{"id":1793,"date":"2020-06-10T15:42:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T14:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slimmingworld.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=1793"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:59:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T11:59:32","slug":"ive-reversed-my-type-2-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/ive-reversed-my-type-2-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"“I\u2019ve reversed my type 2 diabetes”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sitting opposite my GP, I didn\u2019t know what to expect. A day earlier, she\u2019d told me I wouldn\u2019t get the results of my blood tests for at least a week, but that morning I\u2019d got a call asking me to come in for an urgent appointment. \u201cYou have type 2 diabetes,\u201d the doctor said. \u201cWe\u2019ll start you on medication, but if you don\u2019t make some big lifestyle changes, there\u2019s a chance that you won\u2019t be here in five years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was shocked. For the past few weeks, I\u2019d been feeling incredibly tired (at one point I actually fell asleep in the middle of chatting to my sister, Dawn!) but I\u2019d put it down to getting older and my high blood pressure. I\u2019d watched my brother struggle with type 1 diabetes, eventually needing a kidney transplant, and, while this easy type 2 diabetes, I was scared my health was about to go a similar way. I had three children who still needed me to look after them \u2013 what if I didn\u2019t live to see them grow up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing that didn\u2019t surprise me was that my weight was a contributing factor in developing type 2 diabetes. I\u2019d started putting on weight as a teenager and then I began working 11-hour shifts at a call centre, which meant eating all of my meals in the office canteen. I\u2019d start each day with a fry-up, followed by fish and chips for lunch and a chicken curry with rice for dinner. In between, I\u2019d snack on pastries and chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n

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At one point I joined Slimming World and lost 6st, but I started missing sessions and eventually stopped going to group altogether. Without that weekly support, I slipped back into my old eating habits and put all the weight back on. Although my GP kept encouraging me to lose weight \u2013 especially as my blood pressure was rising and I was taking more and more painkillers to ease the aches in my joints \u2013 I just didn\u2019t believe I could do it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she warned me that my weight was putting my life at risk, though, I knew I needed to do something. Dawn had been going to a new Slimming World group for a few weeks, and she was already looking slimmer and healthier. As soon as I got out of the doctor\u2019s surgery, I phoned Dawn and arranged to go to group with her the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking in that first time was nerve-wracking, but my Consultant, Linda, welcomed me with a big smile and sat with me to have a wee chat about how Slimming World\u2019s eating plan worked. When I stepped on the scales and saw 26st 2lbs, I was mortified. I couldn\u2019t imagine being able to lose enough weight to make a difference to my health, and I was ready to walk out and never come back. Thankfully, Linda was there to put a reassuring arm around me. \u201cWe\u2019re going to do this together,\u201d she said. \u201cJust focus on getting your half-stone award, and take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Breaking my weight loss down into smaller goals made everything seem more manageable, and I went home determined to do my best. I started each morning with a bowl of chopped banana and berries topped with fat-free natural yogurt. Then for lunch and dinner at work I\u2019d heat up a Food Optimising meal I\u2019d made at home \u2013 maybe a beef lasagne<\/a> or spaghetti bolognese. I loved still being able to enjoy my favourite pasta dishes on Slimming World and, because pasta is a Free Food, I could eat as much I wanted to fill me up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I didn\u2019t have a meal prepared ahead of time, my work canteen had lots of healthy options available. That was a new discovery \u2013 I\u2019d just never looked for them before! Because I was filling up on hearty meals, I found I didn\u2019t need to snack, and if I ever did feel peckish I\u2019d buy a pot of fruit from the canteen to eat at my desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the weight started to come off, I noticed I was feeling less tired, and my joints didn\u2019t ache as much at the end of the day. When I went for a routine check-up a year after joining Slimming World, my doctor was delighted to tell me that my blood sugar levels were coming down and that I could start to reduce my medication. Six months later, my blood sugar levels had dropped again and my tablets were reduced even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By now I\u2019d lost over 7st and felt confident enough to try Body Magic<\/a>. I couldn\u2019t walk to the end of my garden before joining Slimming World, so I eased myself into activity by walking a lap around my office building at lunchtime. At first, I could barely make it once around the building before I was too exhausted to go any further. It gradually got easier, though, and I found I could do two laps, then three\u2026 Before I knew it, I was spending my lunch breaks looping around the building. Some of my colleagues even started joining me, so that we could have a good blether while we walked.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I gave a few other activities a try, too. Spinning definitely wasn\u2019t for me \u2013 I couldn\u2019t walk for days after the class! I also had a bash at Zumba, but soon realised that I must\u2019ve been born with two left feet. Happily, walking was something I loved from the very start. As well as my lunchtime strolls, I began taking long walks along the beach and through the countryside near my house \u2013 and I walked a Race for Life event with some friends from group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years after joining Slimming World, I reached my initial target weight of 10st 8lbs, and just a few months later, at a routine check-up, my doctor told me my type 2 diabetes had gone into remission. Plus, my blood pressure was back at healthy levels and, while I\u2019d still need to have regular check-ups, I no longer needed to take any medication. I\u2019d done it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve lost another 8lbs since then and lowered my target weight \u2013 which means I\u2019ve lost 16st 2lbs altogether! Although Slimming World groups are temporarily suspended, I\u2019m still able to get lots of support in my virtual group, which really helps me to keep up those healthy habits and lifestyle changes that have got me where I am today. I’ve gone from being told I may not be around in five years to having a second chance at life, and I\u2019m going to make the most of it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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We\u2019re proud to share Tracy\u2019s inspiring story this Diabetes Week, alongside new Slimming World research<\/a> that shows how many members with type 2 diabetes are also reporting how losing weight is helping them reverse the condition. It\u2019s not just Tracy who\u2019s turned her health around, either\u2026 our fantastic member Jason <\/a>was told he wouldn\u2019t live to see another Christmas unless he changed his lifestyle \u2013 and now he\u2019s medication free after losing 14st!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think that losing weight could transform your health, our virtual groups<\/a> are continuing to help members while local groups are temporarily suspended \u2013 or you could join our friendly community at Slimming World Online<\/a>. Take the leap and together we\u2019ll make those important changes for a healthier, happier future.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and given a shocking warning, Tracy McCormack knew it was time to tackle her weight. In her own words, here\u2019s how she lost over 16st and turned her health around…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1790,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[22,23,26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15835,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793\/revisions\/15835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}