Help! I Need to make changes for my Type 2 Diabetes and my family is not supporting the changes
Type 2 diabetes doesn’t happen out of the blue. The chance that you have a genetic predisposition to it is high.
When I learned I was prediabetic, I took a hard look at my family and I realized that my family is not supporting the changes I need to make for my Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.
All at once, it was so clear to me. There was no chance I could have avoided this health issue unless I had started a very healthy diet way ahead of time. That means over ten years ago!
I also realized that I was the only one in my entire family who was doing anything about it!
My family accepts being in pain and having diseases. They say “oh this is what happens as we get older.” Many of them also think it’s normal to have disease after disease. They collect prescriptions and do only what their traditional doctors tell them.
A lot of people seem to think that the medications are going to take care of everything. There is no way I can talk to them about this. Although I do take the medications my doctor prescribes for me, I also know that there are other ways to heal Type 2 Diabetes.
I learned that my health is MY business. But I can’t get my family to stop telling me that my health is their business. You should see what happens at family gatherings! Maybe your family and friends are doing the same things?
When I realized that my family is not supporting the changes I need to make for my Type 2 Diabetes, I learned to be ok with this
Some of my family members make fun of me for bringing my own food.
I get called a weirdo for looking up restaurant menus online before we go out.
If I shop with them, they put unhealthy things in the grocery cart when I’m not looking.
They like to argue with me and call me a health nut. Sometimes, I eat something healthy before going to a restaurant that has no healthy choices for me. They take offense at that.
When we make better choices, the people around us can resent that.
It shines a light on the fact that they are not making healthy choices.
Even if we are not judging them, they may think we are. They look at our choices and make it about their choices. Is that our problem? NO.
This is not our problem even if they try to make our healthy choices their problem and make fun of us. This is not our problem until they make it out to be.
Have you heard your family or friends say any of these?
- “Why don’t you treat yourself this one time?”
- “You’re no fun anymore.”
- “Just this once won’t hurt.”
- “Hey, just one bite”
- “I could never eat like you do, I love food too much.”
- “Your (other family member) had the same issues and doesn’t do any of this.”
- “Why don’t you just take medication?”
- “I don’t want you to always get to choose where we eat.”
- “There’s nothing in this house to eat.”
Here is a helpful suggestion for you when people say unhelpful phrases:
Learn to repeat these helpful phrases, over and over, until people stop saying them.
Say these phrases EXACTLY as they are written. Practice this until you can say them like you say “please pass the salt.”
- “I’m on a strict diet and can’t change that. Doctor’s orders.”
- “My health is great now, so it must be working.”
- “I love food too, I just love different foods now.”
- “Everyone’s different and this works for me.”
- “I’m working with my doctor on this, but thanks for your perspective.”
- “I’ll eat before we go or I will be happy not going at all. I’m good with that.”
Repeat the exact same phrase a couple of times. Be pleasant. This stops the questioning, mostly.
It’s called the broken record technique and it’s effective. Be prepared to speak like a broken record or like you are hitting replay over and over again.
The things people say to you have nothing to do with you.
I know that might sound weird. It’s usually about what they have going on with their feelings about themselves.
It takes practice to stop reading into what people say. And it can take time to stop feeling bad when friends or family say unkind words.
When you know what you’re doing is right for you, that is all that matters. You’re the ONLY one that has to live in your body for the rest of your life. You get to decide how to take care of that body. It’s the only one you get. Remember, even if you are one of the people who thinks “my family is not supporting the changes I need to make for my Type 2 Diabetes,” there are some great options for you!
If I Don’t Change What I’m Eating, Will My Kids Get Type 2 diabetes?
If both parents have Type 2 diabetes there is about a 50%1https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/symptoms/having-parent-with-type-2-diabetes-what-know-about-your-risk/ chance that their child will have it too. And, if only one parent has Type 2 Diabetes, the chance is about 1 in 20. Environment and food choices play the greatest role. If a healthy diet with minimal processed foods, and exercise are part of the children’s lives, they are less likely to get Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes isn’t usually diagnosed until people are over 452https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html years old. However, the scary thing is that more and more young people are getting it these days. It takes time to develop Type 2 diabetes and healthy changes can stop its progression. People who maintain a ketogenic diet have even been able to put Type 2 diabetes into remission 3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566854/.
My kids used to tease me about having a bag of cooked bacon in my purse. Now that they are older…guess whose daughter carries healthy snacks everywhere? My daughter does! And my adult son will also ask for my healthy purse snacks before grabbing junk food somewhere.
They watch and learn from our examples. All of our examples. It’s no surprise that our kids will face the same health challenges we face. Your children might not join you when you first make healthy changes. However, later when these issues pop up for them, they will already know what to do. You showed them early on. Stay strong my fellow parents.
A dear friend’s family made fun of her healthy eating. Her family even snuck things into the food they made – food that she told them she couldn’t eat.
Well, guess what happened? That all stopped when her nephew got diagnosed with the same issues. Just like that, she was the family expert and her advice was sought out. This is why we have to forge ahead no matter what those around us have to say about it. We do it for ourselves and we do it for the children. It’s hard to be the person who makes changes. If I can do it, I know you can too!
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Her tragic family history of Type 2 Diabetes, and her own diagnosis of prediabetes in 2021 caused her to research more deeply, leading to a passion in educating people on how to hopefully put this disease into remission.
