Q&A With DPP Participant: Becoming Accountable for Lifestyle Change

Patricia “Pat” Bagozzi joined the year-long First Mile Care Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) in May 2022. Pat is a retired 70-year-old widowed grandmother of four living in Westland, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She spent 35 years as a claims representative with the AAA Auto Club of Michigan, so knows something about the importance of listening carefully to other people’s problems.

• Normal A1C. My blood sugar is in the normal range again! When my doctor tested my A1C level four months into the program, it was in the normal range at 5.7. One year earlier, it was at 6.0 so indicated prediabetes.
• Healthy weight. I’ve lost 46 pounds and feel fantastic! I’m pretty much at my goal weight now and am feeling good about myself. And it’s not been hard. I put on three pounds over the holidays yet was able to lose it fairly quickly in the new year.
• Healthy girth. I have dropped two clothing sizes. I always used to buy loose flowing tops to cover my upper body. Now I can wear skinny jeans and fitted sweaters and pants with zippers instead of elastic waists! I am so confident about keeping the weight off that I’ve given away my old clothes or had the more expensive items tailored.

I didn’t know specifically that I had “prediabetes” although my doctors at Henry Ford Health Systems warned me about losing the extra weight around my midriff and lowering my cholesterol and A1C.  My previous doctor told me I had certain markers I needed to get under control, although she also knew my family situation with my husband’s illness, and told me not to try to take on too many changes at once. While a member of my family has gestational diabetes, I was never really too concerned about developing type 2, but as a former smoker, I knew I was at risk for heart disease. 

After my husband passed away, I knew it was time for a big lifestyle change. I spent years putting other people first. I was always busy but I wasn’t really focused on myself. I took care of my husband, my work, my kids, and my grandkids. So when that phone call came from a First Mile Care representative, asking to send me information on the Diabetes Prevention Program, I knew it was time to take care of me and put my needs first  — for the first time in decades.

I had already quit smoking and drinking, but I was sitting a lot and doing a lot of mindless eating, so I kept putting on weight, ballooning to as much as 200 at one point. After I had knee replacement surgery in the fall of 2020, I could start walking more, which really has helped in losing weight. 

I tried Weight Watchers but I found their points system confusing. It also costs a bit, and people seem to have to go to it for years.  I don’t want to deny myself anything. I want to be able to eat what I want when I go out with friends, and not be one of those people who brings my own dish or asks other people to adjust what they’re serving to accommodate me.

What the First Mile Care program does is make ME accountable for what I put in my mouth and for the healthy food that I eat and for the type of exercise I get. But nothing is off limits and nothing is mandated – apart from getting 150 minutes of exercise a week. Coach Taylor Winkel told me to pick something to do in terms of activity, my choice as to what, just as long as I got the minimum time in. The program has also given me the incentive to read nutrition labels and make sure that everything that goes in my mouth has a purpose. I allow myself to eat what I want, but pay attention to quantity and nutrition, so I’m more satisfied at the end of the day.

I faithfully read food labels and note the calories, servings sizes, and portions to prepare healthy meals. What’s the amount of added sugar, does it have whole wheat, is it processed? Honestly, I couldn’t believe the amount of food that I was eating before I started the DPP!  I used to love eating potatoes and starches that turn into sugar. I’m surprised that I didn’t weigh more than I did, because it was nothing to me to eat a whole big bag of chips in one sitting. While I may eat some chips now, it’s a small package, not a whole bag.

I continue food journaling to track what I eat and drink. I use a watch with a health tracker to record my  activity and remind me to move occasionally. I also use the MyFitnessPal app on my phone for gauging and tracking calories. I monitor my water intake, as that’s super-important. I always look at menus online now before I eat in a restaurant with friends, so I can make a conscious decision about what I eat and how much. I’ll only eat half of what I order, have a few chips, have a glass of water, and take the rest home. 

There are a couple of things — education and camaraderie. This program offers one-on-one individual advice. You make the decisions. You set your goals and action plans. You figure out with the coach, through education and trial and error, what works for you as an individual, which may be different from what works for other people. I also enjoy the program for the sense of camaraderie I’ve built with the other people in my group. That’s what I’ll really miss once I’ve finished the program — and hope I can stay in touch with some of the folks. We really do talk about our issues. We give suggestions to one another to work around our challenges.

There are a couple of things — education and camaraderie. This program offers one-on-one individual advice. You make the decisions. You set your goals and action plans. You figure out with the coach, through education and trial and error, what works for you as an individual, which may be different from what works for other people. I also enjoy the program for the sense of camaraderie I’ve built with the other people in my group. That’s what I’ll really miss once I’ve finished the program — and hope I can stay in touch with some of the folks. We really do talk about our issues. We give suggestions to one another to work around our challenges.

First Mile Care has given me the tools and information to understand healthy options, and to help guide me to make the right choices for me and develop behaviors that promote wellness. Each person is different, so it’s all about finding the right balance of what works for the individual. It’s really helpful that Coach Taylor is a foodie and a registered dietician (RD). She really knows her stuff and has educated us on getting healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables in our diets, and explained what different nutrients do in your body. She turned me onto eating Greek yogurt and helped me adjust my bread consumption. She has helped me to understand that if I’m not hitting the goal I’m striving for, I need to adjust the type and amount of food I’m eating, and to vary the kind of exercise.

Absolutely! I’ll never go back to the way I was, mindlessly eating and never getting any exercise. I’m positive about that. I’m a determined person. That’s my personality. Monitoring what I eat, eating healthily, and exercising has become a habit, just like putting on a safety belt when I get in a car.

My main exercise is walking and using exercise bands. I started using them to strengthen my knee after surgery, but now also use them for stretching and arm curls. They’re easy to take with me if I’m away from home. My walking routine lapsed recently when my dog had surgery and it was really rainy outside. Even one week of not walking makes a difference. Now I’m trying to work more weights into my daily routine, and I might sign up with a gym to be able to do water aerobics and other classes in the future.

This program is a whole change of mindset and something that becomes your habit. You have to have the “will to wanna” make a change. But once you see results, you can’t get enough of it. It has really been a metamorphosis for me — I’m like a butterfly! At 70, I can’t wait for my grandkids to come over to the house and I can go-go-go with them. I’m thankful for it every day and speak about it everywhere I go. It’s a beautiful thing.

To learn more about how you can benefit from the First Mile Care Diabetes Prevention Program, take the prediabetes risk test and get started today!