Skip to main content

Level2 Member Todd: ‘Why Wouldn’t I Do This?’

Todd

Todd’s Level2 Story

When Todd was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2004, he said he did not have the motivation or desire to “manage” his diabetes at first. He hated finger sticks. He led a sedentary life where he sat in his office chair for six to seven hours at a time. He drank a lot of soda.
After biometric screening results returned with the news that his type 2 diabetes was worsening, his doctor did not mince words.
I’m not going to lie, you are 52 and not in good shape. You need to get your (expletive) together,” Todd recalls him saying. However, it was not until years later – in 2020 at the time that Covid-19 hit – that he decided it was time to take his doctor’s advice. Last spring, he received an email from Level2 and was intrigued by the opportunity to receive a free CGM and Fitbit. He decided to go for it – attached the CGM, put on the Fitbit and started walking.
Walking is free, I can go out and not have to be around other people, Todd recalls. Why wouldn’t I do this – why wouldn’t I start making healthier choices?
With help from his Level2 coach Kristi, Todd also was happy to learn that he could make healthier choices in food without sacrificing.
I’m a person who loves their food, always have been ever since I was young. But learning to eat less, and probably more importantly, I’m learning to eat healthier for a diabetic, he says. Who doesn’t love pasta or bread, rice — all of those carbohydrates we love? Level2 has really taught me that you can still enjoy those things, but just not maybe the quantities that you once enjoyed.
Todd got his A1C level down from 8.0 to 6.1 and has maintained that level, and he is now considered to be in remission for his type 2 diabetes. In addition to changing the way he thinks about food and movement, he credits the ability to see his body’s data in real-time with helping him achieve remission.
The reason why I’m so proud of that is that I really had no idea of everything that went into lowering your A1C levels. I never really — before I had the CGM — had a real, accurate picture of what my sugar levels were after meals, on a daily basis, at certain times of the day, et cetera, he says. “But by using the materials provided to me by Level 2, I was able to gradually learn how the choices I made at mealtime affected my overall sugar levels.”
Now that he has achieved remission from type 2 diabetes, Todd envisions a brighter future for himself and his health.
“What do I see for myself in the future? Maintaining a very active lifestyle, being smart about the health choices, food choices that I make. Having type 2 doesn’t mean it has to define me as a person. I’ve taken control and managed to get my body into a diabetic remission at this point,” he says. “I fully intend on doing that in the future with using all the tips and techniques and counseling and suggestions I’ve learned through this great program.”


Todd is an employee of a Level2 affiliate. Level2 does not guarantee you can achieve remission or any specific health results through your participation in Level2 specialty care or the Level2 health plan.