How Pam Transitioned: From Cravings To Healthy Choices

Beverly Yates, ND

Hey, let me tell you about the story of Pam, a client of mine who has made wonderful progress in taking charge of her type 2 diabetes and working on reversing it. Now, she has been trying for over 25 years to get help with type 2 diabetes. This has been a long-term project for her. She asked for help from her doctor, from her functional nurse practitioner, and the rest of her healthcare team for years. And what they had put together for her had not been successful, hadn’t worked. They just did not have the tools or approach to support her in her health goals. It was always just more and more prescription meds, and she wanted to reduce our dependence on these medications. In fact, she wanted freedom to live her life the way she wanted to on her own terms. She’d been trying for years also to do this on her own, and that hadn’t worked either. So she reached out to seek my guidance. Here’s a direct quote from her. I went from eating crackers and crapola to craving three-bean salads. When she first said that I just burst out laughing. I thought, How vivid, from crackers and crapola to craving three-bean salads. Wow. That’s a big shift. Friends, I think we all understand that now, living with type 2 diabetes for over 25 years, she was feeling really down, depressed, and profoundly fatigued. When we first started working together. Over the years, she tried many things, but frankly, at times she had given up hope, understandably so, that she could change her situation with diabetes.

Everyone, when they reach out for help, is looking for an improvement. And if they don’t get it, they can feel discouraged. I think that’s a completely normal response. She was really tired, very tired of the reality of type 2 diabetes. She was on mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, a peptide class of medications as a prescription drug for type 2 diabetes. And she was also on prescription meds that helped her to sleep. Her sleep had improved. She was getting some benefits from the mounjaro. However, the prescription meds weren’t enough. She wanted something more so that she could feel well again and get her energy back. Feelings of exhaustion, depression, and deep-seated sleep problems were keeping her from enjoying her days and doing the things that she really wanted to do along with the things that she needed to do. Each day was a slog from start to finish. She was that tired. So we started working together when she enrolled in a package that combined an initial consultation and a cortisol lab test by using a lab test to assess the root cause of her fatigue. The lab test results highlighted adrenal hormone dysfunction, specifically the lack of cortisol, a primary stress hormone was the critical problem uncovered via the lab test. Now cortisol levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day and night. There’s a very specific pattern to them, and they have a strong influence on blood sugar levels, on food cravings, on hunger. Whether or not we can tell when we feel full or satisfied from eating and then whether or not there are issues with overeating.

As we reviewed her lab test results together, I mentioned that her problems with cravings for junk foods and highly processed foods and portion control were likely related to the issues with cortisol. Perhaps the roots weren’t in the sleep it was cortisol. Her stress response. Now, unfortunately, this connection is mostly overlooked when people have diabetes. Medical and health care professionals, they mean well, but sometimes, you know, they don’t necessarily know to look for these things. And they may neglect this aspect of health. And since it is overlooked, people are often left to fend for themselves. Sadly, and perhaps shamed and blamed along the way for their health problems, especially if they have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes when they do reach out for help. I can say with complete confidence that shaming and blaming are not a healing environment. It doesn’t help. She began by taking a specific supplement bundled to help with restoring her energy. Now, this support was foundational to helping her move from feeling constantly exhausted to feeling energized, peppy, and joyful each day. She really turned a corner with this. She then enrolled in the Yates Protocol Health Program for diabetes to really work on the aspects of her lifestyle that most impact a person’s blood sugar levels.

The full spectrum of the Yates Protocol was covered in this program, so together we covered nutrition. That will always be the bull’s eye of the target when we’re talking about diabetes. Meal timing this can include intermittent fasting, if appropriate. Stress, stress makes a difference. It really does. It is a bully that grabs you by your genetic color, slams you right up against whatever weaknesses might be there. And your environment will force the epigenetic expression of whatever is lurking there in your genes. Sleep, number four, of the Yates Protocol. Sleep makes a big difference. That’s when your blood sugar resets. So that needs to be in good order. And then finally, the fifth member. The fifth step is exercise and strength training. Those matter a lot for blood sugar control. So we tracked your blood sugar levels, doing the program and connecting them to how she was feeling and helping her to gain actionable insights to guide her lifestyle. This way she was in charge. Now she has the energy to live her life the way she wants. By starting with this key issue, this restoration of her energy. The rest of the pieces of her health puzzle fell into place. So as we worked together, her energy came back. It was so wonderful to watch this unfold. Next, he started to cook for herself again. She had the energy right, and she became so much more interested in making healthy food choices consistently upfront. She stopped bringing junk food into her home and nutrient-deficient foods and beverages as well. She just made way better choices at the store and made sure that what was in the house was going to support her health. Things that weren’t good were gone.

The most important thing about this is that her cravings for junk foods and highly processed foods went away. It is so helpful when your tongue and your brain work together to support your health and no longer want you to eat the stuff that’s undermining it, but instead want you to eat the stuff that lets you be well. This made it easy in this case to make healthy food choices consistently since you had no interest in the junk foods and highly processed foods. It’s joyful when this happens. I love it for people when this happens. So then she returned to the gym to begin working with her personal trainer again because now she has the energy to exercise, and to look forward to working out because it feels good to be active again. All the pieces came together for Pam. She deserved it. She did the work, you know. So she used all five steps of the Yates Protocol to regain her health and well-being nutrition, meal, timing, stress, sleep, exercise, and strength training. Those are the five power steps that make the difference. Now she has her nutrition dialed in. She literally went from craving crackers and crapola to craving three-bean salad. That is a change that lasts once you start feeling good and it supports making self-care your number one priority. Her meal timing is fine. She stays on an eating rhythm that works well to keep her energy and blood sugar even throughout the day. And you know what? Life happens. Sometimes stressful events do occur. Life continues to throw curveballs, and she stays on track with her healthy lifestyle because she knows she feels so much better when she does this.

And if she feels stressed, she also has been noticing that the old cravings don’t return to sabotage her work on her self-care. Her sleep continues to be in a good place, and now she is exercising again. Her energy is back. What a difference it makes for her quality of life. Now, she looks forward to visits with her doctor or nurse practitioner and the rest of her health team. They’re all cheering her on. They’re delighted for her results. And of course, she’s feeling great about it, too. She’s on track for a healthy, active, energetic life and freedom from the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. I share this story with you because I know for many people listening, this can be a part of the journey that you’re probably shaking your head in. Yeah, yeah, I recognize it. Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt. Okay, I got you. So I’m so glad you’re here at this summit. I hope you find encouragement, inspiration, and insight to help you on your health journey. Enjoy the rest of the summit and the episodes from each day. Take care.