… just cut your meal portions in half, and watch and see what happens. The weight will fall off of you.’ I said, ‘That’s an easy fix,’ and I just cut my meals in half and the weight did come off. This is the first time I’ve stuck with a regimen. As a result, since January 2009, I’ve lost close to 40 pounds and have kept it off…and plan on keeping it off.”
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His lifestyle:
“Once I talked to the nutritionists and my doctor, and they said, ‘Anthony, everything is fine in moderation; you can still eat certain things, you just can’t eat as much,’ then it was OK. Once I wrapped my mind around that, I told myself I can have short ribs every now and then, just not every weekend like I was doing over the summer, and not steak every two days like I was doing, but maybe once a month, and fried chicken once a month. I can still satisfy my cravings and urge for that. I just don’t feed it like I used to.”
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His treatment strategy:
“I test my blood sugar every day, an average of three times a day: once in the morning, at midday, and once in the evening before I go to bed. In terms of cutting carbs, it’s hard to completely cut them out so I try to cut them down. If I’m going to have a sandwich, I have make it only on one piece of bread, not two. If I have a turkey burger or a grilled chicken sandwich, I take off the top or bottom piece of the bun. If I have pasta, I go whole wheat or multigrain; I don’t do white pastas at all.”
“My blood sugar control varies. It all depends on what I’m eating and what not. But for the most part it’s pretty good. Sometimes in the morning my numbers are a bit elevated, but they typically decrease throughout the day and usually will be within normal parameters.”
“I”m not on insulin, I just take pills. Eventually, I can get off the medication if I continue with this lifestyle, with daily exercise, different food and eating habits, and that’s what I’m working towards.”
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His outlook:
“I’ve been asked if, as a comedian with diabetes, I think it’s possible to have a sense of humor about the condition.”
“My answer? Of course. You find humor in it as you go along. I have a bunch of diabetic friends, and we call this one guy ‘Nine’ because he lost his big toe. When [I explain why we call him that] everybody’s mouths drops, but it’s not messed up – we have to laugh about it. If we don’t laugh at these things, we cry, and so we choose to laugh. It’s a coping mechanism, because what’s the alternative? Nobody wants to walk around being miserable.”
His future…
“The illness didn’t affect my work. I’ve never really been stressed on the job at all, just because of my beliefs and how I move in this world. In terms of eating healthy, I just had a conversation with our craft service guy and caterer on Law & Order, and previous jobs before that: “This is what I need. I can’t eat that. For breakfast I’m going to need mixed berries and an egg white omelet. “Throughout the day I need half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat or multigrain bread, and lunch is either baked or grilled fish or chicken.” For my mini meals in between, snacks, my assistant always had stuff at the ready for me. It’s all about being prepared.”