TAKE A WEIGHT OFF
Man credits Slimming World diet for his incredible 20st weight loss after it ‘reverses his type 2 diabetes’
WHEN Dave Lancaster was referred to Slimming World, he was struggling with a number of chronic problems.
As well as living with type 2 diabetes, he had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout and sleep apnoea.
1
And his weight was also causing him to suffer from crippling joint pain.
"I found it difficult to walk to the end of my road and I went out so rarely except for work that I was close to becoming a recluse," he recalls.
"It felt as though as I was getting bigger and bigger, and my world was gradually shrinking."
But after joining his local Slimming World club in Warwick, things took a dramatic turn.
“The following day I filled my cupboards with healthy ingredients and began to embrace the Food Optimising eating plan with vigour, cooking a range of dishes including stir-fries, salads and pasta from scratch."
'No symptoms of type 2 diabetes'
Inspired by the other members in his group, Dave also began walking around his my local park.
In just over two years, he went from 34st 8lbs to 14st 7lbs.
Today, Dave is 20st lighter and has actually managed to reverse his type 2 diabetes to the point that he no longer needs to take medication.
“My blood sugar reading is now in the normal range and the doctor says I show no symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
"I’ve got my life back and I couldn’t be happier.
"The world isn’t shrinking anymore; it’s getting bigger and bigger by the day!”
'Reversing' the condition
And Dave's not alone in finding that joining a group programme has helped to free them from the clutches of type 2 diabetes.
New research has found that people living with the condition can significantly benefit from joining the programme.
, championed by Audley Health Centre in Staffordshire, looked at 69 patients who were referred to a slimming group by their diabetes specialist nurse.
The patients attended up to 12 funded weekly group sessions, with another 12-week block offered if they achieved a 3 per cent weight loss.
Diabetes - the facts
Diabetes UK estimates that more than half of all cases of type 2 diabetes could have been prevented or delayed, with obesity being responsible for up to 85 per cent of someone's risk of developing the condition.
So an obvious solution is to change the way you eat and move.
The experts at Diabetes UK don't call it "reversal" because there's no guarantee that once your blood sugars have stabilised, they'll stay like that forever.
But they say that it's certainly possible to put your diabetes into remission - meaning that your blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range and you no longer need to take your medications.
4.7 million Brits currently live with diabetes - 90 per cent of which have the type 2 version of the disease.
More people than ever are at risk of developing type 2 and if nothing changes, over 5 million of us will have it by 2025.
That's terrifying, given that every week, more than 500 people die prematurely as a result of their condition.
Every single week in the UK, diabetes causes:
- 169 amputations
- 680 strokes
- 530 heart attacks
- almost 2,000 cases of heart failure
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
- going to the toilet a lot, especially at night
- being really thirsty
- feeling more tired than usual
- losing weight without trying to
- genital itching or thrush
- cuts and wounds that take longer to heal
- blurred vision
After a year on the programme, patients lost an average of 5.5 per cent of their starting weight.
20 per cent lost more than 10 per cent of their body weight, with some patients being able to stop their diabetes medication altogether.
As well as attending sessions, everyone was encouraged to make healthy lifestyle changes, including going for regular walks and swerving the processed grub and unhealthy snacks.
Membership costs half the price of drugs
Dr Jacquie Lavin, Head of Nutrition and Research at Slimming World, says: “We know the obesity crisis is a ticking timebomb, on both our personal health, and that of the NHS which is funding a vast range of treatments associated with type 2 diabetes and other weight-related problems.
"The results above showcase what can be done directly in the community.
"We believe the support you get from being in a warm, empowering group environment is key to helping you eat more healthily and becoming more active too."
She went on to say that the club's Food Optimising eating plan is very flexible, so that it's easy to tailor around the needs of members with diabetes.
Doctors can refer patients to Slimming World via the company's Referral scheme.
That gives people free membership in blocks of 12 weeks.
MORE ON DIET
Research shows that referral members who attend at least ten of those 12 sessions lose around 5 per cent of their starting weight - which makes a huge difference to their health outcomes.
The cost of a membership is around half the cost of obesity drugs.
Many then carry on with their membership, paying for it themselves.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours
Topics