Wickedfatgirl

By wickedfatgirl

1 min read

I am going to be 45 years old on Sunday Oct. 5, 2014. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at the age of 40. At 1st I was really good about controlling my diabetes, watching what I ate and exercise. Lately, I haven't been able to find my motivation. I have no energy to get up and exercise, and watching what has seemed to become a chore. I know that my health should be my motivation and the desire to live a normal life. But something is holding me back. I have some bad luck lately in my life. I lost a job I really loved in August of last year, and had to take any job I could find just to get some money coming in. I am not making enough money to cover my bills and that has put a lot of stress on me. I did go back to school in order to ensure getting a better job, and while I love school the amount of the tuition is weighing heavely on my mind. When I am stressed, bored or unhappy I over eat or eat the wrong things or a combination of both. I think I need to talk to a therapist but I am afraid to. I find it easier to open up to people when I am not face to face with them. I like everyone else fear that I am being judged, and somehow found lacking. I just don't know what to do.

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Meryl Krochmal, MS, RD, CDCES Moderator & Contributor
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your story. It takes a lot of courage and strength to share personal struggles as you have done. Please know the T2DM community is here to help support you! It is understandable that controlling your diabetes may not be on the top of your " to do list" given all of the other stressors in your life. Financial struggles certainly can prevent a person from caring for their diabetes (or any other health aliment) as well as they should. Often times people feel they are left with having to choose between paying for food, shelter or medications.... a difficult choice to make!! It's great that you are back in school trying to make a better life for yourself. I would encourage you to reach out to your community health department to see if there are any free resources that may assist you in improving your diabetes care. Do you have a doctor that helps manage your diabetes? If so they may have a list of preferred therapists that have experience in working with people who have diabetes. If you feel that you are not ready to speak to someone in person consider journalling. It's a great way to get your feelings out..... but in a private way. If you decide to keep a journal you may also want to log what you eat through out the day and how you were feeling/what you were doing. A food journal can help keep you honest and identify triggers for overeating/unhealthy eating. We are here to help!! Please let us know if you have any specific questions we can help you with. Take Care, Meryl Krochmal.
1. wickedfatgirl Member
 Thank your for your comments it really helps knowing that, I am not the only one facing these struggles. The medication I take for depression helps a little. But I would like to know what are the underlyning issues I have that are causing me to self destruct. Despite the fact I have a great family, my selfesteem is little to nothing and I don't know how to fix that or what caused my low selfesteem. Even making good changes in my life such as going back to school has only helped a litte to raise my selfesteem. And I am highly addicted to sugar and don't know what to do to change that. Should I avoid it all together or is there a simple way to detox myself from sugar overload without having to give up sweet treats all together?
Meryl Krochmal, MS, RD, CDCES Moderator & Contributor
You're welcome! It is always helpful to know that we are not alone in our struggles. I am glad to hear that your depression medication is helping however it sounds like it's not helping to the extent that you would like. Unfortunately depression is twice as common in a person living with diabetes (in comparison to someone without diabetes). That does not mean there is no hope! Having a good support system is helpful but sometimes you need more than the support of family and friends. A psychiatrist can help in the adjustment of the medication you take to manage your depression and assess if there is a need to modify/change the medication you are currently taking. This may be something you want to discuss in further detail with your primary care physician or the doctor who manages your diabetes. A psychologist can also help by helping you to learn positive coping techniques so that you can better manage your diabetes. As for being addicted to sugar.... you are not alone! Check out the following article on the <a href='https://Type2diabetes.net' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>Type2diabetes.net</a> page to learn more about dealing with a sweet tooth: <a href='https://type2diabetes.net/nutrition/sweet-tooth-always-seems-get-best/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>http://type2diabetes.net/nutrition/sweet-tooth-always-seems-get-best/</a>. Some people find it easier to avoid/limit sugary foods by keeping such tempting foods out the house ("out of sight out of mind". In my own experience I find that if I cut out sweets completely for a period of time I start to crave them less..... however this may not be completely realistic. If we become too restrictive with our diet it can lead to binge eating. I hope you find the above article useful. Please let us know if you have any more questions. We are happy to help! Take care.