Watching The View

Sherri Shepherd revealed on The View that she was recently diagnosed with diabetes and has since started a healthier lifestyle and lost 22 pounds. During our exclusive interview, I asked her about how she discovered that she had the disease, which often goes undiagnosed.

They had told me for years that I was pre-diabetic and my mother died at 41 from diabetic complications. A lot of people in my family have it. “Pre-diabetic” to me meant you could still eat anything you want.

Then I was having all the symptoms. I had to use the bathroom a lot and I was dehydrated and that is when they told me that I had it. My doctor scared me because she said that the way you are going, in a few years something is going to get cut-off. You are going to have a limb removed and you might die.

It scared me so bad because I have a two-year-old and I was thinking “Who was going to take care of this boy?” That was the impetus to change the way I ate. I look a cheesecake now and I might have a little bite, but I look at it and think do I want my foot and my son, or do I want this cheesecake?

I am just trying to eat healthier and exercise. I was so mad, because I was trying to get that Jenny Craig endorsement. I was trying to stay big for the longest because that is a huge amount of money and I could sock that away, but I had to eat healthy. I kept hoping they would call me before I lost it, but now I lost so much weight, I don’t think they are interested. I lost 22 pounds and the doctor said that I should probably lose another 15.

Now that I have (diabetes) I want to talk to everybody and tell them to eat right, but I wouldn’t wish this on anybody because you are always in a state of not feeling good and tired. I am trying to learn more about it because I would love to speak to people, especially Black people about it. It is a silent killer and if you just change your eating and exercise, you can really stave off the effects of diabetes.

Sherri also revealed that she strongly feels the effects of the disease, even during the taping of The View. Several people have commented on this blog that she sometimes looks “out of it.” She explains:

I read on the site somebody said, “I am so tired of Sherri having a zoned out look.” Well, you caught me feeling like I am about to pass out in a minute because I can feel my blood going crazy.

Sherri hopes that eventually she will be able to be a part of an awareness campaign for diabetes, but for now she is still trying to educate herself about the disease.

For the rest of my interview with Sherri Shepherd, go here.

Sherri Shepherd, The View, diabetes