Marjorie M. has always been active, with a love for movement instilled in her from a young age by her father. After 13 years as a dental assistant, a degree in biotech, a stint in research, and at a nonprofit implementing medical software in clinics and hospitals, Marjorie now continues to stay active through her retirement. Envisioning an active life well into her 90s, Marjorie has been running marathons, skiing, kayaking, hiking, and rock climbing around her home in the Pacific Northwest. However, despite her healthy lifestyle, she was blindsided by a diagnosis of prediabetes a few years agoâa diagnosis that left her feeling lost and unsupported in her quest for the proper guidance. Determined not to let it progress into diabetes, she sought answers beyond the traditional advice of âeat better, exercise more, and lose weight.â Looking for this specific guidance to understand her bodyâs unique needs led her to Nutrisense, kickstarting her journey to better health. With Nutrisenseâs support, she now feels stronger, has lost weight she didnât expect to lose, and is more in control of her A1C levels. Amanda Donahue, MS, RD, CD, a nutritionist and nutrition manager at Nutrisense, visited Marjorie for a live interview, to chat with her about her inspiring story. Here are a few highlights from their conversation! Amanda: Marjorie, itâs so lovely to sit here with you and chat face-to-face about your journey! Letâs jump right in. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey so far? Marjorie: As an athlete, my goal has always been to feed my body well, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job there! A few years ago, my primary doctor had me do an A1C, and it came back as my glucose as prediabetic, which surprised the heck out of me. I had no inklings of any glucose issues. I thought, Iâm active and eating rightâwhatâs going on? Amanda: Yeah, I'm sure that was quite shocking. It's not unheard of to not have symptoms related to feeling like you have prediabetes or high blood glucose, but it can throw you off track. Did you have a family history of any sort? Marjorie: Yes. I have an aunt who had diabetes; it was so sad. And it was probably undiagnosed for her for quite several years. Other than that, I had no inclination, no symptoms. And as an athlete, I've been able to eat whatever I wanted to for so long. It wasn't a question of okay, can I have that cookie? Amanda: As you mentioned earlier, youâve also been pretty active your entire life. So now you suddenly have to think about everything differently.  Marjorie: I started young, very young, swimming and being athletic overall. My dad had us on surfboards; we could swim before we could walk. And we were always moving, campingâŠÂ So, after the diagnosis, when my doctor said, âEat better, exercise more, and lose weight,â I wasnât sure how; I thought I had been doing all that already. She sent me to a nutritionist, who recommended I eat better. She gave me some adviceâeat oats in the morning, eat more fruits⊠but she gave me the sort of recommendations that now I know were spiking my blood sugar further. Amanda: So it seemed more generic, not quite as tailored to what you needed. Marjorie: Definitely. And it was just boilerplate. So, I was looking for answers, and I didnât get any good answers. I felt more confused than ever. I wanted to go deeper, to understand what was happening in my body. I didn't want to accept that this was going to be something that I was going to move into diabetes from inevitably. I kept thinking, there's got to be a tool, a way of figuring everything out, that's going to help me instead of just slamming in a medication. Thatâs when I found Nutrisense Amanda: How did that happen? I was listening to a podcast focused on menopausal women who are athletes. And she mentioned Nutrisense. And what she talked aboutâNutrisense sounded like the fit I was looking for. I wanted to understand more about my body's dynamics when I work out when I'm eating, and what food choices I'm making. So I thought, let's give it a whirl. And that was about two years ago! Amanda: What were your thoughts going into it, seeing all that data for the first time? Marjorie: So when I got ready to apply my first monitor (CGM), I was like, Oh, this is going to hurt. But it was no big deal, and I thought, wow, that was cool. I immediately started checking everything in the app and was excited about the data I saw. But working with a nutritionist, thatâs what took it to the next level. Because where I was looking at the data each day and wondering how to do better or what happened with a particular spike, my nutritionist would take a broader view and be able to say, âYou know, your week wasn't that bad. But maybe think about eating this instead of that, try some of these options or try sequencing your foodsâŠâ And that kind of advice took it to the next level . Amanda: That must have been such a nice change from the boilerplate. Speaking of the Nutrisense app and the data, what were some of the biggest surprises and things you learned along the way? Marjorie: Regarding food, I am learning to incorporate more protein and about sequencing, eating protein first, and non-starchy food. That has all been so powerful. When I started looking at my responses daily, I'd also see spikes and wonder what they were fromâthey werenât just from food. When I went for a run, for example, or when I had intense workouts, I would spike and think, what's going on there? Or when I got stressed, too! And I just kept thinking, why? My nutritionist taught me more about how you can spike with exercise, particularly intense exercise. We also talked a bit about some strategies for what can work before a workout, what works after, and how to maintain hydration. Amanda: Exercise is one of those things that's super customizable, and hydration can directly affect glucose and performance. And thereâs stress, which you also mentioned. So, fill me in a little bit more about the stress responses that you saw. Marjorie: Oh, stress was an interesting one. I had some family things going on, and I was driving through traffic. So I got to the hospital, where I dropped them off and got them in. And I decided to take a look at my numbers. And I noticed a spike. So when they were in their appointment, I just took a nice, easy walk around the property and saw the numbers coming down as I decompressed! Amanda: Yeah, stress is one of the most interesting responses, I think, because it's one of those things that many of us brush off, too! So, what other observations stood out to you along the way, and when did you start feeling better? Marjorie: When I first started, I thought my numbers would just begin to dropping immediately: I was monitoring and working with a personal nutritionist dialed in on all these situations around food, exercise, and stress⊠but itâs a slower process. My numbers are coming down; theyâre stabilizing. Iâm still working on it. Itâs not a quick fix, and it requires dedication and work. But the main thing is that working through those dietary choices is becoming less stressful. And learning how to breathe and take things as they go. So itâs a journey. It's not something that will be fixed tomorrow, but I'm so excited every day when I open up and start seeing my numbers, and they start off well. And I can look forward to having a good day with them and then talking to my nutritionist and saying, okay, what can I do better? Amanda: It sounds like youâve embraced these changes. How was it helping with your goal of reversing prediabetes? Marjorie: I was fearful about going into diabetes. It's a very devastating disease. I was concerned that maybe it wasn't going to work or that the sensor was going to be painful. But all of that was so easy, and there's so much help that Iâve been given. It's just amazing, the things that I have learned. Surprisingly, I have even lost weight. Amanda: And that wasn't something that you were intentionally entering the program with? Marjorie: No, and it just happened. Changing my eating changed my glucose and, in turn, my weight. It's just amazing. It was so easy. Amanda: How do you feel now about managing your prediabetes? Marjorie: I have this vision of what I want to be when I'm 90 years old and still running half marathons. So sustainable habits are what it's all about, right? Working with a nutritionist, getting additional insights, advice, and how to eat better. And Nutrisense has provided that, not just with the monitor, which I loveâit's my friend now. And with my nutritionist tooâbest human being ever. Itâs been a life-changing experience. Amanda: Thatâs so nice to hear! So now that you've worked with a Nutrisense nutritionist, has your opinion about nutritionists changed after that boilerplate advice you initially got? Marjorie: Oh gosh, light years. Yes. Because of your knowledge base, I have just been given more information on what I can do and how to be proactive. And in managing this condition. My nutritionist has provided insights into my glucose response to life, foods, stress, and sleep and what I can do to positively impact my blood sugar numbers. I wouldn't have known half of this stuff without your help. Youâre rock stars! Amanda: Thank you! Your story is so inspiring. Before we end, what advice would you like to give others facing a similar situation? Marjorie: When you're told you have prediabetes, don't give up. There are choices. And you can do it. You can make a difference. All you need is help. I believe that this has helped me so much. Like I said, I feel stronger. I feel more educated. I feel ready for the next level.
