Tina Baron: How Losing Weight Helped Me Fight Diabetes

When blood tests showed Tina Baron she was borderline for type 2 diabetes, it was the wake-up call she needed. Now she watches what she eats, exercises, and is keeping her blood sugar under control.

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Tina Baron of Long Island, N.Y., had been putting on weight and knew she had to do something when she hit 208. “Carrying that kind of weight on my 5’3” frame was crazy," recalls the 51-year-old. "I felt slow and my knees and hips hurt. It was nothing specific, but my body was saying: ‘I don’t want to be this weight and be this heavy.’”
Because she had a family history of diabetes, her doctors had warned her, saying: “You have to do something; you can’t just keep going on like this.” A nurse practitioner friend was pretty blunt, too. “She kept telling me that when you have diabetes, all these cellular changes take place in your body, and you can’t reverse them," says Baron, who adds that her friend told her: "You have to stop this."
Baron, an accountant and the mother of two teens, 15 and 19, says she had noticed the pounds creeping up. “I couldn’t blame it on the kids," she says. "I was traveling for business and eating wrong and gradually kept putting on weight.”
Late last year, when Baron’s A1C ( a measurement that reflects the average amount of sugar in your blood over three months) reached 6.4, she was put on a diabetes drug and told to see an endocrinologist and nutritionist. An A1C of 5.7 or less is normal; 5.7 to 6.4 is pre-diabetes; and 6.5 or higher indicates diabetes, if this number is confirmed by a second test, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“It was the wake-up call I needed,” Baron says. She began working out at the gym and eating a healthful diet that she developed with a nutritionist.
A 30-Pound Weight Loss
The nutritionist helped Baron adopt a diet rich in vegetables, fiber, and lean protein, and low in carbohydrates. The first week of eating salads instead of sandwiches was hard, Baron admits. “I’m a cheese-aholic and was angry that I couldn’t just eat what I like," she says. But when she dropped 6 pounds in the first week, Baron agreed it was worth making the changes.
Without cramping her style too much, Baron had a weight loss of close to 30 pounds in about seven months. “My A1C is down to 5.7 and my cholesterol is 126,” she reports. “They’re both within normal range, and my hips don’t hurt. My knees don’t hurt.”
She’s since added cheese back into her diet, but healthy versions that are lower in fat. For snacks, her favorite is Greek yogurt, almonds, and cinnamon. She also switched from refined carbs to whole grains — brown rice instead of white, whole-wheat bread instead of white, and sweet potatoes instead of French fries.
“I read a long time ago that if you lose just 5 percent of your body weight, it makes a huge difference,” Baron says. “I’ve lost over 10 percent now, so it’s a big difference.”
A breast cancer survivor, Baron is determined to lose more weight and is working hard to do so. “But I no longer look like a beached whale,” she says proudly. “I dealt with it, and although I have to continue to deal with it, I definitely do feel better.”
Adding Exercise to the Plan
Baron belonged to a gym three miles from her home, but hadn’t been taking advantage of it. “I was paying my money and not going,” she says. Now she goes three to four times a week, working out on the elliptical and other machines and taking Zumba and spin classes.
Baron doesn’t remember her doctor telling her: “You have diabetes.” But, she says, when your A1C is that high, it’s scary. "You think: ‘This is crazy. How could this have happened?' Know you’ve to take control before it gets any more out of hand.” She believes the combination of changes she made to her diet and exercise routine is what did the trick. “I’m hoping that by taking control of this now, I’ll avoid the long-term consequences that can come with type 2 diabetes,” she says.
Smart Strategies for Success
Baron shares her other secrets for weight loss and type 2 diabetes control:
Keep a food journal. “I was very good about it when I started to lose weight, and have slacked off some since,” she says. A journal can help you to see what and when you eat. Over time, you may see problems, and their causes become more evident. Then you can work out a plan to get past your trouble times. When you see your weight loss in black and white, it’s encouraging.
Work with a nutritionist. “When I went to see my nutritionist, we would talk about upcoming events, such as holidays and family events, and how and what I could eat so that I didn’t overeat or eat the wrong foods,” Baron says. “We try to address it before I go so I don’t come home and say, ‘Gee, I should have done this differently.’”
Eat smaller meals. Baron’s nutritionist recommended she eat five smaller meals a day so she never feels starved. The key is to keep the meals small and not overeat at any one of them. Eating also helps boost metabolism and keep blood sugar from spikes and crashes.
Enjoy what you like, but in moderation. “We’re very social and we eat out a lot,” Baron says. “But I’ve learned how to order and how to look at the menus differently.” On occasion, she will enjoy a slice of cake and other favorites. She just takes smaller portions and makes sure it’s not every day.
Take it slow. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. If you lose too much weight too fast, it can make you feel sluggish and it can be hard to keep off. “You have to make changes to your diet and exercise routine, but you have to make changes you can live with,” Baron says.

Last Updated: 11/08/2011

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