I am Jamal Raja, 35 years old. I am registered patient of Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology .In March, 1994, I was driving my car on familiar road and suddenly my vision went blurry. Fortunately, I knew where I was going without reading the road signs, but as soon as I returned home, I called a friend who is a nurse about my concerns. She suggested that I see an eye doctor as soon as possible. After running some eye tests the eye doctor told me to see my family doctor because I might have type 2 diabetes. I was surprised by this because no one in my family had ever been diagnosed with diabetes. I did indeed have type 2 diabetes, and I also had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My family physician referred me to Baqai institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology. My Consultant at BIDE wanted me to start losing some weight, but I wasn't ready to make the lifestyle changes that would be necessary to not only lose the weight, but to keep it off for the rest of my life. For that purpose their registered dietitians and diabetes educators have counseled me and provided me a diet plan according to my need.

I took 40 units of insulin in whole day, which helped maintain normal blood sugar and orals for blood pressure. But the more I learned about the long-term effects and complications of my disease, the more I wanted to make more changes in my life. I started to make some small, but important, lifestyle changes, such as only ordering one cheeseburger instead of three. I also started to walk for 15 minutes a day. Each week I increased my walking by 3 minutes. A year later I was walking 60 minutes a day, seven days a week and lost 35 pounds. I wanted to lose more weight, so I consulted weight-reduction clinics in Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology. Four years after my diagnosis, I reached my final weight-loss goal of 140 pounds. During this time, my type 2 diabetes, lipid profile, blood pressure and other conditions are improved to the point that now I take just 8 units of insulin per day. I am very much happy and satisfied with my life now.

If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, my advice is to commit yourself to making gradual changes and putting a healthy, realistic plan together. Also, consult a registered dietitian and diabetes Educator not only for the knowledge and long-term success that may help you achieves, but also because the team of your health care provider offers emotional support to help you stay motivated and stick to positive lifestyle changes.