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Randy Jackson has been living with diabetes for 10 years now. As you can see from watching American Idol, he has energy, spunk, a sense of humor and more. He certainly has not let his diabetes affect his attitude or his lifestyle.

His secret? It’s really no secret. If you or someone you love has diabetes and lives a full life, they know the secret and they are doing what Randy does – following a regimen to help keep diabetes under control.

In an interview with Diabetes Forecast, the consumer magazine of the American Diabetes Association, the American Idol judge and Grammy-award winner shares his story of being diagnosed with diabetes, the hurdles he faced, and the path he chose toward better health.

Jackson was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1999. He was stunned. “They were sneaky symptoms,” he says. “Of course, I didn’t take into consideration that type 2 diabetes ran in my family, because you always think that happens to somebody else, not you.” Soon after his diagnosis, Jackson changed various parts of his life. He changed his diet around by eliminating or minimizing “Southern-fried” foods he enjoyed eating, started an exercise routine, and after much careful consideration, had gastric bypass surgery. (Research studies have proven that gastric bypass surgery and another type of gastric surgery not only help control weight, but in addition, help lower and control blood glucose levels). As a result of these changes, Jackson has set out to talk to people about lifestyle changes that can prevent diabetes and its complications.

Jackson states that he checks his blood sugar three or four times per day. He also keeps healthy foods and snacks around so that he won’t “reach for something bad to eat, because I grew up with certain habits and they are still here.”

In addition to all of the other hats that Jackson wears he has written a new book about his experience with type 2 diabetes. The book discusses the psychological aspects of weight loss, which he feels are more important than people normally realize. “I’ve been on 80 million diets, lost a bunch of weight and gained it all back,” he states. “There’s more going on here than just food.”

Sometimes looking at diabetes through another person’s journey can help us to find our own unique path to better health and better outcomes.