[tgreen]

how do you combat a lack of motivation to be compliant with your diabetic plan?
I have only been T2 for a month now. at first with everything new i was testing regularly, logging my meals, weight, and BP. now i feel like i am struggling to keep up the regiment. I know its better for me if i do, but knowing something is good for me hasnt always been a driving motivation, or i would have started losing weight 70lbs ago.
so knowing i can't be the only person who struggles with this i thought i would ask the question how do you deal with it.

 

[Patdart]

I see what happens to people who don't and it's a sad picture...I go to church with a man who has had to have 2 toes removed because he didn't have motivation enough and also a gal who has to be on dialysis 3 times a week.

That was motivation to me...and, I've lost all the weight I needed to eating a low carb high fat diet and brought my BG down to normal limits at the same time.

Good luck with your regimen,

 

[moon]

I'm motivated by the fact diabetes made me very sick, I've learned what can happen to me if I don't control it, and one of my dear friends is right now on dialysis.

I'd try to figure out why you're not motivated. Is it because of hunger, cravings, and if yes - why do you have them? I thought mine came from emotional hunger but after going low-carb and getting my bs under control, I learned it actually was biochemical and not psychological.

What regimen is it that you're trying to keep up with? Maybe it's the regimen that's a problem, not you.

 

[jwags]

I think early on in my diabetes I read Blood Sugar 101 It really opened my eyes what could happen if I didn't take control. In the beginning my CDE told me to keep bgs under 180, the more reading I did the more I found that 180 is way too high. For the next 2 years I aimed for 140, and now I aim for 110- 115 or thereabouts. I have children and would like to be there for them as they get married and have grandchildren. I think you have to make the statement that you are in control. No one else can do it for you.

 

[Shalynne]

Did you have any tangible success (like feeling better) on your old regimen?

It might be your regimen that must change, not you.

Me, I'm Queen of the Unmotivated if I don't see real results. Promises of carrots or sticks in Somedayland? Hidden nasties I can't feel? Nope, not moved.

Major kick in the butt, followed right quick by better function and feeling? Yeah, that's the ticket!

Please let us know what your plan is. Somebody here can help you tweak it.

 

[tgreen]

It is my desire to be able to contol my BG and I have got it lower then it was. A month ago my A1c was 7.2, and now my dont see a BG that is above 130. So between eating low carb and 2000mg of metformine a day I have come down a lot. Not quite to normal but getting there. My weight has come down 10 pounds with another 90 to go.
So I guess I'm doing ok for only being diagnosed a month ago I'm doing ok, but I'm finding the motivation to keep to what I'm doing.
I get up and take my BP and my FBG, take my Morning pills.
I try to eat low carb all day, but just really find it hard to be motivated to log my meals and do my post meal BG reading. Its like I have rested after that before why test again I guess that is my biggest lack of motivation.

 

[Tiggletaggle]

HI tgreen

First of all thanks for your honesty. I'm sure that you are not alone... In fact I know personally how hard it has been to motivate myself to do these things...

I think perhaps the lack of motivation can come from the fact that Diabetes is a silent disease...I mean if you had a raging infection on your hand and you had to dress it and put medicine on it every day... you'd do it because you can see it, feel it andyou can see the results of doing it....

Diabetes isn't really like that is it.....So we can change lots of things sometimes (eating and exercise) and all that changes in us is the numbers on a screen...(Personally i get very ill when I don't look after my diabetes properly but I know alot of people who don't)

Let me congratulate you for the steps you have already taken and the results that you have already achieved. Great job!

Personally I have found that planning my meals and writing them out only once during the day (in the morning) helps me keep track because then I only have to tweak my food diary once if something doesn't go to plan... and also I have found technology helps... Logging my food, exercise and bsls through my mobile phone....

You can also get glucose machines that save your last 50 or so tests....and the times that you test...So you're not testing and writing it all down... It's all done at once...

And I suppose , while I'm on my soapbox...(I hope I don't come across as preachy)...the one thing that I have learned is that diabetes takes time each day to manage....It's something i have found I have to make time for...like a shower ...

Thanks again for posting... it really struck a cord with me as this is something that I have struggled with too!!!

Take care of yourself!

 

[ThoseBackPages]

It's really tough man, thats no lie.

It's a daily struggle that you have to do for the rest of your days on the planet.

 

[doxiegirl]

I can totally relate, i hate my shots and I'm still struggling to maintain motivation. it definately does take time and its always gonna be something to take care of but really all we can do is take care of it otherwise we can only blame ourselves for the consequences. but hey its not all bad some of my health problems have gone away since my dx. i no longer have migraines as often just because i eat better and now i never skip breakfast, except when the bg is too high.

 

[MIKEYROBERT]

how do you combat a lack of motivation to be compliant with your diabetic plan?
I have only been T2 for a month now. at first with everything new i was testing regularly, logging my meals, weight, and BP. now i feel like i am struggling to keep up the regiment. I know its better for me if i do, but knowing something is good for me hasnt always been a driving motivation, or i would have started losing weight 70lbs ago.
so knowing i can't be the only person who struggles with this i thought i would ask the question how do you deal with it.

It wasn't until i got married about 3 years ago that i found the motivation to start taking control of my diabetes. Just trying to get better for myself didn't work. Mt diabetes directly afffects others besides myself so i try to eat better everyday so my wife doesn't worry.

I hate my diabetes and there are days i just throw up my hands and eat what i want damn the consequences, but i always pay for it late, and more importantly my wife payes for it too as i get cranky when my bs gets too high, so my motivation is the people who love me. I learned my diabets doesn't just affect me, but everyone one who loves me. If i don't take care of it, they suffer too. Mikey

 

[SufeeGuy]

It is my desire to be able to contol my BG and I have got it lower then it was. A month ago my A1c was 7.2, and now my dont see a BG that is above 130. So between eating low carb and 2000mg of metformine a day I have come down a lot. Not quite to normal but getting there. My weight has come down 10 pounds with another 90 to go.
So I guess I'm doing ok for only being diagnosed a month ago I'm doing ok, but I'm finding the motivation to keep to what I'm doing.
I get up and take my BP and my FBG, take my Morning pills.
I try to eat low carb all day, but just really find it hard to be motivated to log my meals and do my post meal BG reading. Its like I have rested after that before why test again I guess that is my biggest lack of motivation.

TGreen,

I feel your pain. The way I try and handle this is by saying to myself that while monitoring my numbers closely is VERY important, it does nothing to change my BGs!!

So what matters is what I am actually eating or exercising. Therefore, while on most days I will test the heck out of myself (at least 10-12 times a day), some days I will take a "vacation" from testing and test maybe only a couple times a day. This keeps me in mental balance. This does not mean that I take a vacation from proper eating, but just that I don't go anal over testing on those days.

This is a life long condition. So staying motivated is important - but trying to find motivation everyday is a losing battle. I think its more a question of your testing/eating/activity becoming a *habit* rather than a chore. To get there takes time.

Please don't beat yourself over this. You will not be able to motivate yourself every single day for the rest of your life. So don't set that expectation. Try and stay as close to your goals as you can. BG readings are just that - numbers. Important numbers - but what really matters is how you change your lifestyle. And that is a long long process.

Think of this as training for a marathon. It takes long, hard work, but the rewards are so worth it (long and healthy life with minimal or no complications and being healthier that you ever were). But everyone who trains for something big has ups and downs. Just pick up any book by a famous sports-person, or successful people in any field, and you will see that this is true for everyone. You can't let the downs let you "down" as it were.

This is your marathon. This is your Mt. Everest. Life has given you an opportunity to be a true champion at something - YOUR health. Grab it with both hands - and the rewards will be rich! Sometimes it will be one step forward and two steps back. But that is PART of training for your marathon. It CANNOT be any other way.

I think I have rambled enough. Finally, let me just say that what matters ultimately is the RELATIONSHIP that you develop with this condition. You are married to this. And like every marriage it will have its ups and downs, anger and frustration. But the joys are unparalleled.

Hang in there buddy!! You are doing great!

Best!

Sufee

 

[Sam M]

I agree with this...I feel a lack of motivation with my diet also, but I want to teach my daughter good habits (as she wants to do whatever I am doing, and eat what I am eating) and I want good health to be with her throughout her life. That is my main motivation right now. Why do we care more for how it effects others than we do about how if effects us? Strange...Maybe that not caring for ourselves is part of the overall problem?

 

[sandpointspud]

It wasn't until i got married about 3 years ago that i found the motivation to start taking control of my diabetes. Just trying to get better for myself didn't work. Mt diabetes directly afffects others besides myself so i try to eat better everyday so my wife doesn't worry.

I hate my diabetes and there are days i just throw up my hands and eat what i want damn the consequences, but i always pay for it late, and more importantly my wife payes for it too as i get cranky when my bs gets too high, so my motivation is the people who love me. I learned my diabets doesn't just affect me, but everyone one who loves me. If i don't take care of it, they suffer too. Mikey

I am with ya there Mikey! I too sometimes throw my hands up and eat what I want. I just try to keep it to a minimum. Its almost like getting out of jail for a day!

 

[Shanny]

Welcome back, Spud - don't be a stranger! :wave:

 

[wdmama]

It's been a struggle lately for me too. It was SO easy when I was pregnant b/c I had another life I was responsible for. I ate perfectly while I was pregnant. Then I had the baby and I had some days of lows and pigged out on carbs, then I was just making up for the past nine months and ate everything I missed.

It was only about a month ago I got a bug up my butt to do better...since I had lost 30lbs while pregnant, I was desperate not to put it back on, and I wanted to continue to lose. All my friends were doing this Paleo challenge and I reminded myself of why I believe in whole foods - because the crap they put in processed foods and the way conventional meat is raised makes me sick.

We only bought the good food, so there's no temptation in the house. We ate nothing but whole foods for two weeks and it was great. Then payday weekend came and I went back to pigging out on crap and I honestly ended up feeling so horrible! So I went back to the whole foods, and one night hubby brought home burger king, and it just tasted so bitter! I tried eating some chips one day and they made my stomach feel gross. So, this week I've just stuck to the good healthy foods because I feel so much better on them and I really haven't had a craving for any of the crap. My biggest craving is for bacon LOL.

Hopefully this will continue and I'll keep losing the weight. I just feel so much better when I eat right...I don't get cravings..I only eat when I'm hungry...and it makes me feel good emotionally too. I know we're spending our money on good food that will nourish our bodies, and that I'm taking much better care of my family by doing this.