Bob Greene: Oprah's Trainer on Living Your Best Life With Diabetes

Nov. 9, 2009— -- Bob Greene, best known as Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer, is tackling the topic of diabetes in his new book.

Greene teamed up with endocrinologist Dr. John J. Merendino Jr., and nutritionist Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D to write "The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes," which has advice on managing diabetes or pre-diabetes through lifestyle changes including diet, exercise and medication. The book is divided into three parts: taking control of your blood sugar, fine-tuning your diet and living your best life.

Read the excerpt below, and then head to the "GMA" Library to find more good reads.

CLICK HERE to visit Bob Greene's web site for The Best Life to learn more.

When you first found out that you had diabetes or pre-diabetes, you probably experienced a wave of emotions: concern, fear, confusion, maybe even anger. But despite the fact that both are serious conditions, the good news is that there's a lot you can do to stay healthy and improve your quality of life; there are so many more treatment options and resources at your disposal than just fifteen years ago. This is, in large part, a reaction to the epidemic in this country -- about 24 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and another 57 million have pre-diabetes, a precursor of the disease. Though this may not be positive news for us as a country, it's placed diabetes high on the national health agenda. There are millions of people with these conditions, just like you, who are able to continue living a healthy and fulfilled life.

Always keep in mind that how well you fare after your diagnosis is largely up to you. Diabetes and pre-diabetes are conditions that you can manage well by making some important lifestyle changes. When you take the reins and do what you can to manage these conditions, you can dramatically improve your life. I've seen this firsthand -- in family members who have diabetes as well as clients I've worked with over the years. "The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes" will map out a clear and practical plan for living your healthiest, happiest, fullest life. Once you know what diabetes and pre-diabetes are, how they affect you, and what you can do to stay healthy, you'll feel more in control and less afraid.

The Best Life program's design reflects the three pillars of diabetes management: diet, exercise, and medication. It's no accident that I've listed medication last -- diet and exercise are the drivers here. Eat right and move enough, and you won't need as many drugs. In some cases, you can eliminate the drugs altogether, at least for a few years (diabetes is a progressive disease, so the need for medication usually arises again eventually). If you have pre-diabetes you're probably not on medication; the Best Life program can completely reverse this condition and prevent diabetes down the road.

Whether you have pre-diabetes or diabetes, the dietary and fitness guidelines in this book will help you bring your blood sugar into the best possible range, with a minimum of highs and lows. If you have diabetes you'll be using a blood glucose monitor to test your sugar and you'll be logging (see log on page 331) select blood sugar readings, meals, and bouts of exercise. This log will play a crucial role in your diabetes management -- it will help you piece together important patterns that you can use to create an individualized program that fits with your disease and your lifestyle.

The response to food and exercise varies from person to person; the log will uncover your unique reactions. For instance, you might note that your blood sugar is usually high after eating bread but not after eating pasta. Or that your blood sugar is in a great range after 30 minutes on the treadmill but a little too low after 40 minutes. Or that the dose of medication taken in the morning seems to send your blood sugar plummeting in the afternoon, which is something you and your doctor can adjust.