What is success? It is, simply, meeting your personal goals, the ones you have set for yourself. For some it is achieving A1C results in the normal non-diabetic range (4.0-5.6 mg/dL or 3.8-6.3 mmol/l). For others it is staying at an A1C of 7.0% or below, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association. For some it is getting off insulin and/or diabetes pills. For others it is maintaining a certain average blood glucose level with medication. Some may have set specific goals with weight or measurements. Some may aim to walk 10,000 steps a day. Others feel successful in just getting out of the house and walking to the mailbox and back.

They say that “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” And the Bible says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Beyond all theory and even all logic, you have to pay attention to your own experience. When you don’t have experience, or enough experience, you can listen to the experiences of others. But, in the final analysis, what really matters is what happens in your own body. How do you feel? What are your lab test results? What does the scale say? And, whatever you’re doing, is it sustainable for the long term?

The most meaningful success stories are those from people we know.

If you wish to submit your own success story, please go to https://adventistvegetariandiabetics.wordpress.com/about/submitstory/.