The 11th Day of Diabadass: Meet Tim
You may already know Tim from our Ambassadors feed! Tim Kledhans logs his moments on the regular, inspiring us all. And today, he's sharing even more inspiration. Check out how it all started.
The Story
"I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 10 years ago. I went into the doctor for something else; received a call later that week from the doctor’s office that I needed to come back in to discuss my bloodwork. I received three pieces of news: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high A1C. It was a bit of a shock.
It was easy to take the drugs for cholesterol and blood pressure. But I had no idea on what to do for the type 2 diabetes. I asked for education, but it was bad or simply not available. So, I started eating healthy and exercising like crazy. But it wasn't sustainable. I kept going back to my old ways; my weight kept going up, along with my A1c. I ended up breaking my leg, which required surgery. During the pre-op checkup, my doctor told me that my A1C was through the roof, and that I we couldn't go through with it until I got my sugars down. I was put on metformin, and had the surgery. 
Then, I purchased my first glucose meter, which I had no idea how to use. Next, I started searching to see if there were any glucose apps for my phone, and I found One Drop. I signed up and had a fantastic One Drop Diabetes Coach, Alexandrea, that listened and helped me with food, diabetes questions, and encouragement. In the two years since I started with One Drop, my A1c has dropped from 7.0% to 5.6% and I have lost about 30 pounds.” GOALS! 💥 Tim says it was all about getting that proper education that has kept him going. Ditto, Tim!
The Good Stuff
He and his wife of 31 years, Lisa, love hiking, biking, traveling, photography, and spending time with their dog, Annabelle. And for the last 15 years, Tim has studied and taught two Okinawa martial arts: Shōrin-ryū and OKDR Matayoshi Kobudo. He's also a Senior Telecommunications Manager, working on projects located all over the country.
And in everything he does — managing his diabetes, hiking with Lisa and Annabelle, managing all his work projects around the country — Tim is extremely committed. As he likes to explain it, there's a difference between interest and commitment:
"When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. You must be committed and show up if you if want the benefits of results.”And Tim shows up! As proven by his excellent (and continuous!) blood sugars and A1c results. He recently had a check-in with his doctor. When he pulled up his One Drop app and had monthly glucose averages of 131 mg/dL, 105 mg/dL, and 113 mg/dL, Tim's doctor was stunned. Talk about commitment! And perseverance! How does he do it?
Wise words, brought to you by Tim Kledhans! 🏆"By having a fantastic partner in my wife, Lisa. Lisa has been so supportive and super creative with coming up with food and meal ideas. Like low carb tortillas! A small 4g carb tortilla is great for lunch; a large one is great for pizza. Also, you've got to remember to manage one day at a time. Fall one day get back up the next day. Have a cheat day occasionally. Track carbs.”
