Startled after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Amanda Hey from Ashton-under-Lyne decided to turn her life around and get rid of her unhealthy food habits.
“After the initial shock, I started wondering how I could turn my life around. The doctor had told me that I was at a crossroads: if my blood-sugar levels got any higher, I’d need to take medication; if I lost weight, I could manage my condition without any at all. Then I remembered Slimming World. I’d joined a group briefly a few years before – I hadn’t really wanted to make changes at that time, though, so I’d given up, returned to my takeaways, chips and chocolate, and gained back every single pound I’d lost. This time, I vowed things would be different.
She thought that food optimizing might just be the right thing to do. She started cooking nutrient-rich meals for her and her family, she made dishes out of scratch this time with a healthier choice of ingredients.
“I discovered all sorts of delicious recipes we could enjoy together, from chicken curry and rice to pasta with a meaty ragù-style sauce. Because I was eating proper, hearty platefuls of food, I found I was snacking much less during my days working in the hospital, particularly on the chocolates we’d often receive as gifts from grateful patients. If I did get peckish between meals, I’d have a Free or low-Syn snack like chopped fresh fruit stirred into plain quark.
She has lost a great 6 lbs just a week later and the dropping of weight continued week after week. But of course there were days when she felt unmotivated and derailed but with will power, she stuck with the group and pushed herself to keep going. Sharing her experiences with other members also helped in keeping her focus. She was determined to maintain the habit not just to reach her target but to make it a lifestyle.
She gradually injected doing regular exercises to fully attain her goals. She even joined an aqua aerobics club at her local pool and discovered that such activity was so much fun.
“After a few months of losing weight and increasing my activity levels, I was starting to feel like a new woman. I stopped making excuses whenever the family suggested an outing – instead, I was striding along with the kids in the countryside in a way I hadn’t done for years.”
Not only was she getting slimmer on the outside but inside her sugar levels were also dropping to almost a normal by shedding 3 stones. Fast forward to today, she’s already diabetes-free.
“In November 2015, when I was just a couple of pounds off my target weight, I headed out of the house to celebrate my 40th birthday, wearing size-8 leather-look trousers and a trendy fitted shirt. On the way, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Gone was the woman who used to wish she was invisible and would rather stay at home than go out and socialize. Instead, I saw someone who loves to hit the town, usually wearing something from Topshop, which amuses me. Here I am at 41, down with the kids!”
Credits
