I've recently set up business as a health and wellness coach and I'm really keen to learn particularly from people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes what frustrates you? What things you'd have liked help with in relation to your nutrition and lifestyle? And what tips you'd have for me to best help people? Thanks so much.
How Could A Health Coach Help You With Your Nutrition & Lifestyle?
- Thread starter sallyforhealth
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NoCrbs4Me
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I wouldn't recommend you provide health and wellness coaching to diabetics if you don't know anything about diabetes. If you do run across any diabetics looking for help, send them to this forum.
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bulkbiker
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Mbaker
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Frankly this area could easily be a degree and masters which would still leave gaps. If you read the different forums you will get an insight into the frustrations. Nutrition is a "loaded" area as the official guidelines tends to harm many diabetics via the eat well recommendations; low carb, high fat diets or variants are extremely popular and common sense for many of us, running contrary to what "we" are advised.
Regarding lifestyle many diabetics who are managing their condition educate themselves here, and or get support and answers which helps with lifestyle, reading the forums you will see nothing is off limits. I would like to see Type 1's (and some Type 2's / LADA diabetics) get CGM's or Libre's as these would improve management. I would have thought that further progress would have been made in prevention / management / cure, particularly as many countries have diabetic epidemics and a third of many populations being pre-diabetic. I am disappointed with the big IT companies as they have not delivered on what they talked about years ago - smart watches with glucose monitoring. You will struggle to be a sole source of help, as for example not all diabetics respond to foods in a linear manner, I was diagnosed in Jan 2015 and am still learning almost daily, mainly from the posts here.
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As you are setting up a business, and therefore aiming to gain from your research here, I hope you are aware that it is against forum rules to conduct research here without prior approval. When you have your approval I will be more than willing to answer your questions.
The best tip I can offer at the moment is "You don't get owt for nowt".
Thank you so much for your comments. I do have a good understanding of diabetes and have already seen that this forum is an incredible resource. I think the lack of progress in diabetes care (Ref your comment about technology) and the very rigid approach that is still being taken with regard to diet is very unhelpful and is adding to the considerable confusion.
Thanks for your reply. I am sorry if I have unintentionally broken the rules. I wrongly thought asking for peoples' frustrations would be ok.
Thank you so much for your comments. I do have a good understanding of diabetes and have already seen that this forum is an incredible resource.
Thank you so much for your comments. I do have a good understanding of diabetes and have already seen that this forum is an incredible resource.
- Messages
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- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
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- Tablets (oral)
Not a problem. You just have to request admin for permission to research. We do sometimes get people joining to use the forum to sell services, and products, so I get a bit twitchy if it appears someone is doing that.
donnellysdogs
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Personally...this is as a T1 though... I wouldn't trust anybody to give me health and wellness advice, unless they were T1 and could show me how they manage their T1 better than me.
I would want copies of their hba1c's and see that they are fit...
I know I am very cynical due to recent experiences with "less pump knowledge" nurses.. So my opinion is probably influenced.
Even with hubby if he wanted to be "coached" I would ask him first to find out the lifestyle (qualifications, nutrition, exercise) of the Coach first....
I would want copies of their hba1c's and see that they are fit...
I know I am very cynical due to recent experiences with "less pump knowledge" nurses.. So my opinion is probably influenced.
Even with hubby if he wanted to be "coached" I would ask him first to find out the lifestyle (qualifications, nutrition, exercise) of the Coach first....
Hi. As you may have gathered from this forum we fight a battle with the shockingly bad nutritional information provided by most government and professional bodies. It's often bad for non-diabetics as well as diabetics. I speak as a Late onset T1 but spent many years on tablets being treated as a T2. So, if you want to provide nutritional info for diabetics you will need to start from scratch and not just follow the traditional and bad diet mantra. Those of us who use meters know that the carbs increase blood sugar whereas fats and proteins have a much smaller effect. This to me is scientific proof that carbs are the problem for us and not fats and salt. This applies to both blood sugar and weight. Those of us on insulin Basal/Bolus equally know that the Bolus is increased to match the carbs with a small correction for proteins and fats. Our meters again prove that the carbs need to be the focus. I think you get the point and if you can provide scientifically valid dietary information together with other Health & Wellness info you will be on the right track.
qe5rt
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It's not like diabetics got a master or PHD in nutrition so basically what we can learn out of necessity someone else can learn out of curiosity. One of the things most complained about on this forum (and in general) is a lack of knowledge on the subject of diabetes from non-diabetics now we have someone that wants to know more and some basically tell him: if you're not diabetic your advice would be disregarded or not on point. Though a possibility it never hurts to actually give some pointers. It's not like he's looking for adjusting our meds which he's not qualified for anyway.
I'm a type 1 so my advise not be best suited for you but things that i have to say are:
The glorification of carbs when it comes to nutrition for fitness/exercising. You can basically throw the guidelines of 130g/day is necessary out of the window. Or the 7-8g/kg guidelines. A lot of people including on this forum will prefer to go for LCHF which i have not seen elaborated on in most popular nutrition books, sometimes as little as a footnote.
You also need to be very aware that making adjustments to both activity and nutrition will affect the need for insulin or meds. And it could very well lead to low blood sugar or exercise can give a rise in blood sugar.
You definitely need to stay away from making adjustments to insulin or medication, leave that to the diabetics themselves as they know their body best and already go for regular checks with professionals. Only make them aware of what activity or a better diet can do so they're mindful of it.
Work with them and allow them to give a lot of input depending on their own knowledge base. You'll find that the same foods can effect diabetics in a different way.
I myself can be extremely lethargic sometimes needing to drag myself to workout, raised blood sugar can effect a person like that, the usual motivational quotes wont help there.
You should be able to tell when their condition has exceeded your capacity to do good for them.
Mostly be absolutely sure you want to do this, you're not playing around with only the health of the person but also with his condition. Which you can actually worsen through an improper diet. You have no control over how often they test so properly checking results will be difficult. In my opinion they should have their diabetes under control and they should already have the knowledge how to do so, not you.
I could probably end up writing a book about this, but there is a certain level of complexity about managing diabetes and keep in mind that a lot of diabetics are already under guidance one way or the other with mixed results.
I'm a type 1 so my advise not be best suited for you but things that i have to say are:
The glorification of carbs when it comes to nutrition for fitness/exercising. You can basically throw the guidelines of 130g/day is necessary out of the window. Or the 7-8g/kg guidelines. A lot of people including on this forum will prefer to go for LCHF which i have not seen elaborated on in most popular nutrition books, sometimes as little as a footnote.
You also need to be very aware that making adjustments to both activity and nutrition will affect the need for insulin or meds. And it could very well lead to low blood sugar or exercise can give a rise in blood sugar.
You definitely need to stay away from making adjustments to insulin or medication, leave that to the diabetics themselves as they know their body best and already go for regular checks with professionals. Only make them aware of what activity or a better diet can do so they're mindful of it.
Work with them and allow them to give a lot of input depending on their own knowledge base. You'll find that the same foods can effect diabetics in a different way.
I myself can be extremely lethargic sometimes needing to drag myself to workout, raised blood sugar can effect a person like that, the usual motivational quotes wont help there.
You should be able to tell when their condition has exceeded your capacity to do good for them.
Mostly be absolutely sure you want to do this, you're not playing around with only the health of the person but also with his condition. Which you can actually worsen through an improper diet. You have no control over how often they test so properly checking results will be difficult. In my opinion they should have their diabetes under control and they should already have the knowledge how to do so, not you.
I could probably end up writing a book about this, but there is a certain level of complexity about managing diabetes and keep in mind that a lot of diabetics are already under guidance one way or the other with mixed results.
DavidGrahamJones
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You already have some interesting replies. In answer to your questions:-
What frustrates me: This may have changed since my diagnosis in 1997, but I received no advice in the beginning and bad advice when I did. In my case I was told emphatically not to reduce my carb intake. Something I did in the end to lose weight but with the added advantage of not requiring several medications and generally feeling better overall.
Nutrition and Lifestyle?: As above ref. carb intake.
Tips?: Come here and read everything.
All the best.
Thanks so much for this its very helpful. I'm very aware of the fight diabetics are currently having accessing good quality dietary information and also the lack of recognition of themselves as experts in their own disease. This forum is a mine of information and I have for some time been following the low carb diet myself (100-120g /day). Also the support you are able to give each other is phenomenal.
Hi, I'm sorry I have been off line for a few days.
Hi, I'm sorry I have been off line for a few days. My understanding of diabetes comes firstly from caring for patients as a practice nurse and more recently helping a relative with Type 2 diabetes manage theirs.
I agree that this is a hugely complicated subject and also very personal to each individual. To reassure you I wouldn't dream of altering someones treatment regime. I would see my role as helping someone to work out what they wanted, their goals and how they wanted to achieve it. Sometimes this is not as straight forward as it sounds as there may be things someone doesn't want to give up even though they know to achieve their goal they need to. Everything we do has advantages and disadvantages. If there decision was they wanted the doctor to adjust their treatment, or to discuss with their healthcare team starting a low carb plan then I would help them prepare for that conversation. Having been in healthcare for 30 years I do understand how difficult those conversations can sometimes be.
