In this free 4-week challenge, a team of top diabetes experts and I will take you through some of the most important things you need to know about diabetes and exercise, healthy nutrition, and weight management with diabetes.
How the Fit With Diabetes Challenge works
The Fit With Diabetes Challenge consists of five things:
- Daily activities or “challenges” that take you through everything you need to do in a step-by-step fashion
- Articles covering the most important topics on diabetes and weight management
- Weekly meal plans
- Workout programs that you can do during the challenge (home and gym workouts)
- A Facebook support group for challenge participants in which you can ask questions, share your experiences and connect with other people who want to be Fit With Diabetes
The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. Each week, Eversense will host a giveaway where you can win awesome prizes. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s totally FREE to take the challenge?
The challenge is for all fitness levels and is based on my own experiences regarding diabetes and exercise, as well as the knowledge and insights of other diabetes and exercise experts. I’m excited to announce that there will be posts by:
- Ginger Vieira (Author of Dealing with Diabetes Burnout & Emotional Eating with Diabetes & Your Diabetes Science Experiment)
- Dr. Mark Heyman (Diabetes Psychologist and a Certified Diabetes Educator. Founder and Director of the Center for Diabetes and Mental Health)
- Ben Tzeel (Registered Dietitian, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)
- Rachel Zinman (Author of Yoga For Diabetes)
Here is what people had to say about the last challenges:
“I just want to put out there how much I love all the learning and support this challenge offers. In my 40 years with diabetes, I have never experienced anything like this before. I love this!! Thank you so much, Christel!”
– Carol, 2018 challenge participant
“I have said many times over the last few weeks how grateful I am for Diabetes Strong and the Facebook support group. The diabetes articles and meal plans changed my life! Before, when people would ask me how my diabetes is going, I would often reply that I never have a good day but I do have good hours. How depressing is that statement? Great days are now the new normal and not so great hours are rare.”
– Laura, 2017 challenge participant
If you are ready to join me on this journey to learn more about diabetes, weight management, and exercise, then sign up for the challenge in the form below. Let’s get Fit With Diabetes together in 2019!
The January 2019 challenge is closed for sign-ups. You can join our newsletter in the form below (and get a sign-up bonus) to be notified when the next challenge starts.
Ernestina Gonzales says
January 11, 2019 at 8:26 pmI have been a Diabetic for 20 yrs, Last year in May I joined Weight Watchers, changed my eating habits, and started walking every day. In February of 2017 my oldest child my son was diagnosed with Colon Cancer it was a shock to all of us. So my son a 7 day at the gym, watch what he eats person, does all types of marathons, he is currently on chemo, but I thank God everyday that we have seen changes in the cancer. He promised me he was going to fight the cancer so I said to him, ” Ok son, you fight your cancer and I am going to fight my diabetes, and my weight gain. Needless to say I have lost 30 lbs, but sometimes I get to a plateau w/no change I need HELP So please help me!!!!
Christel Oerum says
January 12, 2019 at 10:56 amSounds like you’re both fighters!
When hitting a plateau you need to change things up. There can be many ways of doing that such as increasing your steps by 500-1000 per day, include resistance training or revisit your diet. But you have to change something.
Brenda says
January 6, 2019 at 3:13 pm30 years
s diabetic type 1 would love to get my Hb1ac c down
Christel Oerum says
January 6, 2019 at 4:12 pmThank you for sharing!
If you want to share it with the others in the challenge you’ll have to share in the Facebook group. We have started a thread with everyone’s goals that you are welcome to add to
Kelly says
January 27, 2019 at 2:28 pmChristel this is just what I been looking for. Diabetic 21 years , 4 years tyle 1 and my glycogen doesn’t work all the times to prevent lows. So I must monitor monitor monitor. I love to distress and do yard work and cardio…but recently it has become challenge to battle lows. My job as a officer sometimes can be a challenge to with having to stay alert and ready for whatever at all times and dealing with lows.
I’m staying proactive in my healthcare and know your book will help me have a more in depth understanding when planning to combat those lows while exercising.
Thank you for sharing and caring.
Kelly -Texas
Christel Oerum says
January 27, 2019 at 8:57 pmThank you! I hope the knowledge will help you.
No glycogen sounds scary and very challenging! If you don’t have one I highly recommend you look into getting a CGM, sounds like that could be a lifesaver for you.
amanda says
January 4, 2019 at 12:59 pmtrying to sign up for the challenge but I never got the email with the details.
Tobias Oerum says
January 4, 2019 at 1:18 pmHi Amanda, have you checked your spam folder? I can see that you have signed up correctly and that the emails have been sent. You should have received the first welcome email on December 21 and the last one on December 27.
Sheila says
January 4, 2019 at 8:53 pmI cannot seem to find my emails either.
Tobias Oerum says
January 4, 2019 at 10:03 pmHi Sheila, It looks like you both received and opened them in mid-December. You just signed up so early that you haven’t received any emails in a long time :-). Please let me know if you don’t get the email when the challenge starts on Sunday.
Stephanie Flaherty says
January 6, 2019 at 9:38 amI also signed up but have not received any emails.
Tobias Oerum says
January 6, 2019 at 10:30 amHi Stephanie, I think you left out a letter in your email address when you signed up. I have updated it so you should be getting emails going forward. If you want the day 1 emails that you missed, please email [email protected]. You can also just see them in the Facebook group.
julie cappon says
January 2, 2019 at 10:25 amWill this work for people with T2?
Christel Oerum says
January 2, 2019 at 11:35 amWe always have a group of people living with type 2 diabetes join the challenge so I’d say yes. If you don’t use insulin, there will be parts of the content that’s not relevant to you, but you can always just skip those reads.
Mel Turner says
January 2, 2019 at 1:49 amI am really looking forward to this challenge, i have had diabeties for 27 years and i am excited to get the help and support i need. After all this time i still strugle with my weight and it is effecting my moods. Its hard to see the educators and dietician with my work hours so j am really excited.
Christel Oerum says
January 2, 2019 at 11:39 amI’m glad you’re excited about the challenge. It can never replace a medical team but we’ll give you guidelines and the support you need to reach your goals
Leslie says
January 2, 2019 at 12:44 amI’m 61, obese, and ready to give weight loss another try. I joined a Challenge about two years ago but got sidetracked and dropped out. I hope to do better this time. New year, possibly new attitude, and aiming for a new, healthier me.
Christel Oerum says
January 2, 2019 at 11:37 amWelcome back! We’re happy that you decided to join again. Try thinking about what went wrong last time. Did you try to do too much, were your head not in the right place, or something else, and think of how you can change that this time. And please use the Facebook group if you start to struggle, you don’t have to do this alone. You can do this
Ivo says
January 1, 2019 at 4:00 pmI’m totally pumped up about starting this challenge. I’ve been diabetic for 30 years (not sure type 1 or MODY) but on insulin nonetheless. And, I hope I can win some prizes and learn about the Eversense system.
Allison says
December 31, 2018 at 4:30 pmI am happy to have found this challenge! Being t1d for 25 years, I am feeling burned out and I just don’t want to do anything. I know that with this kind of mindset, it will only make things worse. I know when I do exercise and eat right, my mood improves. With the new year beginning I hope to get back on track and I get to do it with other great t1ds! Awesome!🙂
Glenn says
January 1, 2019 at 3:36 pmI fully understand the feeling. Especially coming off the holiday season. But I know personally, if I don’t react now, I’ll pay for it later. You got this!
Kathy says
December 30, 2018 at 6:27 pmGot a call from my doctor Friday and was told my A1C had gone from 7.7 in August to 8.8. She wants to put me on Trulicitry and raise my Janumet. I’m hoping to get some new recipes to try so I can lower my A1C and manage my blood sugars better. Thank you for the offering this program.
Margaret says
December 30, 2018 at 11:49 amBeen type 1 since I was 6 (27 years this month) and I just overall feel like I could be doing better. I’m not overweight but have definitely noticed an overall blahness of where I’m at right now. I also focus a lot on my career and starting school so a lot of the time my exercise and taking the time to eat right takes a back burner to everything else. I look forward to trying this out!
Christel Oerum says
December 30, 2018 at 2:05 pmThank you for joining the challenge. I hope it will give you the structure to start making the changes you’re after. Life tends to get busy, and we will include content on how to deal with that without giving up on your health journey
LaTasha says
December 29, 2018 at 8:12 pmI’ve been a type one for almost 10 years now. I’m clinically obese and so depressed. This is the first time I’ve seen anything free and related to type one diabetes, specifically. I crave contentment in myself so badly. My marriage is also suffering from my lack of self worth. I hope this is the turning point for me. I look forward to getting started!
Christel Oerum says
December 30, 2018 at 11:07 amLaTasha,
I’m so incredibly happy that you found us and the challenge. Diabetes is not easy to manage on your own and adding in where you are mentally it can be really hard to pull out of the deep by yourself. I hope you’ll also join the Facebook group, that’s where you’ll have a chance to interact directly with others living with diabetes. And remember, you don’t have to do everything in the challenge, just enough to make changes to where you are today.
Christel
Laura says
December 29, 2018 at 2:35 pmI read the Fit with Diabetes eBook, I saved all the meal plans I could find. And, I signed up for the challenge.
I’m in the obese category. When I calculated my daily calorie needs, I came up with 2,668 calories each day. Should I start with a 2,000 calorie diet? Can I start with a 1600 calorie diet? I don’t want to sabotage my success by dropping my calories too far, but 2,600 seems like a lot. Thank you for all the good information on your site. I’m excited to get started.
Christel Oerum says
December 29, 2018 at 4:05 pmHi Laura,
I’m glad you find the information here on the site and in the book helpful. You’re absolutely right to question the calorie formula. It’s not an exact science and is meant as a starting point. I’d suggest you start by tracking your calories (liquid included) for ~5 days. I like MyFitnessPal for tracking, it’s free and easy to understand. Then see how many calories you consume on average per day, that’s your starting point. If you’re eating 2600 already, subtract 200-500 and make that your goal calories. I generally don’t recommend to go too low on calories (1200 minimum), so if you’re already very low, try adding some more activity rather than cutting calories
Brooke Miegel says
December 27, 2018 at 10:52 pmHi,
I’ve just signed up and am really keen to do the challenge (if my body is up to it, just had a c section on 14th Dec) but when I checked my email for the info there was nothing there? Tech support to make sure I’m on the list and don’t miss out?
Thanks
Tobias Oerum says
December 28, 2018 at 10:14 amHi Brooke, I can see in the system that you have signed up and the first email was sent this morning. Do you mind checking your spam folder? It may be in there. If you can’t find it, please send an email to [email protected] so we can help you. Welcome to the challenge 🙂
kathy lewis says
December 13, 2018 at 8:07 amis this something that t2 can do as well , i am pretty sure my t1 son will not participate.. but i would like to..
Tobias Oerum says
December 13, 2018 at 8:24 amAbsolutely. A few posts are mainly for people using Insulin but at least 90% of the challenge is relevant for people with any type of diabetes.
Max Guinn says
December 17, 2018 at 4:25 pmI was a T2 participant last year. Learned a lot. Met a lot of people. I was challenged and had a lot of fun
Chris synott says
December 12, 2018 at 7:09 pmYES!!! I did this last year and I learned so much! It honestly helped kick start me mentally to finally get it together. I’m eating cleaner, low carb, doing HIIT regularly and seeing real results. I feel great and using less insulin. This is a great resource for information. I have a great circle of workout buddies in my life, but none of them have diabetes and THEY DONT understand why our bodies are different. This group is so positive. Definitely join!!
anne kane says
November 26, 2018 at 6:45 amHi
Are you starting any challenges for 2019. If so, how do I get some information on it? I want to pass on information to a diabetes group.
Thank You
Anne
Christel Oerum says
November 26, 2018 at 3:50 pmYes, we will almost certainly have a challenge in January. A good way to keep up to date on events like this is to sign up for our newsletter. We will also announce it on our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)
Christel Oerum says
December 18, 2018 at 5:18 pmHi Anne – The 2019 Challenge sign up is now open. We’d be delighted if you’d support us in spreading the word
Tobias Oerum says
February 27, 2018 at 7:51 pmHi Nancy, we haven’t decided exactly when the next challenge will be but yes, you have to sign up again. If you get our newsletter, we will let you know in good time when the next challenge starts.
Nancy T. says
February 28, 2018 at 9:39 amThank you so much. I can’t tell you how much this site has helped me. I am taking much better care of myself and getting the results I need.
Christel Oerum says
February 28, 2018 at 10:17 amThank you, that makes me happy. Glad we can be a good resource for you
Christel Oerum says
January 28, 2018 at 8:41 pmHi Stacey – you certainly have been through a lot!
Diabetes isn’t easy, but you have the right attitude, it gets easier the more you learn. We’d love to have you in the next challenge. If you sign up for the newsletter you’ll be sure to get a notification in your inbox when the next is launched. We’re currently planning on early summer