My Journey Through Type 2 Diabetes

I want to share my journey with Type 2 diabetes in the hope that it helps others avoid some of the mistakes I made — or at least feel reassured that even if those mistakes have already happened, it is never too late to regain control and improve your health.

If I had known decades ago what I know now, I could have prevented several medical issues I faced as an adult.
But the other side of that truth matters just as much: modern medicine, combined with realistic habits, makes long-term control possible at almost any stage.

Early signs I didn’t fully understand

My earliest signs of Type 2 diabetes appeared in my 20s, back in the 1970s.

My father had Type 2 diabetes and was already on insulin — which was common at the time. This was before A1C testing or the concept of “prediabetes.”

After eating sweets or carbohydrate-heavy meals, I noticed I felt unusually tired. I had read enough to know blood sugar should return to normal within two hours. Mine didn’t.

Early tests came back vague — “borderline” or “possibly developing Type 2” — but I knew what was happening.

Years later, when my first A1C was finally measured, it confirmed what I already suspected.

My first diagnosis — and limited guidance

I was formally diagnosed in my mid-30s, around 1985.

There was no “prediabetes” category then, and very little education. I remember a brief nutrition review and being told to reduce carbohydrates. Fiber, I was told, could be subtracted from total carbs.

One physician told me the best solution for diabetes was insulin. I wasn’t ready for that — but I also knew I needed to improve my diet and return to regular exercise.

Exercise was easy. Diet was not.

Exercise was never my problem.

I was an avid cyclist, part of a cycling club, doing weekend rides of 50+ miles. I took spinning classes two or three times a week.

Diet was another story.

I ate a lot of pasta, carbs, and sweets. I didn’t want to disrupt my family’s lifestyle — and honestly, I didn’t feel many symptoms. Without symptoms, urgency is easy to ignore.

I believe this is where many people get stuck.

Medications, hypoglycemia, and early limitations

My early medications included drugs like glimepiride and Glucotrol.

They worked — but at a cost:
hypoglycemia risk and weight gain.

Managing blood sugar felt fragile, not stable.

A turning point: GLP-1 medications

In 2001, after a divorce, I lost health insurance. This was before the ACA, when diabetes was a pre-existing condition.

I qualified for a trial program testing Byetta — the first GLP-1 medication — along with metformin.

It was a once-daily injection and the most effective medication I had taken to that point.

Later, as GLP-1 medications improved, I moved to Trulicity and then Ozempic.

For the first time, I had control without hypoglycemia, and I began pairing cardio with resistance training to protect muscle and improve insulin sensitivity.

What finally worked long-term

With stable blood sugar, consistent movement, and realistic habits, something clicked.

I wasn’t chasing perfection.
I was building systems.

Over time, I developed an integrated approach — combining medication when appropriate, movement, nutrition, and habit design — that others began asking about.

With encouragement from endocrinologists I worked with, I began coaching others.

That approach eventually became what I now call the Type 2 Pivot Method.

Why I’m sharing this now

I share this not because I did everything right — but because I didn’t.

If you’re early in your diagnosis, my hope is that you can avoid some of the detours I took.
If you’re years in, my hope is that you see proof that it’s not too late.

If this way of thinking resonates with you, I’ll share more about the Type 2 Pivot Method — and how it’s helped others build long-term control without extreme diets or perfection.

More soon,
Joel