diabetes diagnosis. Medicine is always the solution. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because there’s no money in natural solutions.

Chef Gusteau from Ratatouille said it best: “Anyone can cook… but only the fearless can be great”

If you take anything away from this: just keep going. No matter what negativity you face, you can find a way to get through it if you put in the work. Yes, it’ll be hard, but I can say the trade-off is 1000% worth it. 

Build a support system and make sustainable choices, and you’ll be well on your way to doing whatever you put your mind to. 

Most importantly, keep grinding & keep growing.