CASESTUDY
JulianPorter,56,a photographerfrom
Southampton,lost8 stoneafterhewas
diagnosedwithtype2 diabetesattheageof50.
WhenmyGPbrokethenewsthatI hadtype 2
diabetes,I wasabsolutelyhorrified– althoughnot
entirelysurprised,asI weighedover 18 stone7lb
atthetime(I’m5ft8in).
I’dactuallyjustphotographeda mantheweek
beforewho’dhadhislegamputatedduetodiabetes
complications,soI knewonlytoowellhowserious
it canbeanddidn’twantthathappeningtome.
Thediagnosiswasa wake-upcallfordoing
somethingaboutmyhealth.AsI alreadyhadhigh
bloodpressure,myGPexplainedI wasathighrisk
ofa numberofconditionsthatcouldshortenmy
life– includingheartattackandstroke,aswellas
dib escomplicationssuchasblindness,nerve
e, kidneyproblemsandamputation.ngchanges
whyI’dgainedweight– I atebigportions
ackedallthetime,especiallyintheevenings,
n I’ddemolishseveralbagsofcrispsand
e a fewbeers.AndI didn’tdoanyexercise.
decidedagainstfaddiets.Instead,I cutmy
rtionsandsnackingandstartedexercisingso
atI wasburningoffmorethanI wastakingin.
firstI wassooverweightI feltself-conscious,
o I boughta treadmillandstartedwalking
vemilesa dayindoors.Assoonasthe
weightstartedtodropoff,I feltfitenoughto
artrunningoutdoorsandI raneveryday.dercontrol
weightlosswasquiterapid– I lost8stover
sixmonths.Therewasnomagicdiet– I just
tedmycaloriesanddida loadofexercise
ingcyclingaswellasrunning.I’dhave
geandberriesforbreakfast,crispbreador
n sandwichforlunchanda combinationof
bles,proteinandcarbohydratesfordinner
s likespagbolandsalmonandpasta.
n myGPdida bloodtestaftersixmonths,
d it mustbewrong,asit showedthatI no
hadtype2 diabetes.Theyrepeatedthetest,
e sameresultcameback– mybloodsugar
thinthenormalrangeandI’dputmytype 2
esintoremission.Hesaid“Welldone–
justadded 10 yearstoyourlife.”
now 12 stone– a littleheavier– butI found
d betteratthisweight,andI needmore
forallthecyclingI donow.^I lostweightrapidlytobeatdiabetes_
a medical examination when they start
a new job,’ Libby adds.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF ‘If you’ve
been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,
you’ll be advised to make diet and
lifestyle changes to reduce your blood
sugar,’ says Libby. ‘This means losing
weight and getting more active – not
necessarily going to the gym or running,
but finding ways of incorporating more
activity into your daily routine.
‘In some people, the disease is
already advanced at diagnosis, so they’ll
need to take drugs such as metformin
to lower their blood glucose levels.
‘One thing it’s important to impress
is that type 2 diabetes is not “the mild
type”. If left uncontrolled, high levels
of blood sugar can damage blood
vessels and lead to nerve damage,’
Libby adds. ‘Complications include
amputation, nerve pain, diabetic
retinopathy (which can lead to blindness)
and kidney problems. The changes that
can lead to these serious complications
developing are silent and insidious.’
If you haven’t been diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes but suspect you may be
heading that way, Libby says there’s a
window of opportunity for preventing
the disease when your blood sugar is
raised (defined as 42mmol/L), but hasn’t
yet reached the threshold for type 2 of
48mmol/L. ‘Losing weight can stop you
reaching the threshold and prevent you
developing type 2 diabetes,’ says Libby.
‘Ifyouhavediabetes,losing weight
canbringyourbloodglucose back into
dds.‘Some
d orreversed
diabetes by
ht,but we say
ssion as it could
e back if you
gainthe weight.
eople should
keep attending
annual reviews
even if their
blood sugar
goes back
down into the
normal range.’
Get more info
mDiabetes UK
diabetes.org.uk.
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Men’s health special
JUNE 2019 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 21