BILLINGS — In Yellowstone County, Intermountain Health and the Billings YMCA are offering a year-long program to reduce Montana's diabetes rates and prevent future diagnoses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Diabetes Association, in 2021, over 38 million Americans had diabetes, and about 77,000 are in Montana.
"I was in the position where it was, 'I weigh what I weigh. I'm heavy. I'm fat, and I'm not going to change, so I might as well just live with it,'" said one program participant, Jason Newell, after MTN asked him about his self-perception before entering the program.
Changing lifestyle and diet can be a challenge, but in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), healthcare professionals are there to help, particularly during Diabetes Awareness Month.
"I think DPP is great for lifestyle changes. Not just for diet. It's about changing the way that you think about your food, and about your exercise and activities, and overall a healthier lifestyle," Newell said.
Newell is currently going through the program for a second time.
A few years ago, Newell was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. His father attended the program previously, and so he attended the first time to become more active.
Newell says he's a very structured person and likes the accountability for the program, which is why he joined a second time.
"I had a very sedentary lifestyle. I didn't work out at all. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was not terribly healthy," he said.
Newell is coached by professional dietitian, Rene Lindeen.
Lindeen told MTN it's important to highlight small accomplishments too.
"I love this program, because it's a lifestyle change program, and it's all about making small, small, sustainable changes. We're not trying to make a quick fix overnight," she said.
There's currently about 100 participants in the program, divided among eight sessions.
The program is $175, but financial assistance is available. Throughout, participants learn ways to reduce their weight and risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease. This involves both structured lectures about diet and nutrition and exercise classes with fitness trainers.
To qualify for the program, patients must have a BMI of 25 or above, have a risk factor for diabetes (e.g. high blood pressure), and a referral from their provider.
"I'll have people come in sometimes and say, 'ugh, the scale didn't do what I wanted it to today, but my clothes are fitting better,' so we call that a 'non-scale victory," says Lindeen.
Through the program, Newell found that taking care of his health can feel fun too.
"So I was actually pleasantly surprised, because one of the things we tried as a class was water aerobics, and I never thought that water aerobics would be anything I would remotely enjoy," he said.
To improve his health, Newell now takes walks every day during lunch hour and regularly swims.
Fitness instructor and the YMCA Health and Wellness Director Kassia Lyman says she understands exercising at first can be challenging.
"I would always recommend to find something fun. A lot of times, when we think of physical activity or exercise, it's almost a chore and it's something that kind of consumes us," she says.
To combat this, she suggests starting with slow and low-impact exercises to build habits. Overall, patients should find something fun and functional to do to adjust their lifestyles.
