David Hinton wasn’t very surprised when his doctor informed him of his risk for type 2 diabetes.
Before his diagnosis, Hinton, a successful CPA, long-time YMCA volunteer and member worked out with devotion at the William G. White Y each week. He also ate with a passion. He drank whole milk and consumed his favorite bacon cheeseburgers on a regular basis. He thought he knew what he was doing. He exercised twice, sometimes three times a week. But on that March day in 2015 while at a routine doctor’s appointment, Hinton learned he wasn’t doing enough.
Hinton signed up for the United Way of Forsyth County supported YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program. The 16-week class proved to be invaluable. It taught him that diet must be managed together with exercise. He learned to track nutritional content such as calories and fat grams in the foods he consumed and he was guided to a goal of 300 minutes of exercise activity daily that could range from anything like walking his dog and yard work to other activities not restricted to a gym.
“The program called for losing seven percent of my weight, which was about 17 pounds, I thought that was impossible, but I would try,” Hinton said.
At the end of the program, Hinton lost 24 pounds and was informed he was no longer pre-diabetic. He has kept his weight down ever since.
“When the doctor told me I had to lose weight because I was headed to a life with diabetes, that had an impact on me,” Hinton, 60, said. “Both of my parents were diabetic and I saw the effects it had on their lives and honestly, it made me a little scared. I was one-tenth a percentage point on my A1C count away from being classified as diabetic,” he said.
Before signing up for the Diabetes Prevention Program, Hinton tried losing the weight himself.
“So I increased my workouts from two to four days a week. I thought I was killing it. Then after a couple of months I discovered, I only lost four pounds,” Hinton said.
“After going through the program I feel good, healthier and younger. I recommend this lifestyle to everyone,” Hinton said.
Before the program, breakfast included a couple strips of bacon or sausage everyday with snacks consisting from various flavors of potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, Ritz crackers and sodas, which were often the big 32 ounce cups, a few times a week, Hinton said. “Now I have chicken, turkey, snacks lower in fat with less calories, like pretzels, wheat thins and fruit such as apples, grapes and pineapples.”
He has learned to splurge in moderation, like treating himself to ice cream or a soda once or twice a week, instead of every day.
“As a result of the program, I am not on any medication. My blood pressure is good, cholesterol numbers are good and my A1C count for diabetes has gone down,” he said.