I never thought I needed a life coach or health coach, but while writing last month’s post on diabetes coaches, friend and fellow PWD Ginger Vieira kindly offered me a one-month trial to experience what it’s really like working with one. Intrigued, I decided to take her up on her offer.
For the past four weeks, I’ve been having calls with Ginger once a week and exchanging occasional text messages, to take a look at the challenges I have in managing my diabetes and to brainstorm some solutions for what I can do differently. We just completed our fourth (and for now, last) call and while I haven’t lost more than a couple of pounds, I definitely have a renewed “I can do this!” attitude toward my diabetes.
I shook up my diabetes management this past Spring when I switched from the pump to Lantus (yep, I’m still on a pump vacation), but I hadn’t spent much time thinking about the other areas of my life that affect my diabetes. That’s where Ginger came in.
Allison & Ginger
When Ginger and I hopped on the phone for our first session, she and I walked through various areas of my life that might need work: relationships, spirituality, exercise, nutrition, career and finance. Note that not all of these are necessarily diabetes-related. Ginger says, “It helps us both become aware of what areas of life we want to focus on. Some people come to me knowing exactly what they want. Others can’t quite put into words what they’re really after or haven’t thought of the connection between unhealthy relationships and abusing themselves with food, for example.”
Here’s what I laid out for Ginger on our first call: I’m already in counseling for some other mental health issues — but none of them are health/weight/food related. Even without the diabetes, I’m hardly the picture of perfect health. I rarely exercise, I eat too much at one sitting and I really, really hate eating breakfast (“the most important meal“). I wanted the focus of my month with Ginger to be on my biggest obstacles, which many of you probably share: food and exercise.
We started each call with some relaxation breathing. As hokey as that might sound, I really liked it because it seemed to get me in the mindset of focusing on myself and my health. Between balancing work, family, friends and diabetes, I’m often stressed out. So this was a nice way to start off a session in a more relaxed, uplifting mode.
Our conversations generally lasted about an hour, with Ginger each time pointing out several things that I knew factually, but didn’t know how to embrace in my life.
Battle of the Breakfast
I hate that first meal of the day. And that’s what I told Ginger.
This might sound crazy to some people, but the thought of food first thing in the morning really turns me off. Plus, I have two added challenges: I don’t eat cereal or bagels (my blood sugars just can’t handle them) and I don’t like to cook. That eliminates about 97% of all breakfast items. Jokingly, I told Ginger that maybe I should start eating non-breakfast foods and she actually agreed with me! Ginger explained that the longer I wait to eat in the morning, the slower my metabolism will be the rest of the day, effectively making it impossible to lose weight. She suggested eating a few small things, around 200 calories, even if only a couple of string cheese sticks and a piece of fruit.
For the past couple weeks, I’ve been doing much better on the breakfast front. First, I found that small granola bars, like Trader Joe’s Fiberful Granola Bars, are light enough that they don’t sit like a log in my stomach. But they’re also light on protein, so I also eat a slice of cheese or string cheese for some added protein and calcium. Light fruit, like grapes and cherries, are a great option because they’re light on the carbs (in small amounts) and take no prep work. I’ve also had the PowerCrunch bars a couple of times, which I discovered at AADE. Unlike your average meal replacement bars, these are much easier for me to eat because they are made with wafers and therefore are easier for me to digest.
Of course, if any of you have suggestions for what I could munch on early in the day before my stomach fully embraces a meal, please leave a comment! I’m all ears.
Going for Moderation
We’ve all heard the phrase “all things in moderation” but I’ve never been very good at putting it to use. That’s where Ginger could help again. Instead of just giving me a list of things to eat or not eat, she listened to what my food preferences are. I explained to her (in addition to the breakfast woes) how lunch, dinner and snacks work in my household. I admitted being addicted to ice cream and that I tend to go hours between meals. Breakfast (when I get around to eating it) is in the late morning, followed by lunch right around 1:30 or 2:00. Dinner comes in around 7pm, as my husband is the cook in our family (I’m on dish duty).
But Ginger told me this is no good. Why? Because I’m eating too far apart and I’m eating too much at once. Ginger explained that, for me and my love of ice cream, the ideal meal plan would be 200-300 calories at breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack, a slightly bigger dinner at 300-400 calories, and then a normal dessert. Ginger explained would give me roughly 1500 to 1600 calories per day, which for someone my size is still a calorie deficit.
At first, I didn’t think I could do it. I’m used to three square meals a day, each with an entree and a side. I didn’t think I could go so small. But it turns out, it actually isn’t that hard if you plan things out. For instance, for lunch, I’m used to a sandwich and chips. But instead of eating them all at once and then waiting until dinner, I split them into my lunch and snack. Ginger showed me that I don’t have to go on some crazy strict diet and that I can still eat what I want. Just not all at once!
Embracing Exercise
Ginger’s original exercise plan was to start me off slowly with a couple days 
of 20-minute cardio sessions, and a couple days of strength training circuits. I liked strength training and at first didn’t think there’d be a problem doing it, but then I realized that I only liked the fact that strength training helps me lose weight and it was actually really boring for me to try to keep it up. Note to self: be honest or you’ll get stuck doing stuff you hate!
While talking, I realized a few things about my own preferences: I hate working out at home (too distracting!) and I hate doing straight weight-lifting. It’s not that I think I’ll bulk up, I just don’t find it very enjoyable doing repeated motions all by myself. Ginger suggested I investigate some classes in my area to see if I could find something that I like. She suggested Body Pump, a strength-training workout developed by Australians, that is offered at gyms around the country. She also said something like CrossFit (bootcamp-like workouts) would help, but that it might be too intense for me. In my research, I found something called the Bar Method, which is based off one of my favorite cardio exercises, ballet. It incorporates resistance training and light-weights, so it’s not pure weight-training, but still a good workout. When I admitted to Ginger that I chickened out of my CrossFit trial in exchange for visiting the local Bar Method studio — and I liked it — she said great!
In an email over the weekend, she wrote, “If the bar class was fun, and you felt it, then that’s a better choice than standard strength-training for YOU… because you enjoyed it, and you’ll want to go again 
It’s of course an awesome workout, and definitely involves body-weight strength-training, so go for it.”
No lectures that I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing! No guilt-trips! Just listening to what my issues are and helping me find something that works for me. Hey, some exercise is better than no exercise, am I right?!
The Perks of a PWD Coach
My final observation is that, as many of us in the DOC have expressed, nothing compares to connecting with someone who actually gets it. Obviously there are many smart and caring educators, nutritionists, personal trainers, and what-have-you’s out there, but there is a neat perk to having a fellow PWD be your guide.
In Ginger’s case, there ‘s one caveat: she’s not just a PWD. She is a a former power lifter herself and now a highly trained and experienced personal fitness trainer and life coach. She has faced all these challenges herself. She knows her stuff and why it’s important, and she knows how to ask probing questions, brainstorm solutions, and support people. And this is what makes coaching different from your average afternoon on Twitter. Sure, PWDs might know a lot about their own bodies, but that doesn’t always translate for other people. Many people can get very stuck in “their own way” of doing things. But the hallmark of a good coach is not forcing anyone to fit into a cookie-cutter routine, or do anything they don’t feel motivated to stick with on their own. Rather, the value coaches add is figuring out what our unique hiccups are and working with that to get us where we want to go — our own way.
Having someone to talk with about different options and to check in with me is awesome (!). Although going forward, I’m not sure I can afford both a mental health therapist and a diabetes coach, knowing the benefits of working with a coach when my diabetes management needs a little tune-up is priceless.
Hi Allison, I like Kashi bars. They’re pretty high in protein, not too much sodium, and some of the varieties are what I consider low carb. My nutritionist introduced me to them. She suggests I eat them before or during exercise because of their protein. I especially like the Roasted Almond Crunch bars. Each packet has two bars so it’s easy to eat only a half serving. A whole serving is 26 carbs, which I don’t consider low carb. But 13 carbs for a half-serving is just right. Plus I like crunch.
Nothing but healthy ingredients, too.
Hi Allison,
Good to here you are off to a great start and the fact that you took the time to check it out.
The discovery of insulin in 1921 brought freedom. This was just the beginning. Next to consider is the question ordered freedom. This is where the true challenge rests. A routine is just that, a routine. Does it help us to manage our condition in the best manner possible. When any of us find an ordered freedom the next questions is the ability to have sustainable freedom. Meaning a sustainable freedom is the ability to respond and modify our choices based upon new factors which have entered or existed our lifes. Keep up the good work and as always have a great day.
Dan
Forget pricey exercise classes. Just try running outside. It’s the most efficient form of cardio exercise you can do- and it can be fun. If you go for a run in the mornng you’re guaranteed to feel relaxed, calm and focused for the rest of the day. Good luck to you.
“The body only needs roughly 300 calories per meal, and more than that means it’ll turn the food into fat. Yikes!”
Yikes is right – this is completely wrong! What are Ginger’s credentials? Please please do some research on your own…
Hi Allison,
What we had actually discussed was not that ALL bodies only need 300 calories at a time, but instead that due to Allison’s level of activity and desire to lose weight, she will benefit by taking her daily calorie intake for weight loss (approximately 1500 – 1800 calories) and divide those calories evenly throughout the day. 4 to 5 meals a day would lead to those meals being around 200 to 400 calories, thus the 300 average for Allison.
-Ginger
My training, by the way, includes 15 records in drug-tested powerlifting and certified in the ISSA in personal training and fitness.
Everyone’s body is different. As a powerlifter, I was eating 400 to 600 calories per meal because of my activity level. Everyone is different.
Thanks for the response – I like reading the breakdown of the recommended food intake. Good luck to both of you
The poor phrasing was completely my fault! I took out the sentence. I didn’t mean to make it sound like my experience should be that of everyone else’s. People with a higher activity level would clearly need more calories than me!
Thanks again for responding to me here and via e-mail
So glad you go to experience this and got positive results! Good for you! Oh and thanks for writing about it!
That’s one of the things I loved about her book – that she recommends doing experiments of your own to find what works best. Many medical professionals do not work that way but should. I love Special K bars – especially the chocolatey pretzel. 17g carbs, only 90 calories and I believe no HFCS. And taste good too. I hope you continue to reap the benefits of your coaching
[...] from DiabetesMine gave coaching a try for 4 weeks…and shared her [...]
I appreciate your article very much. I had no idea there were such things as diabeties coaches, although I did attend diabetes education classes when I was diagnosed in 2004.
I am 55 years old, retired, and I get no exercise except for walking up and down the stairs at my apt complex to get the mail every day! I thought about doing yoga but haven’t done it yet. I kind of graze on different food all day long because at some point during the day I will feel sick. It happens every day. I am very much a junk food junkie and love sweets. I hate to cook so I don’t do that much and I eat a lot of sandwiches on whole wheat bread. I really don’t eat fast food that often cause I don’t drive so I can’t go get it. Therefore, my diet is pretty poor because like I said, I hate cooking. It would be nice to feel good and have some energy again. I actually think I need to gain a little bit of weight but maybe that should come from adding bulk to muscles rather than eating a lot? Thanks again for this interesting article.
Hi Joan,
While your weight-gain could definitely be from some muscle development, most weightlifting that the average exerciser does isn’t the type that will build significant mass (it requires a rep-range of under 6-8 reps, with a weight you can barely lift for 6-8 reps). Instead, your weightlifting is probably helping maintain your muscle and muscular endurance — but we could chat about this further to know for sure. Certain types of exercise will use more glucose for fuel, while other types allow your body to use more body fat for fuel — it’s all exercise physiology!
An important part of how I work with my clients around nutrition and cravings for sweets, is to include those types of things that you love, in a way that longer makes them so alluring! My next book, coming out this winter, is on Emotional Eating with Diabetes. If you’d ever like to chat about developing a nutrition plan and exercise regimen for weight-loss, feel free to reach out for a free consultation!
Oops! Your name is Karen
not Joan. I apologize for switching your name up with the commenter below!
Hi Allison. I am a PWD 1 (for 36 years). I recently switched to smaller meals several times a day (usually a carb and a protein). Although I am still taking the same amount of carbs as before (and bolusing appropriately), I am finding that by consuming carbs in smaller quantities, my glucoses are staying much more level with less high spikes. Has that been your experience?
Good for you for making some positive changes.
I have been reading diabetesmine.com for several years. My favorite blogs are those when you guys talk about yourselves.
Wow, would love to have a Diabetes Coach for awhile . I wanted to add there are loads of breakfast foods other than carb heavy cereals, bagels etc… My faves are yogurts, fruits, eggs-scrambled, poached, boiled, omelet, sunny-side up. Eggs are a plus since they are high in protein and low in carbs and quick to cook. Add some shredded apple and a tbl of granola to yogurt or even low-fat pudding. Love these blogs by the way!
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If you’d ever like to set up a consult to see if I’m the kind of coaching you’re looking for, let me know! Ginger@living-in-progress.com.
Hi Allison,
Thanks a lot for sharing such valuable information with us. Millions of people across the world are suffering from diabetes. Your article has given a lot of tips which will surely help many and soothe their souls.
Regards,
Andy
I came across this new cell phone based diabetes remote monitoring solution that seems to be a good way to offer diabetes coaching. The system connects various types of glucose meters to a cell phone device that can remotely monitor and evaluate blood glucose levels and then send coaching messages back to you via SMS messages. Looks interesting. For more information check out: http://www.confidantinc.com
Parent of 6-year old with T1. Do coaches exist for parents? Know of one? Thanks!
HI Carrie,
If you’re looking for a parenting coach, for general parenting, I can absolutely introduce you to you.
If you’re looking for a community of parents of children with diabetes, check out http://www.parentingdiabetickids.com
If you’d like to do 1-1 coaching around your child’s diabetes, I’d be happy to work with you.
-Ginger
I have not read all the comments so this may have been put to you before, but, have you ever thought of changing you eating lifestyle to plant based ie vegan/raw vegan? It may seem quite a HUGE step but, it really isn’t when you get the right info like the book 80/10/10 etc., this is how my partner put his sons type 1 into complete remission.
I hope this helps . . oh and I loved the positive picture on this post too!
All the best.
Cathi x
PS if you want any further info just get in touch.
Thanks for substantial article. I have diabetes of 1 type since 2001, I try to spend more time in the country. I swim much, I go on foot.