31st May 2022
Getting diagnosed with diabetes impacts everyone differently. From fear to disbelief, there is a wide range of reactions:
“I just couldn’t believe it.”
“I felt like I’d done something wrong.”
“It was so much to take in, it was like my whole life had changed in a single conversation.”
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you may feel uncertain about what to do next. You might have read that making healthy lifestyle changes will make a difference to your health.
However, you may not believe this will really work. Or that it may be the case for other people, but not you.
We wanted to share success stories from our clients who have managed to make changes and improve their lives. You’re just as capable as these people at taking the first step in your health journey.
Weight Loss
When you have diabetes, there are huge health benefits to maintaining a healthy weight. It can reduce your risk of serious health complications and help control your condition. You don’t have to lose a drastic amount of weight to see a difference in your life. Losing 5% of your body weight can give your health a big boost and you’ll be able to feel the benefits.
Sonia, in Salford, lost almost 9% of her body weight during her time on our adult weight management programme. She did this by making small, sustainable changes. She started eating smaller portion sizes and snacking less. Sonia also began to air-fry her food. These changes also helped Sonia to lower her blood sugar.
More Active
A great tool for improving your health is exercise. However, when you get diagnosed with a health condition, you may worry about getting active. What is your body capable of? What’s right for you? Exercise can help with diabetes as it helps lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol, alongside boosting your mood and energy. Plus, it can help you work towards your weight loss goals.
When Marcia, from Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with diabetes she couldn’t believe it at first. When she had taken the time to process her condition, she saw it as a motivation to get healthier, rather than as a setback. Marcia went from one boot camp class a week to two classes and two personal trainer sessions. During her time with MoreLife, she lost 4% of her body weight
Blood Glucose Control
Weight loss can lead to lots of different health benefits, one of which is helping to control blood glucose levels. This can reduce the risk of future health complications. We’ve helped clients, such as Sonia, reduce their HbA1c levels so they were in the prediabetes range.
We also helped John, in Essex. After his time with our weight management programme, his blood reading was the best it had been in the 20 years since his diabetes diagnosis. John made changes to his diet and alcohol consumption. He got more active and was able to play with his grandchildren more.
Improve Blood Pressure
Maintaining healthy blood pressure is also important, especially when you have diabetes. Lowering your blood pressure can lower your risk of serious health complications like a heart attack or stroke. Plus, it lowers the risk of developing problems with your feet, eyes and kidneys.
One of our clients in Salford, Eli, halved his dose of hypertensive medication and he lowered his blood pressure. He achieved this by eating more lean protein and vegetables. He also started to eat more foods high in healthy fats such as nuts, avocado and salmon. Plus, he started swimming every day. During his time with MoreLife, Eli lost almost 14% of his body weight.
Improve Cholesterol
Changing your diet and moving more can also help improve your cholesterol. This was the case for Jon, who completed our Digital Weight Management programme. He cut back on his alcohol consumption and made healthy food swaps. For example, breakfast went from jam and toast to porridge. These changes meant he made significant improvements to his blood glucose and cholesterol levels. He also avoided going on statins.
Medication Changes
Losing weight, lowering your blood glucose, blood pressure or cholesterol may lead to a decrease in medication. In some cases, it could mean you don’t have to start medication at all.
Let’s look at one of our clients from Essex, Chris. He had been a type 2 diabetic for over 28 years. When he was first diagnosed, he felt like nothing could be done to help. However, with the help of our MoreLife team, he made changes to his lifestyle. Chris paid more attention to food labels. This helped him understand which foods would raise his blood sugars, so he thought more about the kinds of food he was eating. He also began to eat smaller portions. During his time with MoreLife, Chris lost three stone and reduced his diabetes medication by 75%.
More Confidence
These success stories we’ve shared with you all have something in common alongside their diabetes diagnosis. Confidence. They became more confident in themselves, alongside confident that they could maintain these changes.
At MoreLife we are always big cheerleaders for our clients, and proud of all their progress. We love helping people make real, long-lasting changes. We don’t believe in quick fixes or fads but slow sustainable progress. We’re proud to play a part in people’s healthy lifestyle journey and help guide them in the right. We run online monthly diabetes information sessions to support client’s understanding of their condition and how it can be managed. Our MoreLife practitioners can tell you more about joining.