Entrepreneur tells how he is controlling his diabetes with diet and exercise - Special Section

Ebony, March, 2002 by Calvin C. Walker, Jr.

DIABETES runs in my immediate family. I have aunts, uncles and cousins who are diabetics, and my mother died from the disease in 1988. To say my parents were serious cooks is an understatement. We ate hardy in the Walker family. We ate ham hocks. We ate buttermilk potatoes with spoonfuls of butter. We ate fried chicken and macaroni & cheese and collard greens, and anything that tasted good covered with gravy.

While working for the IBM Corporation, I carried that high-fat diet with me as I traveled around the world negotiating business deals with potential customers. It seems as though every other week I was in a hotel room somewhere eating linguini and shrimp, Fettuccini Alfredo with clams and extra Alfredo sauce, and cheesecake. I ate latenight snacks, chips, regular sodas, Hershey's kisses, and two or three candy bars at a time. At one point, I was consuming at least 12 cans of soda a day. You name it, I ate it. Most of the things I ate were rich beyond words, and very high in sugar and carbohydrates. Before long I had packed on 257 pounds. I looked bad. I felt bad. But I didn't change my lifestyle.

Looking back on it, I had all of the symptoms of diabetes--unusually cold feet, tingling fingers, constant thirst, going to the bathroom all the time, and loss of appetite. But at the time I didn't pay it much attention. Strangely enough, when I finally went to the doctor's office, I was not even feeling bad. In fact, I felt okay, except for the constant urination.

The first thing the doctor did was prick my finger to check my glucose blood level. My level was 467mg/dl! Everyone in the doctor's office panicked over that reading level. (Many medical experts say the ideal blood sugar level ranges between 80mg/dl and 120mg/dl.)

In the span of the next week, I went through a barrage of tests. My blood and eyes were tested. My urine and kidneys were tested for ketones and protein. I was referred to a dietitian and nutritionist, and given a stack of diabetic reading materials.

But still not much changed. I soon realized that diet and exercise were probably two of the hardest areas of a person's life to change. And I was being asked to change both. It wasn't until after my wife, Dorothy Yearwood-Walker, and I began running our own technology company, Caldot Industries, Inc., that I finally admitted that I wasn't in control of my life and vowed to make meaningful change. Although time restraints were making my diabetes even harder to manage, I made a decision that it was time to do better. I started walking everywhere. I walked to the store, instead of driving. Dorothy and I bought a treadmill, and I was on it all the time. I started doing sit-ups, crunches, side twists, side bends, and playing basketball and football with my sons. If it was physical, I was doing it.

After a year, I noticed my blood glucose levels were becoming more stable, but still they were bouncing between 159 in the morning to as high as 234 three hours after meals. It was better, but still too high. "Still out of control," I thought to myself. "I still need to do more."

Over the next months, I lost a total of 42 pounds. I did it by walking 5 to 7 miles a day, doing 100 crunches, 50 to 75 leg raises for the lower abdomen, stretching routines, and cardiovascular workouts.

My typical breakfast meal now consists of two slices of toast, sugar-free jam, decaffeinated coffee, one teaspoon of sugar (only has 4 calories). A typical lunch now will consist of a small chicken breast, small salad with vinaigrette and balsamic dressing, and as much water as I can drink. Dinner might consist of pasta with mushroom sauce or portabella mushrooms with steamed vegetables and wild rice.

I had to be mindful of cholesterol and carbohydrates. The key for me was paying close attention to my carbohydrates, and sugar. I also watched my daily fat intake like a hawk. I completely changed my eating habits. I now snack on sugar-free cookies, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the occasional diet cola. I also drink gallons and gallons of water. Every so often I will have a small bowl of regular ice cream or regular cookies. Everyone deserves to treat himself or herself.

On October 4, 2001, I went back to the doctor's office for my 6-month check up. Four days later, the tests came back, and I was informed that my average blood glucose level over the last three months was half the level it was the previous 18 months, and below what is considered a high-risk level. My morning blood glucose levels are almost never above 126, my after-meal readings are almost never higher than 127, and my pre-bed readings are between 78 and 101.

I successfully lost weight, lost my bad diet and lackadaisical approach to exercise--and in return have gained my health and my life. I am now off all diabetic medication. It took some time, but in the end, I refused to be controlled by my illness. I was given a chance to be in control and I took that control, and made it work for me.

I did it!

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