Diabetes Diagnosis: A Game Changer for Randy Jackson How The ‘American Idol’ Judge Learned to Manage Diabetes

When “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson found himself tired and thirsty, he thought he just had the flu – but he ended up with a diabetes diagnosis instead. Now, the music producer, who says he didn't look after himself as he should have, is singing another tune to help others manage diabetes better... Nine years ago, Grammy Award-winning music producer and “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson was on top of the world. He was living large with a hit TV show, successful producing career and loving family – wife Erika Riker, daughter Zoe, 14, and son Jordan, 12. But he realized that something wasn’t right with his health. “I was perspiring all the time and couldn’t quite quench my thirst,” Jackson says. “I was very lethargic [and] started to get a little lightheaded every now and then.” When he couldn’t shake off those symptoms, he headed to an emergency room. That’s when he got a wake-up call: a diabetes diagnosis. Type 2 diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease in which the body can’t use blood sugar normally, affects nearly 26 million Americans. Many, like Jackson, don’t know they have it and postpone getting annual checkups or physicals. “I’d go to the doctor only when something was drastically wrong,” Jackson confesses. That all changed after his diabetes diagnosis. He started taking control of his health with a regimen that included losing weight, becoming active and paying daily attention to his blood sugar levels. Now, 114 pounds lighter, the “American Idol” judge is dedicated to leading a better lifestyle. In this Lifescript exclusive, Jackson shares his life-altering diabetes diagnosis, and explains why he opted for gastric bypass surgery to jump-start his weight-loss program. What symptoms made you realize you needed to see a doctor? I thought I had some kind of flu [or] cold … and thought, Well, I’ll take a couple days off, get some over-the-counter meds, maybe call the doctor [and] get some antibiotics or whatever people generally take when they have a cold or flu. About five days later, I wasn’t getting better and symptoms were increasing, so I went to the emergency room and found out I had type 2 diabetes. How did you feel once you heard the diabetes diagnosis? My doctors are pretty hard-core. They pull no punches. I like them that way. [They asked,] “What are you going to do? I’ve been telling you for years. Think about getting your health together. You’ve got a real serious disease that won’t go away. The great news is that you can manage diabetes. The bad news is that there’s no cure.” Was the diabetes diagnosis frightening? Yes – people [with diabetes] face a 2-4 times higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke. You’re supposed to go [to the doctor] every year for a checkup, but I would maybe make it every couple of years. So I really needed to get it together. There’s diabetes in your family. Did you think you were at risk of getting it? You never think it’s going to happen to you, even though it ran in my family. I really don’t think you’re that conscious of the risk. You’re always thinking about other things. There are brighter bulbs shining in your life than to worry about somebody’s health. Sometimes [life] has to knock you in the head and to the dirt for you to listen. What’s the goal of the “Taking Diabetes to Heart” campaign that you and Merck pharmaceutical company are involved with? We’re trying to raise awareness to help people better manage [diabetes]. I was talking to a buddy the other day who’s also type 2. I always say to him, “Man, how’s your blood sugar? What’s going on? Have you been checking it?” Those [diabetes] ABCs – A1C [test] of your blood sugar; B, blood pressure; and C for cholesterol – are vastly important with this disease. Weight is also an important factor in type 2 diabetes. After your diabetes diagnosis, did you try other weight-loss methods before having the Fobi Pouch gastric bypass surgery? [Yes.] I tried just a diet and exercise program, but things weren’t moving as fast as we needed them to move. My mother-in-law had amazing results [with gastric bypass surgery], so I thought, I need something to jump-start this. Gastric bypass isn’t a cure per se, but it’s a big jump-start in your weight loss. You still have to get your eating habits in order and continue to diet and exercise. You have to work out, so you don’t gain the weight back. We’ve seen a lot of instances where [overweight people] gain it right back. [Gastric bypass] isn’t a cure-all, trust me. Did you experience side effects after the surgery? There are side effects with the Fobi Pouch [in which a ring is placed around the upper portion of the stomach] – kind of like heartburn. After the surgery, did you feel ill if you ate bad food? It would make you not feel well to eat some of those foods, but your body would slowly adapt back to it, but taking in too many carbs is still bad for you. You were raised in the South, which is famous for fattening foods, like barbecue and fried chicken. Was it difficult to change your eating habits after your diabetes diagnosis? Growing up in the South with all the greasy fried foods – where every food that’s sweet is sweeter than the next, like the carrots are sweeter than cake – was a challenge. So you have to say no to barbecue, because the sauce alone will kill you – you’re talking about [large amounts of] sugar. It’s something like 50 grams per tablespoon. Then there’s all the fat in the meat. I couldn’t eat like that anymore. I had to get out, get active and start moving. The Fobi Pouch drops the weight to a certain degree, but you have to do what you can to maintain [the weight loss]. It’s the same thing you have to do to [manage] diabetes overall. How does a man from Louisiana give up barbecue? This is the way I equate it: I ate enough of that food for 100 people for 200 lifetimes. I can let it go. Sometimes abstinence is a good thing. I don’t need to go to the barbecue joint anymore, trust me. I don’t smoke anymore either. How much weight did you lose before you saw results in your health? I was up to 350 pounds, so by the time I lost 65 pounds, I started to see a dramatic change. I was in terrible shape – worst I’ve ever been in my entire life. Yet, wasn’t it also the best time of your life with the success of “American Idol”? I don’t know if there’s a best time of life in my world. All the times are great because you live and learn and, hopefully, evolve in the experience. To manage diabetes, you have to work out. What do you do for exercise? I do Pilates, yoga [and] play tennis about four times a week. I do some free weights and the treadmill. Do you need fun activities to stay motivated to exercise? That’s why I play tennis. I like being outdoors, playing a game. That way I don’t feel like I’m working out for two hours. If you go back to when you were a kid, that’s what you were doing. We’d be out 10-12 hours a day until the sun went down and my mom would have to beg us to come in for dinner. But people [with a diabetes diagnosis] should meet with their doctor to find the right plan for them, because no one size fits all. For me, this works. But somebody else may need to go to a big gym with a bunch of people with the headphones on. With such a busy schedule, how do you have time to take care of yourself? I have a lot of helpers. But you just have to get into a regime that works for you. You have to know when and how to alter [your schedule]. Time management is something everybody struggles with, and especially once you have kids, it becomes even more difficult. How many times a day do you check your blood sugar? I check 3-4 times a day routinely. Is it a big burden to check your levels that often? Yes, [but] it’s a disease you can manage. You’re not going to get rid of it. There’s no cure, but you definitely can manage [diabetes]. The website TakingDiabetestoHeart.com has a lot of great, helpful insights, some challenges and even some recipes. Do you take medication to manage diabetes? I take pills [that help control blood sugar levels] whenever I need them. That’s why I check [my blood sugar] all the time. You don’t have to inject yourself with insulin to manage your blood sugar levels? No, because if you get your diet and exercise together, you can usually curb a lot of those type of [treatments]. Does Merck make your medication? Not at all. We’re just [partnering] in an awareness program to help people manage [diabetes]. I applaud what we’re doing here, because half the people walking around winded don’t know they have it. Awareness is key. You’ve got to pay it forward – always.