‘I was unhealthy, unfit and unhappy – losing 9 stone changed all that’
MUM REVEALS HOW JOINING A WEIGHTLOSS GROUP CHANGED HER LIFE
A SURREY woman has managed to ditch the medication and “save her life” by shedding nine stone.
Kim Osborne, 62, from Fleet, was warned by a doctor that she was at risk of becoming diabetic unless she did something about her weight.
She had been diagnosed as being insulin resistant and pre-diabetic ten years earlier while living in South Africa, and spent the next few years on varying doses of metformin, managing to keep her levels just in the pre-diabetic zone. By the time of her doctor’s warning her blood sugar level was 46 mmol/mol – taking her dangerously close to developing full-blown Type 2 diabetes.
Kim was tipping the scales at just over 20 stone and was also on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
She said: “My father had Type 2 diabetes, with all its complications, and I had watched his health deteriorate over the years. I knew what was in my future unless I made some major changes to my lifestyle.
“I was unhealthy, unfit unhappy.”
Kim’s daughter suggested that she join a weight loss group with her, as and she also wanted to lose weight.
Kim said: “She knew I needed the courage to walk through the doors, and she wanted to support me too. I had tried so many diets and eating plans over the years.” After joining a Slimming World group, Kim said she hoped to still be able to eat her favourite foods throughout her weight loss journey.
She said: “I enjoy soups, curries, loads of different salads and love a traditional English roast - I never feel like I am missing out on anything.”
Since losing the weight, Kim has embraced a newfound love of exercise. She has completed Couch to 5K, ran the Cancer Research Race for Life last year, and has inspired some of her fellow weight loss group members to join her again this year.
She says she now really enjoys walking and running in forests near her home.
Slimming World recently announced a three-year partnership with Diabetes UK to support more people living with diabetes and help those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes to manage their weight in a way that works for them.