A spiral effect – Paul’s story

The Healthier You - NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme helped Paul to transform his lifestyle and inspire his family! Here’s what he had to say about his journey on the service:

“Prior to hearing from my GP that I was at risk of diabetes, I considered my diet healthy and drank alcohol within very reasonable limits. However, I didn't do as much exercise as I should have. I allowed my job to take over, and I wasn’t very active.

“Since joining the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, I now exercise every single day, rain or shine, holidays or not, unless I am sick. I include a lot more vegetables in my diet and I make vegetables central to my meals instead of a mere garnishing. I’ve started calorie counting, this is now an art and has enabled me to control my portion sizes.

“When I started, my blood sugar reading was 42, so I had just entered the prediabetic zone. Two blood tests later I am now at 39. Crucially, when I started the programme, I weighed in at 82.4kg and at session 12 of 13 I was exactly 67.4kg, a whopping 15kg in weight loss! I lost my ’lock down belly’ thankfully.

“Sam has been an excellent tutor; he is calming and professional. Regarding the programme, I have learnt tonnes, and now my daughter, mum and auntie are all wearing smart watches to track our steps, we have all become fitness freaks as a result!

“Joining this programme has been transformative for me personally, in terms of my relationship with food and drink, and my family's relationship with exercise, food and drink. There has been a spiral effect.”

We wish Paul and his family the best of luck on their healthier lifestyle journey!