There are several diseases that doctors say can (maybe) be safely tracked using active surveillance, allowing people to postpone treatment. These include some forms of prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an enlarged prostate, and maybe gallstones.

Type 2 diabetes definitely is not one of these maybes.

When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, the smart move is to take immediate and aggressive steps to reverse or control the disease. New research in the journal Diabetes Care identifies 17 complications — including heart attacks, kidney failure, amputations, neuropathy, vision problems, depression, and dementia — that people with Type 2 diabetes develop in an average of 15 years after diagnosis.

And it reveals the best way to avoid the pain and loss of function they cause is to get your blood glucose, weight, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure under control pronto.

One important study found that losing just 10% of your body weight can reverse insulin resistance, which kickstarts Type 2 diabetes. And the 12-month DIRECT study found that 86% of participants who lost 33 pounds or more achieved diabetes remission.

Add to that the fact that lowering your A1C by 1% can reduce the risk of retinopathy by 35%.

So don't "wait and watch" diabetes. If you have an A1C level of 6.5% or higher, a fasting plasma glucose level of 126 mg/dL or more, or a two-hour plasma glucose level of 200 mg/dL or higher during a 75 gram oral glucose tolerance test, act now.

For support, information, and cool health tips, check out my book "This is Your Do-Over."