Live As If You’ve Already Arrived”: My Journey from Type 2 Diabetes to Full Remission

By Lisa Valente, RDN

Introduction: The Moment Everything Changed

In 2006, I weighed over 300 pounds.

I wasn’t just “overweight”—I was exhausted, inflamed, and metabolically broken. My triglycerides had soared to 500 mg/dL—more than double the healthy upper limit. And then came the diagnosis that would redefine my life: type 2 diabetes.

I remember sitting in the doctor’s office, hearing the words echo in my ears like a death knell. Type 2 diabetes, I learned, occurs when your body stops using insulin effectively. Glucose—the body’s primary fuel—can’t enter your cells, so it pools in your bloodstream like thick, toxic sludge. In my mind, it played out like a scene from Jaws: slow, ominous, and deadly.

I wasn’t alone. At the time, I joined nearly 29 million other Americans living with this condition. I was handed a prescription, a pamphlet titled “Living with Type 2 Diabetes,” and a list of foods to avoid. But as I read deeper, two uncomfortable truths emerged—truths no one had explicitly told me during my appointment.

Truth #1: In the United States, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes carries the same cardiovascular risk as having already survived a heart attack.
Truth #2: Unlike cancer or infections, type 2 diabetes isn’t treated with the goal of cure—it’s managed. The medical system aims to delay complications: kidney failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease. You’re not healed; you’re maintained.

As a high-achieving, type-A global executive used to solving problems decisively, this approach felt unacceptable. I didn’t want to “manage” diabetes for the rest of my life. I wanted to reverse it.

That decision launched a five-year odyssey—one that transformed not just my body, but my entire philosophy of health, healing, and human potential.

Rethinking the Medical Model: Seeking a Different Path

Conventional medicine offered control, not cure. So I looked beyond it.

I reached out to the medical team at Canyon Ranch, a wellness destination known for its integrative, whole-person approach. There, I met clinicians who didn’t just treat lab values—they asked deeper questions:
Why is your body resisting insulin? What signals are you sending it through food, sleep, stress, and movement?

This shift in perspective was revolutionary. Instead of viewing my body as broken, they helped me see it as brilliantly adaptive—doing exactly what it was designed to do given the inputs I was providing.

That realization became the foundation of my recovery.

Lesson One: Your Body Isn’t Broken—It’s Responding

For years, I blamed my body. Why won’t you lose weight? Why are you failing me?

But at Canyon Ranch, I learned a profound truth:

My body wasn’t malfunctioning. It was functioning perfectly—for the life I was living.

If I fed it ultra-processed carbohydrates, skipped sleep, lived in chronic stress, and sat for 14 hours a day, of course it stored fat, spiked blood sugar, and developed insulin resistance. These weren’t signs of betrayal—they were biological survival responses.

This reframing changed everything. Healing didn’t begin with fighting my body. It began with changing the equation.

If I wanted a different outcome—lower blood sugar, sustainable energy, a healthy weight—I had to provide different inputs: real food, restorative sleep, mindful movement, and emotional balance.

The body doesn’t argue with reality. It responds to it. So I decided to create a new reality.

Lesson Two: Live as If You’ve Already Arrived

One of the most powerful strategies I adopted came from a simple question:

“How would my future, healthy self live—starting today?”

I stopped waiting to “get healthy” before adopting healthy behaviors. Instead, I began embodying the person I wanted to become—right now.

I asked myself:

What would she eat for breakfast?
How would she handle a business trip?
Would she skip her walk because she’s tired?
How would she respond to stress—ice cream or a 10-minute meditation?

This wasn’t about perfection. It was about alignment. Every choice became a vote for the future I wanted.

And something remarkable happened:
Two years into this practice, I wasn’t “trying to lose weight.” I was simply living as a healthy person—and the weight, the blood sugar, the inflammation all followed.

Lesson Three: Become Your Own Science Experiment

Emotions are unreliable guides on a health journey. Hunger, fatigue, and cravings can hijack even the best intentions. So I turned to data.

I treated my body like a laboratory—and myself as both the researcher and the subject.

I used the Lose It! app to track every calorie, not to restrict, but to understand my energy balance. I wore a Jawbone UP fitness tracker to monitor sleep quality, daily steps, and even fidgeting (which, surprisingly, burns 200–300 calories per day).

But my most valuable tool was my glucometer. After every meal, I tested my blood sugar at the 2-hour mark—the gold standard for postprandial glucose response.

This turned abstract nutrition advice into personalized insight:

Poor sleep → blood sugar 20 points higher the next day + intense carb cravings.
Red-eye flights → glucose spikes even with “healthy” meals.
Stressful meetings → elevated fasting glucose the following morning.

I learned that my body didn’t lie. Every drop of blood told a story. And by listening closely, I could adjust in real time.

This scientific approach removed guilt and guesswork. It wasn’t about willpower—it was about feedback loops.

Lesson Four: Redefining Portions—Without Deprivation

I grew up in the land of “all-you-can-eat shrimp” and bottomless pasta bowls. To me, a “portion” was whatever fit on my plate—and then some.

When a nutritionist showed me what a true serving of rice looked like (½ cup cooked—about the size of a tennis ball), I was stunned. I’d been eating four servings in one sitting.

Rather than impose rigid rules, I designed behavioral hacks to recalibrate my relationship with food:

Smaller plates: I switched to 9-inch dinner plates instead of 12-inch restaurant-sized ones. Visual fullness matters.
Slower eating: I started using chopsticks—not for cultural reasons, but because they force you to take smaller bites and chew longer.
The fork-and-knife rule: I gave myself permission to eat anything—as long as I ate it with a knife and fork.

Yes, even a Snickers bar.

Eating a candy bar slowly, deliberately, with utensils, felt absurd—but it worked. I tasted every bite. I felt satisfied with less. And I removed the shame that often fuels binge cycles.

This wasn’t restriction. It was conscious consumption.

Lesson Five: Move All Day—Not Just During “Workouts”

I never liked the gym. Treadmills bored me. Weight rooms intimidated me. But I discovered something far more powerful: non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)—the calories you burn through everyday movement.

Sitting is the new smoking. And for someone with insulin resistance, prolonged inactivity is metabolic poison.

So I engineered perpetual motion into my day:

I walked 10,000 steps daily—not for calorie burn, but for mental clarity and insulin sensitivity.
I installed a standing desk and set a timer to stand or stretch every 30 minutes.
I took walking meetings. I parked farther away. I took the stairs—even if it was just two flights.
I embraced fidgeting: tapping my foot, pacing while on calls, shifting positions. These micro-movements added up.

Research shows that frequent, low-intensity movement throughout the day improves glucose metabolism more effectively than a single 60-minute workout followed by 10 hours of sitting.

My body didn’t need heroic efforts. It needed consistent, gentle motion—like the humans of our evolutionary past.

Lesson Six: Never Eliminate—Always Optimize

Early on, I thought healing meant giving up everything I loved: ice cream, bread, pasta, chocolate.

But I quickly realized: a life of deprivation is unsustainable. If I wanted lifelong health, my plan had to include joy.

So I launched a personal project: My Glycemic Index Experiment.

I made a list of my favorite foods. Then, using my glucometer, I tested how each one affected my blood sugar. Some surprises emerged:

A plain bagel spiked my glucose more than a small slice of cake.
Adding almond butter to toast blunted the sugar rise.
Full-fat Greek yogurt with berries kept me stable for hours.

Then came the fun part: tweaking.

I didn’t eliminate ice cream. I optimized it.

I chose premium, full-fat brands (less sugar, more satiety).
I paired it with a handful of nuts or a sprinkle of cinnamon (to slow glucose absorption).
I limited it to one perfect scoop—savored slowly, without distraction.

Today, I still enjoy that daily scoop. Not as a “cheat,” but as a celebration of balance.

Because life is too short to live without joy. And health shouldn’t feel like punishment.

The Results: Beyond Numbers

After five years of consistent, compassionate effort, the transformation was profound:

Lost over 110 pounds—and kept it off for more than a decade.
Triglycerides normalized (from 500 to under 100).
HbA1c dropped from diabetic range to 5.0%—solidly in the normal zone.
Zero medications for blood sugar control—for over five years.
Officially, I am no longer diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My doctors call it “remission.” I call it proof.

Proof that the human body is not a machine destined to break—but a self-healing, adaptive system capable of extraordinary recovery when given the right conditions.

Key Lessons for Anyone on a Healing Journey

If you’re reading this because you’re struggling with weight, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or chronic fatigue, know this: you are not broken. Your body is doing its best with the signals you’re sending it.

Here’s what I learned—and what I now teach as a registered dietitian:

1. Start with your future self

Don’t wait to “get healthy” to live healthily. Ask: What would my healthy self do right now? Then do that.

2. Break the journey into winnable battles

Forget “lose 100 pounds.” Focus on: What’s one healthy choice I can make in the next hour? Small wins build unstoppable momentum.

3. Track, don’t guess

Use technology—apps, wearables, glucometers—to gather data. Your body speaks in numbers. Learn its language.

4. Change your inputs, not just your output

Weight loss is a side effect of metabolic health. Prioritize sleep, stress management, real food, and movement—and the scale will follow.

5. Design for sustainability

If you can’t maintain it for two years, don’t start it today. Choose habits you can live with—forever.

6. Eat as if your life depends on it—because it does

Every meal is a chance to heal or harm. Choose foods that nourish, satisfy, and stabilize—not just fill.

Final Thoughts: Your Body Is Waiting for a Chance

The greatest gift of this journey wasn’t the weight loss or the lab results. It was reclaiming trust in my body.

I no longer see it as an enemy to be controlled. I see it as a wise, resilient partner—ready to heal the moment I stop working against it and start working with it.

If you’re standing where I stood in 2006—overwhelmed, scared, and labeled with a chronic diagnosis—please hear this:

Your body is not broken. It’s waiting for you to change the equation.

And if you give it even half a chance—just half—it will astonish you with its capacity to recover.

Start today.
Not Monday.
Not after the holidays.
Today.

Live as if you’ve already arrived.
Because you can.

Lisa Valente, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Formerly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
Now thriving in full remission
And still enjoying one perfect scoop of ice cream—every single day.

Live As If You’ve Already Arrived”: My Journey from Type 2 Diabetes to Full Remission