MY DIABETES IS CURED... THANKS TO A SIMPLE DIET
DONNA GUNNER explains how a strict eating plan helped her lose 3st and put the disease into remission
DONNA, 51, a full-time foster carer and mother of four, lives in Woolavington, Somerset, says:
MY WEIGHT was normal until I was 25 when I had a sterilisation operation. Over the next few months it shot up from 7st to 13st 7lb, far too much for my 5ft 2in frame. No one could explain it – thyroid function tests came back normal and doctors said there was no medical reason.
Over the next few years I tried every diet going. I was even prescribed fat-loss tablets but they upset my stomach and I still didn’t lose any weight.
In desperation I cut out everything apart from fruit and vegetables but I was hungry and binged on takeaway curries.
Feeling tired and bloated, I started drinking cans of cola to keep me going but soon I was having 30 a day.
I also suffered from irritable bowel syndrome and developed severe migraines.
Then nine years ago I had a wake-up call. I’d joined a gym and was on the treadmill when an alarm went off. A message flashed up saying my blood pressure was dangerously high.
My GP ran tests and told me I had high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. I was put on tablets to reduce my blood pressure, statins for cholesterol and metformin to control my blood sugar.
After my diagnosis I weaned myself off cola and tried to eat healthily. However I’d snack on huge bowls of fruit, not realising it was full of sugar.
Not surprisingly, my weight didn’t change.
Then three years ago my husband and I separated and with my 50th birthday looming, I wrote a list of what I wanted to achieve.
Completing a half marathon was one ambition, so I decided to try running. The first time I couldn’t even get to the end of the road but I kept going and soon I was running one to two miles daily.
However at 13st 13lb I knew I’d never complete a half marathon so I went to see Dr Peter Foley, a GP at my surgery who had been having success helping patients lose weight.
Dr Foley said I should forget the advice I’d been given about eating a low-fat diet and follow a low-carb regime instead.
He also explained that I had been consuming too many carbohydrates, which broke down into sugars that were then stored as fat.
He gave me a diet sheet that advised eating dairy products, meat, eggs, fish and vegetables with a low glycaemic index.
I was allowed moderate amounts of pulses, nuts, seeds and fruit and even some chocolate, provided it had a high cocoa content. The red-light foods were potatoes, rice, bread, flour, corn and cereal-based products, dried fruit, sweets, sugary drinks, margarine and omega-6 based oils such as sunflower oil.
THE next day I had eggs and mushrooms for breakfast and for dinner made chicken curry with cauliflower rice. Other evenings I ate steak with broccoli and courgettes or cottage pie made with sweet potato.
I never felt hungry. In fact, I felt better than I had in 25 years. I also began training for a half marathon and the weight dropped off – I lost 10lb in the first two weeks.
In September last year I completed the race and was delighted. By December I was a size 8-10, down from size 20, and weighed 10st 13lb. I celebrated by going paragliding in Tenerife, something I’d always been too heavy to do before.
My blood sugar levels are now in the normal range so I’ve effectively reversed my Type 2 diabetes (although Dr Foley describes it as being “in remission” because it could return if I go back to my old ways).
I no longer need metformin and statins and am hoping to come off my blood pressure medication too. Migraines and IBS symptoms are now a thing of the past. In fact, I’ve never felt fitter, happier or more confident.