As President Joe Biden said on the steps of the White House when he declared November National Diabetes Month, the disease, especially type 2 diabetes, is America’s problem and will not go away.
Nearly 5,000 people are diagnosed with type 2 every day, according to American Diabetes Association statistics, and a total of 34 million Americans (about 1 in 10) are currently battling the disease.
“I call on all Americans to join forces to raise awareness of diabetes and help prevent, treat, and manage this disease.”
Or vice versa for Jody.
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Jodi Reed (right), mother of three children who reversed type 2 diabetes through exercise and diet, sits with daughter Kaylin, 13, during a fitness class at Roy CrossFit in Roy, Wednesday, November 9, 2022. ).
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Jody Reid is a 36-year-old mother of three, many with diabetes, a sweet tooth, an office worker at the IRS, and a member of the Roy CrossFit workout gym.
All these factors contribute to her story. It begins with desperation and ends with her joining a club of rare people who were once diabetic but are not now diabetic.
Unknown to her, Jodie’s battle with diabetes began when she was born. , suggesting a strong genetic predisposition to this disease.
Then there is the love of sweets. As she puts it, if you choose between kale and KitKat, “I choose KitKat every time.”
Add in the work she’s been doing with the IRS since 2006, and she has to sit at a desk eight hours a day.
If that sounds like a recipe for finding a diabetes diagnosis… well, that was the case with Jody.
She was only 31 when doctors warned her she had pre-diabetes. This is the danger zone where your blood sugar is tipped the wrong way (an estimated 94 million Americans have pre-diabetes).
In response, Jody joined the gym. She chose CrossFit her gym near her home. CrossFit Her workouts feature high-intensity interval training, usually done in groups. Because her sister Jenny joined CrossFit at her gym and she “lost a lot of weight.”
“I thought I could get out of it,” Jodi says. Plus, she’ll drop a few pounds in the process.
Instead, the exact opposite happened.
Based on someone erroneously advising her, “If you’re doing crossfitting, you can eat whatever you want.
she gained weight
To make matters worse, blood tests in early 2019 revealed that I had crossed the line from pre-diabetes to full-blown type 2 diabetes. Her doctor sent her to her home with metformin, an initial treatment often given to her new diabetic patients.
That day she came to the gym sobbing. She found a lot of sympathy, but also a stern warning from coach Van Aston, who was also her doctor’s assistant.
“Talking about it makes me emotional,” Jodi says. This disease kills people every day.
“It scared me. No one could say it that hard, and I needed it to shake my world. It was difficult for me to swallow the pills I was taking.
Shortly after, Jim sponsored a nutrition challenge.Jody signed up. She stuck with the uppercase C. She cut out junk her food, educated herself on her proper nutrition, and added healthy foods to her diet. She drank 100 ounces of water her day. She racked up her 10,000 steps. She attended CrossFit classes six days a week.
Her weight plummeted to 160 pounds (she was 220 when she joined the gym two years ago). Her energy returned. She could tie her shoelaces without rest. When I got into her car, there was a huge gap between her belly and the steering wheel.
And those were just hors d’oeuvres.
In July, she went to the doctor again for her six-month checkup.
“They do your blood work and say they’ll call you the next day if they have anything to report,” she explains.
The next day, her phone rang.
“This cute little nurse was like, ‘Your numbers are amazing. You reversed your type 2 diabetes. They’re so good you’re not even pre-diabetic anymore.'”
After celebrating with her husband and kids, Jodie went back to the gym and sobbed again. But this time she received “high fives, hugs and tears” instead of sympathy. The same people who sympathized with her in January celebrated with her in July.
“We had a good time dancing,” recalls gym owner Kevin Rundell. “It was a big crazy deal.”
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Jody Reid, mother of three, attends a fitness class at Roy CrossFit in Roy, Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Exercise and diet have improved her type 2 diabetes.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
It’s been three years since Jody was cured of her diabetes. She keeps eating better. She admits to being at fault. “I’m still addicted to sweets,” she said, confessing to what she called a “bender” during the holidays last year.
After that, I was relieved that the blood test numbers were good. “I thought I was doing something terrible, but I think overall my habits have improved a lot over the behaviors that contributed to my type 2 diabetes.” Your choices influence your choices today.
“I’m not perfect, but now I know about nutrition and what I need to do to stay healthy. It’s hard work. Not necessarily uphill or downhill, but never straight.” not.”
Her CrossFit classes are still a daily staple.
“How amazing is this CrossFit community,” she says. I am much healthier and happier in my 30s than in my 20s. When you feel better, life becomes easier. “
Pictured at Roy CrossFit in Roy, Wednesday, November 9, 2022, of Jody Reid, mother of three who reversed her type 2 diabetes through exercise and diet.
Laura Seitz, Deseret News
