Welcome to Diabetes Distilled

Welcome to Diabetes Distilled.

My name is Taylor Long, and I’ve been living with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 25 years.

I’ll never forget the moment in the emergency room when a physically fit male triage nurse pricked my finger, smeared my blood onto a test strip, looked up at me with raised eyebrows, and said:

“Dude… your blood sugar is 660. You have diabetes.”

Shock surged through my body—disbelief mixed with relief. Suddenly, the misery of the previous two months made sense.

Since that day, I’ve met and been inspired by countless people who aren’t just managing diabetes—they’re thriving with it.

That’s the purpose of Diabetes Distilled: to share what actually works.

Not theory. Not fear-based messaging. Crowd-sourced wisdom from real diabetics living real lives.

Imagine being newly diagnosed and opening Amazon, only to scroll endlessly through thousands of diabetes books. Where do you even start?

This site exists to distill decades of trying, failing, learning, and refining into what matters most.

If I had to name one book I wish existed the day I was diagnosed, it would be Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro—science-backed, practical, and written by two people actually living with Type 1 diabetes. I was introduced to it through The Rich Roll Podcast episode #499, thanks to my friends Susanna and Steve. Truly life-changing.

I also created this site because I was tired of how diabetics are portrayed.

The stock photos. 

Hospital gowns. 

Blank stares. 

A glucometer dangling from a limp hand.

Rubbish.

Yes, that may be where the journey begins—but I know diabetics living in the top 20th percentile of health and fitness. People who are strong, intentional, metabolically dialed, and fully engaged in their lives. People who are—let’s be honest—jacked.

Does that sound like diabetes?

It is.

This is Diabetes Distilled.

So if you’re newly diagnosed, burned out, or chasing the highest version of your health—this is for you.

You don’t have to do diabetes the way you’ve been told.

The goal isn’t survival—it’s metabolic excellence.

What’s possible with diabetes is far bigger than most people realize.

I’m grateful you’re here, and I look forward to what we’ll build together. Your experience—your experiments, failures, and breakthroughs—might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

Welcome to the journey.

Taylor Long