Jennaire’s song, “Never Been Small,” is worth a listen for anyone who struggles with self-image, self-acceptance, or self-love—which means it’s for everyone!! I haven’t heard anyone address this topic (“I have never been small. I have never been thin.”) in lyrics before hearing it.
Hating yourself because of how you look can harm your health. More information is coming out about how dangerous weight cycling (yo-yo dieting) is for your overall health. Repeatedly losing and regaining weight as small as 5–10 pounds or as large as 50 pounds or more can cause fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate, and other cardiovascular risk factors.
This topic is addressed in the Luther: Never Too Much documentary because of Luther’s public struggle with weight management.
During my tenure working for him, he lost and regained 100 pounds multiple times. For many years, he lost weight by strictly dieting. I introduced him to step aerobics, which initially proved helpful, but only briefly. There’s a lot more to it than just willpower. Jeannaire’s liberating song speaks to my heart.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic stops by the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island to raise awareness for diabetes in a fun, new way!
The Morning Talk shows announced a new study shows Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic may delay the progression of kidney disease in diabetes patients.
By now, everyone knows that the injectable Ozempic can help manage blood sugars and reduce weight. Its growing popularity in Hollywood as a ‘miracle weight loss drug’ limited supplies and made it difficult for people with Type 2 diabetes to refill their prescriptions.
Keke Palmer, Amy Schumer, Stassi Schroeder, and more celebrities who’ve talked about their use — or hate — of semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
Tracy Morgan, who is living with type 2 diabetes, said,” “I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic. And I ain’t letting it go … It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos” on Today with Hoda and Jenna.
Novo Nordisk is asking health professionals not to prescribe Ozempic to new patients unless there are no suitable alternatives or there is a compelling clinical reason to do so to conserve supply for patients who are already stabilized on this medicine and who do not have suitable alternatives.
Sadly, one-third of people with type 2 diabetes develop chronic kidney disease because of damage to blood vessels and filtering cells in the organ, according to reports. So it makes sense that Ozempic can help reduce one of the health complications related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes: kidney disease progression.
The once-weekly injection already has Food and Drug Administration approval as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes, a major cause of death and hospitalization in people with Type 2 diabetes.
The trial, which began in 2019, enrolled 3,500 people with diabetes and kidney disease and assigned them to either Ozempic or a placebo for up to a planned five years. Researchers followed the enrollees to detect a drop in kidney filtering rates, end-stage kidney disease, or death from either kidney or cardiovascular disease.
The newscasters also mentioned that Ozempic may help with addiction issues.
Join us for Divabetic’s Menopause & Diabetes Panel Discussion & SugarFree Baking Demonstration on Zoom in honor of World Menopause Day on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 7 – 8:30 PM. It’s FREE.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her famous Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe and shares baking tips using popular sugar substitutes in your favorite recipes.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
A much thinner image of Luther Vandross appears on the Give Me The Reason album cover than his fans have previously seen. We are discussing the perils of yo-yo dieting, the music industry’s fat-shaming ideology, and the myths surrounding type 2 diabetes on this year’s Luther Tribute podcast.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
For Luther Vandross’ fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love, and Give Me The Reason.
Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers.
Valerie Bertinelli confessed she made the ‘mistake’ of reading some ‘comments’ online about her weight as she clapped back with a powerful video message. Valerie Bertinelli is done with body shaming.
The 61-year-old took to social media to clap back at a comment made about her weight with an emotional video where she confessed being “vulnerable” was difficult. “When you see somebody who has put some weight on, my first thought is that person is obviously going through some things because if I could lose the weight and keep it off, I would,” she said in the Instagram post shared on Friday, July 9, responding to “someone” who “pointed out” out she “needed” to lose some pounds. “But since I haven’t been successful with that my whole entire life, at 61 I’m still dealing with [it],” she said through tears as she spoke to the camera, makeup-free. “You think I’m not tired of it, lady? Where’s the compassion. You think a stupid little comment like ‘you need to lose weight’ — not f***
Yes! Valerie Bertinelli responds to weight-shaming and we love her for it!!! Judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are! No one should sacrifice their mental health to live up to someone else’s expectations.
According to Healthline, body-shaming “involves criticizing and harassing overweight people about their weight or eating habits to make them feel ashamed of themselves,” with the intent to “motivate people to eat less, exercise more, and lose weight.”
Some believe that making others feel ashamed of their weight or eating habits may motivate them to get healthier. However, scientific evidence confirms that nothing could be further from the truth.
If you are going through these same things, remember you are not alone. Actress Emma Stone said, “There’s a sense that we’re all ‘too’ something, and we’re all not enough. This is life. Our bodies change. Our minds change. Our hearts change.”
Body Shaming Yourself
A social media troll body-shamed actress Valerie Bertinelli but most of the time we body shame ourselves. The worst part is that when we talk to ourselves we use much more toxic language than Valerie’s troll did.
Self-shaming is a destructive mindset. When we body shame ourselves we are working against our bodies and putting obstacles from attaining our diabetes health goals, and our overall sense of well-being.
“We know that people who experience body shaming are at a much higher risk for both depression and anxiety disorders,” said A. Janet Tomiyama, an associate professor of health psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles in Washington Post. “It’s easy to see how feeling bad about yourself could lead to more serious emotional troubles.”
One way to break the cycle of negative talk is to write down everything your body does for you. Going forward, every time you experience a negative thought about your body, try to replace it with something from your gratitude list. If you started to spiral into shame, quickly correct yourself.
“I would look in the mirror, and I didn’t feel beautiful,” says singer Elle King about the insecurities she felt as a teen.
The “Ex’s and Oh’s” Grammy Nominated singer felt pressures to measure up to conventional beauty standards. But her mother, model London King, encouraged her to accept herself.
“My mom always raised me to love myself; she always told me I was beautiful,” King adds in the video reports PEOPLE magazine. “You’ll never feel beautiful unless you believe it inside. I had to go on my own journey to find that.”
Elle King’s personal journey to self-acceptance meant focusing on her passion for creativity, from writing songs — to experimenting with body art.
“I don’t sing, walk, talk, act like anyone else. That’s what I think is beautiful: People that stand out. Because if we all looked the same, I think the world would be a really boring place.”
Today, the singer has about 50 tattoos, which are inspired by her adventures in life and love.
Don’t Get Down, Get DIVA!
Research shows that self-esteem can be a key factor influencing health care behaviors.
Let our Diva Inspiration Elle King’s journey inspire you to see the beauty inside of you. Recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape or size – focus on how strong and healthy you are!
Diva Inspiration Elle King says she doesn’t believe you can love another person or be in love unless you love yourself. We wholeheartedly agree and hope her music inspires you to love yourself just the way you are!
Guests include Dr. Lori Shemek PhD, We Are Diabetes founder, Asha Brown, Author Ginger Vieria, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP and Mama Rose Marie. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.
Throughout this Diabetes Late Nite podcast we are playing selected cuts from Elle King’s “LOVE STUFF” courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
Note: Elle King is not living with diabetes. However, she has battled substance abuse, depression and PTSD. Today, having made it through the darkness, Elle King shares her story on her album, Shake the Spirit to help inspire others. We hope she can inspire you to ‘GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS.’
Elle King adds, “I’ve changed a lot. I’m finding my own self-love, and I’m inviting love, outwardly in. … You can go through something crazy in your life, and you can come back from it.”
“I (now) have this state of being,” says a slimmed down Rebel Wilson, ” which is not my quote, but I go, ‘Nothing is forbidden.’ We’ll be like, ‘Should we get In-N-Out burger?’ And I’m like, ‘Nothing is forbidden.’ I can go there, I just might eat half of what I used to eat before. You know? And I’ll have a burger, and a few fries, and then you feel fine.”
“Before I was probably eating 3000 calories most days, and because they were normally carbs, I would still be hungry,” Rebel Wilson confessed.
“So, I’ve really changed to eating a high-protein diet, which is challenging because I didn’t used to eat a lot of meat.”
The actress confirmed to her fans that she had lost over 60 pounds this year, putting a lot of the loss down to her passion of hiking.
She revealed the exciting milestone on Instagram on Sunday, sharing a photo of her weight on the scale, saying that she had reached her goal weight with time to “spare”.
“Hit my goal with one month to spare! Even though it’s not about a weight number, it’s about being healthy, I needed a tangible measurement to have as a goal and that was 165 pounds” Rebel captioned the instagram post.
During an hour long Instagram Live video, the comedian fought back tears as she revealed to her fans that she did not treat her body with the “love and respect” it deserved in the past.
We’re talking about Amazing Weight Loss Journeys & Diabetes with musical inspiration from Jennifer Hudson on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Guests include Vanessa Hunter, Dr. Wendy Rapaport PsyD, Dr. Stewart Harris, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Autumn Reed.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”
Divabetic (Divabetic.org) presents a month-long showcase celebrating 10 years of diabetes podcasting. Each of the featured podcasts spotlights our favorite guests, topics, poems, games and/or musical inspiration. Enjoy!
From “Bathing Beauty” in 1944 to “Jupiter’s Darling” in 1955, Esther Williams swam in Technicolor pools, lakes, lagoons and oceans, cresting onto the list of Top 10 box-office stars in 1949 and 1950.
In a bathing suit, she was a special kind of all-American girl: tall, lithe, breathtakingly attractive and unpretentious. From the beginning, Ms. Williams wrote in her autobiography, “I sensed the water was my natural element.” She estimated that she had swum over 1,250 miles for the cameras.
Esther Williams became one of the most famous swimmers in history without ever participating in an Olympic Games, because she found opportunities that were disguised in many obstacles that she confronted. She spoke of movie stardom as her “consolation prize,” won instead of the Olympic gold medal for which she had yearned.
Swimming is like life with opportunities frequently disguised. When you become disappointed with your present plight, consider how Esther Williams’ disappointment from not participating in the 1940 Olympics led her to opportunities she could have never imagined.
“This podcast was really a game changer for us because of Lorraine Brooks’s poem,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “Initially when I asked Lorraine to write a poem about ‘the beach’, she declined. She had an uneasy feeling that I might not like her poem because it wasn’t ‘upbeat’ or ‘happy’ enough to fit in with our typical podcast format. I assured her that I wanted her to write whatever she felt inside her heart. Her ‘Beauty & Beach’ poem is probably the most popular poem she has shared on our podcast. Her words not only captured listeners’ hearts but they also re-shaped our podcast’s format to reflect a more authentic view of diabetes; the good and the bad along with everything in between.
Esther Williams’ life, legacy and love of swimming inspires Divabetic’s Roundtable podcast from July 2013. The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks about the ‘Best Of Summer’ featuring the best in summer reads, swimsuits and diabetes self-care advice. Special Guests include: Author Brenda Novak, Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, Fitness Expert Tiffany Savion, Kathy Gold, RN, CDE, Neva White CRNP, CDE and Leslie living with type 1 diabetes.
Divabetic’s monthly podcasts are dedicated to Music Lovers living with, at risk and/or affected by diabetes. We aim to be the epicenter of the circle of care, a link between patients and their health care providers, a translator of clinical speak and a bridge between denial and acceptance, fear and confidence
Divabetic was inspired by the late music legend, Luther Vandross and created in 2005 by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, who, as Vandross’ assistant of 14 years, witnessed his boss, mentor, and friend struggle in silence and solitude with the diabetes and its related complications. Since its inception, Divabetic has presented outreach programs in 15 major U.S. cities, reaching hundreds of thousands of women, their families and health care professionals.
Experience more of our GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS philosophy at divabetic.org
“Food was always a part of my life,” he told PEOPLE magazine, “and a source of comfort.” Beginning as a child secretly suffering from sexual abuse, he escaped into the pages of Vogue and his grandmother’s biscuits.
Talley never told anyone he was sexually abused as a child – not the therapists he has seen, not even his beloved pastor.
Because of the abuse, Talley says he has never really had an intimate relationship.
Although he was trim when he was first hired at Vogue in 1983, he began to gain weight when he entered his mid 40s. “I began to realize I had a problem.”
In 2004, there was an intervention. He was sent to Duke University Diet and Fitness Center for a several-week stint. “I lost 55 lbs. But I did not follow the rules.” He would return two more times — “It’s the same with alcohol, I’d often say ‘I’ve fallen off the wagon,’ when I’d go back to Duke — and have an unsuccessful Lap Band surgery.
“The experience for me is always very daunting in the beginning,” he told PEOPLE magazine in 2017. You certainly have to reboot your skills in weight-loss and I think it’s one of the best places to do that.”
His battle continues today. “I cannot control this addiction,” he says. “I am obese.”
In his book, André Leon Tally also writes about his friend, designer Karl Lagerfeld’s food issues. Apparently the designer liked to travel with a suitcase packed full of his favorite bread. Bread was Lagerfeld’s “one craving” while dieting, Talley writes. “He would chew the bread, savoring every bite, and then spit it out into a napkin,” Talley continues. “That seemed like a lot of trouble, but it worked for him, apparently, as he eventually lost one hundred pounds.”
André Leon Talley admits he still struggles every day.
Can you complete the Mystery Phrase below? Diabetes self-care can be emotionally taxing, but reframing your mind-set can have powerful results.
Divabetic Mystery Phrase
Self-help books often promote the power of positive affirmations. If you’ve never tried them before, the idea can seem incredibly awkward to tell yourself how awesome you are.
Positive affirmations help to re-program your thought patterns and change the way you think and feel about things. They are short positive statements that can help you focus on goals, get rid of negative, self-defeating beliefs and program your subconscious mind.
And yes, there is genuine theory and a fair amount of neuroscience behind this practice.
If you’re struggling to cope with your diabetes diagnosis: try repeating positive affirmations to yourself each morning to steer your mood in the right direction. This way of thinking can be helpful when the mental burden of diabetes management gets tough.
A positive body image is an acceptance of your body and both its good and bad points. This helps you to become confident and comfortable in your own skin. We’d like to stress that having a positive body image does not mean that you think everything about your body is perfect. Positive body image means celebrating your natural shape and size, and how your body performs. We think you’re fabulous!
Divabetic Mystery Phrase #4
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We’re talking about ‘ROMANCE & DIABETES’ on Diabetes Late Nite with musical inspiration from Camila Cabello.
Having diabetes affects much more than a person’s diet. It can impact every aspect of their life, including their sexual health.
When a person has diabetes, their body cannot use insulin properly, and this can lead to high blood sugar levels. Over time, these can lead to complications such as nerve damage and cardiovascular problems. Both have implications for sexual health in men and women.
Guests include ‘Intimacy & Diabetes’ Author Janis Roszler LMFT, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, American Heart & American Diabetes Association’s Know Diabetes by Heart Ambassador Hyvelle Ferguson Davis, ‘My Sweet Blessing: Adventures In Diabetes’ Author Trisha Porretti RN, BSN, CDE, Poet Lorraine Brooks, and Kathy Malleck. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Camila Cabello’s Romance album courtesy of SONY Music.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.
Billie Eilish is hitting back at body-shamers in a new short film.
The 18-year-old Grammy winner shared her message in a new spoken word short film called “Not My Responsibility” on YouTube.
The video first depicts the pop star in her usual baggy threads, wading through what looks like a pool of tar as she strips her garments. Over a moody, ambient soundtrack, Eilish almost entirely removes her jet black tank top near the end — but obscures her body in the inky liquid instead.
Last year, she explained in a Calvin Klein ad that the reason she wears baggy clothes is to avoid body shaming. “I never want the world to know everything about me,” she said as reported in Buzzfeed. “I mean, that’s why I wear big baggy clothes: Nobody can have an opinion, because they haven’t seen what’s underneath, you know?”
She also discussed struggling with body image issues in an interview with Vogue. “I just hated my body. I would have done anything to be in a different one,” she explained. “I really wanted to be a model, really bad, and I was chubby and short.”
Billie Eilish – NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY – a short film
Diabetes Late Nite Podcast on Body Image & Diabetes
We’re talking about BODY IMAGE & DIABETES with musical inspiration from superstar Meghan Trainor on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.
Think about it. Have you considered if your body image impacts your diabetes?
For people with diabetes, these attitudes may be very healthy which actually helps them manage their diabetes or they may be unhealthy which may lead to blood glucose values that are damaging.
People with a healthy body image see themselves as they really are and are happy with the way they feel and look.
For people that do not have a healthy body image, the term body dysmorphic disorder is sometimes used.
One of the biggest hits of last year, Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” isn’t your typical pop song.
“My producer and I wanted to do a fun song, so we thought why not do a song about loving yourself and loving your body, because I don’t think girls love themselves as much as they should,” Trainor says.
Guests include Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE) Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.
Throughout the podcast we will be playing selected songs from Meghan Trainor’s “Thank You” album courtesy of SONY Music.
