A CDCES not only provides information and support to individuals who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but also helps their families. They are trained in diabetes prevention and management, and they share invaluable insights into what type 2 diabetes is, what strategies are useful for meeting management and treatment goals, and how to stay healthy. These experts know the ins and outs of diabetes, from what factors can help you manage your condition successfully to common obstacles and challenges you may face and solutions to overcome them.

16 Tips for Type 2 Diabetes Success

Here are some insider tips on how you can take control of your type 2 diabetes and how to achieve and sustain your management goals.

  1. Find a provider who listens. “Every person with diabetes is different and has different backgrounds and circumstances,” says Sandra Arévalo, MPH, RDN, a certified diabetes care and education specialist, director of community and patient education at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in New York, and a spokesperson for the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). For instance, someone may be doing very well managing their diet but have trouble remembering to take their medication, while for another individual, the reverse could be true, says Arévalo. Someone else may not have enough money for diabetes medication or access to a nearby supermarket that stocks fresh fruits and vegetables; for them, being told that they need to purchase certain medications or foods without acknowledgment of their barriers and how to overcome them is not helpful, notes Arévalo. Her recommendation: Find someone who doesn’t just give you a list of generalized information but instead takes the time to find out where your gaps are and give you individualized advice. “Find a provider who’s willing to listen, identify your problem areas, and help you manage those areas,” says Arévalo.
  2. Look for someone who helps you find solutions rather than shaming and blaming you. Find a provider who doesn’t blame you if you’re having trouble managing your diabetes. Arévalo notes that some people are reluctant to go to their diabetes healthcare provider or share information with them for fear of being judged for not showing good results or being scolded for not being compliant, says Arévalo. Instead, she says, your provider should help identify and address opportunities for improvement. That support from your diabetes healthcare team is crucial, says Tami Ross, RD, CDCES, author of What Do I Eat Now? A Guide to Eating Well with Diabetes or Prediabetes and a spokesperson for ADCES. Your doctor shouldn’t judge you for not losing enough weight or getting enough exercise, for example, says Ross. If you feel your doctor isn’t being supportive or empowering and instead uses shame or blame language, look for someone else who better fits your needs, she says. “If you don’t click, find someone you can better connect with, just as you would with friends.”
  3. Bring a list of questions to each appointment. “Having a list of questions ready when you see your healthcare team can make the most of your time together and focus the visit,” says Ross.
  4. Set yourself up for success. Set small, achievable goals, such as losing 5 pounds, which may then help build your confidence, advises Ross. She notes that research shows even a small amount of weight loss can make a big difference in diabetes management. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), losing just 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight may improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
  5. Optimize your exercise plan. Try to get 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, says Ross. “You want to spread that out. That’s really important in diabetes,” says Ross. “Think of it as an extended-relief medicine, in that exercise lowers blood sugar in about 24 hours and then it starts to wear off.” That’s why it’s recommended that you don’t go more than two days without exercise, she says. When asked if getting 2½ hours of exercise in one day fulfills your requirement for the week, she explains that working out each day or every other day is best for diabetes management to prevent losing the constant blood sugar–lowering effect. And if you sit for prolonged periods throughout the day, try to get up and move around every 30 minutes, says Ross. The 2020 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes echoes this, advising adults with type 2 diabetes (and even people who don’t have diabetes) to spend less time being sedentary and get up and move around every half hour to help reduce blood sugar.
  6. Use an activity tracker. Wearable activity monitors can help motivate people, which can be especially helpful if you have a tendency to be sedentary, says Ross. “It can bring more awareness into your movements and help you see where you can fit more steps into your day,” she notes.
  7. Start with small goals when planning your diet. “‘What do I eat now?’ is the number one question I get from people with diabetes,” says Ross. Start with small goals and keep it real and practical, she advises. “Maybe it’s making changes in one meal, one day at a time,” says Ross. For instance, if you want to eat a more plant-based diet, she suggests trying something like steel-cut oats with almond milk and a bit of fresh berries and sliced almonds for breakfast. Ross recommends the CDC plate method, which designates half of a 9-inch plate for non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, kale, squash, cauliflower), a quarter for lean protein, and a quarter for grains or starchy foods (potatoes, pasta, rice). Another important tip to keep in mind regarding nutrition and diabetes management: Your long-term health requires daily awareness and healthy choices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally indulge in a treat, says Veronica Brady, PhD, an advanced practice registered nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center and assistant professor of nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and a spokesperson for ADCES. “It’s not that you can never have a piece of cake, but it’s the things you do on a daily basis that make a difference,” says Dr. Brady. So if you slip up one day, it’s okay, she notes. You don’t have to beat yourself up over it, and you can come back the next day and start over. “Reaching your A1C goal is not a sprint. It’s more of a marathon,” says Brady.
  8. Manage stress. The more stress you have, the higher your adrenaline and cortisol levels and the lower your insulin, which can worsen your diabetes, says Arévalo. “To find a way to relax, try meditation or yoga, or have a laugh with friends once in a while,” says Arévalo. Reach out to people when you have a problem, and find someone to talk to. “Make sure that if you’re stressed or going through something, you find a way to decompress a little, because otherwise, your body is going to pay the consequences,” says Arévalo.
  9. Watch for feelings of depression. People who have diabetes are at increased risk for depression, says Arévalo. According to an article published in March 2018 in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, people who have diabetes are twice as likely to experience depression compared with people who don’t have diabetes. “Sometimes when you have diabetes, it can make you feel isolated,” says Arévalo. “You can feel like you’re the only one [among your family and friends] who has this condition, like nobody understands you, that you have to do everything differently, and that your life is much more complicated.” These feelings, says Arévalo, can contribute to depression. Be aware of this increased risk of depression, and make sure you talk to your diabetes healthcare team and your loved ones. It can also help to join a diabetes support group, where you can connect with others who are experiencing similar thoughts and challenges, suggests Arévalo.
  10. Get enough good sleep. “Make sure you sleep well,” says Arévalo. If you are not getting a good night’s sleep, you may experience increased cravings for high-carb foods, according to a study published in February 2017 in the journal Sleep. The more carbs you eat, the higher your blood sugar levels, notes Arévalo. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
  11. Monitor your glucose levels. Be sure to talk with your healthcare providers about your blood sugar goals, says Ross. Then, she advises, you can begin monitoring your glucose. Devices such as continuous glucose monitors (CGM) can be used to track your blood sugar levels throughout the day to help you learn how factors such as stress, illness, menstrual cycles, and carbohydrate-rich foods impact your blood sugar, says Ross. If you don’t have a CGM, you can use paired testing, in which you test your levels before and after activities, such as eating dinner or engaging in exercise, says Ross. “That can help you learn a lot about how different things affect you,” says Ross. Ultimately, knowing as much as you can about how different factors affect your blood sugar levels and what your individual goals should be will lead to better management of your type 2 diabetes.
  12. Don’t forget to get your A1C levels checked. “Something I’ve seen is when patients say, ‘My A1C was at 7,’ but that may have been two years ago, and now it’s at 14,” says Arévalo. “You need to make sure that you check your A1C every three months to see how your diabetes control is going.” This is key to monitoring your diabetes and noticing if something is not going well, so you can address it right away, she notes. You may be able to have your A1C checked less frequently if your diabetes is well controlled. Talk to your doctor about how often you should have your A1C tested.
  13. Keep in mind that your A1C goal may be different from someone else’s. Not everybody is the same, says Brady. “The goal for someone who’s younger may be different from someone who’s older,” says Brady. “If you’ve had problems with low blood sugar in the past, your goal may be different from somebody who has never had low blood sugar.” So the goal for your A1C should be discussed with your healthcare team and personalized, says Brady.
  14. Store your medication where you’ll see it. If you have trouble remembering to take your medication — and you’re not using a reminder alert on your smartphone or watch — keep it where you’re likely to see it when you’re scheduled to take your dose. For example, if you’re supposed to take it first thing in the morning, then you may want to put it in the bathroom, by your toothbrush; if you need to take it midday, you may want to keep it on your desk on days that you work, suggests Brady.
  15. Ask about financial resources. If you cannot afford your medication or even its co-pay, speak up. Your care team may know about drug discount programs or other resources, or they may be able to change you to a prescription that’s more affordable. You’re a team, says Arévalo. “Everybody needs to know what’s happening.”
  16. Be supportive of yourself. Focus on what’s going well, not on what isn’t, says Ross. “I think so often people focus on the problems,” says Ross. Instead, she advises looking at what’s going well and figuring out how you can do more of that, more often, to achieve your goals.