that I’m still doing well. It was a
huge motivator, just seeing that
first couple of kilos come off,
and knowing that my diet
was making a difference.
I’m also aware of my triggers
and I make a point of avoiding
them. If I feel like something
sweet, I don’t give myself a little
snack of chocolate, because
I know that’s a trigger, too. It’s
too tempting to say I’ve been so
good, I can have one, but then
that can easily turns into having
another one. Instead, I’ll have
a small amount of yogurt with
some fruit and a tiny bit of honey.
I also quite enjoy a stock cube
in boiling water. I feel like I’m
having a soup with lots of flavour,
and it doesn’t have all the carbs
you get in a cup-of-soup.
I try to adapt what I might
already be cooking for the rest of
the family. So I might still make a
creamy pasta for the kids with
mushrooms and garlic. I’ll have
the same sauce but have mine
with zucchini noodles.
When I buy yoghurt or bread,
I always look for the brands that
have the least carbohydrates.
How much weight have
you lost?
I was 95kg and a size 18 when
I started and now I’m currently
sitting between 65-67kg and
a size 12 at the bottom and
10-12 on top.
Have you added any exercise
to your daily routine?
I don’t go to the gym, but I get
a lot of incidental exercise just
looking after the kids. I get my
workout at shopping centres
and doing housework. I’m pretty
cautious about any other exercise
because of my back. I was born
with an extra vertebra in my
spine, which I didn’t know
about until I herniated a disc.Do you feel any different
to how you did before?
I feel so much better. I enjoy food
more and really appreciate the
flavour of everything I eat.
I also feel so much happier
being able to walk into clothes
shops and try on what I like,
without having to worry that
it’s not going to fit me.How much willpower
has it required?
A lot initially, but now it is easy.
Because I’ve worked so hard
to lose weight, I’m really not
prepared to waste that effort.
When I’m going to all of the
trouble of counting kilojoules and
organising what I’m going to eat,
I really don’t want to stuff it up.How has the rest of your
family responded?
The kids have always said
‘Mummy, you are beautiful’,
but when we look back at oldphotos, my eldest daughter says
‘You look a little different here’.
They didn’t really notice day-to-
day as I was losing weight.
My husband is really good
support. We’ve been together
since I was 16 years old and he
was 17, and I know he loves me
regardless of my size. He just
wants me to be happy.
If we are going somewhere we
know there will be cakes, I say to
him ‘When you see me going up
for seconds, knock the plate out
of my hand.’ He doesn’t do that,
of course, but he reminds me how
I’ll end up feeling about myself.
Last week I said I was just going
to have a chocolate and he said
no. When I asked why, he said
‘Because if you do, you’ll be really
annoyed with yourself tomorrow.’What has your doctor said?
My GP said he was very
impressed with my blood test
results and that I no longer
have pre-diabetes. I think that
is pretty awesome. I’m quite
happy with that. ■Haroula and her^ girls,^
Paris,^ Genna^ and^ AndriaWORDS^ HEATHERWISEMANPHOTOGRAPHY^SUPPLIED^BYHAROULA^AND^DRAGON^PAPILLON^PHOTOGRAPHYMy heaviest weight ever was
107 kilos – this was after kids
120 MARCH/APRIL 2019 diabetic living
my story: pre-diabetes