Living with diabetes is not easy, but it is manageable as long as you commit to a lifestyle change.

That's something Sandra Flores learned the hard way. She was diagnosed with pre-diabetes over a year ago.

"When it came to diabetes, I was ignorant. People think oh diabetes, well that just means I can't have sugary treats," Flores said. "At first, I only eliminated sweets from my diets and did a little bit of exercise in my house, just like dancing, a little bit of aerobics, but nothing more, and only when I felt like it."

Before her diagnosis, Flores weighed 305 pounds.

"My husband had to lift me out of bed. I had horrible knee pain. I couldn't walk down the stairs and if I did, I was terrified and held onto the railing really tight. It was difficult for me to do basic daily activities," Flores said.

DHR Health Endocrinologist, Dr. Melany Castillo, says exercising and laying off the sweets is a good start, but it's a common misconception that only sugary foods contribute to high blood sugar.  

"If you exercise, but you keep eating a high carbohydrate diet, you're going to still become diabetic because you're exposing your body to more sugar than it can handle," Castillo said. 

Fried tortillas, rice and pan dulces all fall into that high carb food group. Dr. Castillo says replacing unhealthy foods in your diet is key.

"The majority of people in the Valley will become diabetic, but we can stop that if we make sure that we invest the time of cooking the food at home to make sure that we're not eating so much outside and that we don't need so many carbohydrates," Castillo said.

While there are common symptoms of the disease, not everyone will get them. The easiest thing you can do is check your glucose levels at one of our free screening locations or talk to your doctor.

Watch the video above for the full story.