Cathal's story: New lease of life after losing weight to prevent type 2 diabetes

My GP identified me at high risk of type 2 diabetes. I was taking heart medication and he had been doing blood tests over a period of time, and my HbA1c (average blood sugar levels) showed I had prediabetes – at 42mmol/l.

I was carrying a lot of weight. My BMI (body mass index) was about 40ish. I weighed about 117 kgs (around 18 and a half stone). So, my GP suggested I go on an NHS type 2 prevention course.

I’ve been healthy most of my life but I’d been putting on weight over the years. It had gradually built up. 

I stopped smoking and I think I was eating more. And I became more sedentary when I started working from home in the last few years.  I joked to my colleagues that I was sitting next door to the kitchen, so it was too easy to go and make something to eat. And I was no longer walking to the train station and back. 

I suppose there was a bit of a fear factor about type 2 diabetes. 

I retired last year at 68. You have a sense of just wanting to get yourself into the best health you can for your age and want to live a reasonably good lifestyle going forward.

My wife was probably the person most worried about my health. She said if you think your life is difficult now, you could be in a situation where you’re checking your blood every day. I knew it was a possibility. And it frightened me a little bit.

I’m out in the countryside in Northern Ireland so I chose the online type 2 prevention course which was over Zoom. We’d meet weekly, then fortnightly - always on a Tuesday from midday to 1pm. 

We’d get sent a reminder a couple of days in advance and a very useful course booklet. 

The course leader went through the booklet page by page. It encouraged you to eat less and walk more without being silly about it. You’re not training for the Olympics!

My course had about 16 people. They shared their own experience too. You could have little conversations with other people in breakout rooms. You’d worked on questionnaires together. You’d learn from them. 

Making changes

I paid a bit more attention to what I was eating and portion control. I have a sweet tooth and I was avoiding things like chocolate biscuits and having less cake and eating more fruit and veg and the weight started to fall away.  

You’d work out your calorie intake and keep a record of it. I wasn’t very good at that. But I got myself a smart watch. My oldest boy is an engineer, and he happened to read about it online. It cost £100. And I got it linked to an app called Zepp on my phone which is excellent at keeping records, sleep patterns, how much walking I’m doing and my heart rate.

With the help and guidance from the course, I got my weight down to about 103KG (16.2 stone). I had a blood test at the end of the course to check my HbA1c and I was no longer prediabetic. 

It was completely unrelated to the course but a few days afterwards I was admitted to hospital with shortness of breath. I had to stay in for 11 days. But as I’d already started to lose weight, I was in a better position to deal with it.

I’ve now got over that and am in reasonably good health. But it was a wake-up call. I realised it had to be a life-changing process. 

And it’s made me even more determined to keep the weight off and lose more. My computer records show I’m now on day 415 of my weight loss. I’m now 95KG (15 stone) and I want to get down to 85KG (just over 13 stone). The last 10KG (1.5 stone) are proving really difficult to lose.

I’ve seen huge benefits in terms of my basic health from the weight loss. I have much more energy and I’m able to get out and about more and do more things. I’ve always been quite active and done things like mowing the lawn – it’s quite a big garden! But now I don’t feel exhausted.

Activity

I’m now at day 450 of my step counting and still going strong. I’ve been average more than 11,000 a day for the last 11 weeks.

This has been helped by a walking mat I use at home that one of my children got me as a Christmas gift. They’re relatively small and inexpensive and you can get on and do as many steps as you like. It’s been brilliant – particularly when it’s too cold or wet to go out.

Postive feedback

I’ve been noticeably drowning in my clothes so I’ve been giving them away to the local charity shop and I’m starting to get some new ones.

Friends and neighbours occasionally comment about the change in my appearance. This kind of positive comment can reinforce your determination to carry on making the effort.

And I’ll be going back to the doctor to check my HbA1c in another year.