‘I lost 8st 2lbs
and I’m halving my diabetes medication’
Befor
e
Susan Kightly, 63, a retired bank offi cial who
lives near Axminster, explains how she’s
changed her life forever. WORDS: OLIVIA GORDON
just ate – and I ate all the things I shouldn’t. denying myself – the blandness of having just
I managed to cut out alcohol, which I’d Ryvita for lunch gave me cravings. I’d end up
always enjoyed, to help my blood glucose, wolfi ng down a packet of crisps, and thinking
but changing my diet and exercise habits was ‘I’ve done it now, I may as well carry on’.
another story. I reduced the amount of sweets
I ate – but then my problem had always been My lowest moments
overeating fatty, carbohydrate-fi lled savoury I became totally, wretchedly depressed. I
foods. I was a crisp freak – I’d eat a large refused invitations for social events because
bag of Kettle Chips at around 9pm, after my I always feared people were staring at me.
evening meal, because I was bored. I was also David never said anything to me about my
a butter freak. I wasn’t a binger – I did eat size – no one did – if only they had! I stopped
vegetables and cooked from scratch, but my going out to buy clothes; instead I wore
portions were very large. David’s shirts. If I did have to go shopping I’d
I’ve always had a problem with weight. I’m I yo-yo dieted as I tried and failed to get go straight into Evans – I didn’t even look
only 5 foot, and I’ve always been on the my health back under control – at one stage anywhere else. I wanted to break out of the fat
stocky side at a size 14 to 16, but in my 20s I even lost 3 stone and was really pleased trap, but I resorted to food because I was fed
and 30s I played a lot of sport, like hockey with myself – but then I relaxed back into my up. And the fatter I got, the less activity I did,
and golf, which kept my weight under control. old habits and the weight all came on again. as it became harder for me to move. I joined
Then, in my early 40s, I ruptured my Achilles Looking back, I was making the mistake of a Pilates class, for instance, but as I gained
tendon, and, confi ned to a wheelchair for a
time, I became totally sedentary. That’s when
the weight started to really pile on – I got What I ate before What I eat now
up to 15 stone, a size 18 to 20. Then, at 46, I
took early retirement and my husband David
Breakfast Breakfast
and I moved to Devon. The leisured life of
Four slices of buttered toast Bowl of puffed wheat or porridge;
retirement meant I was now spending time
or poached egg on wholemeal toast
relaxing on the sofa when before I’d been
with no butter
rushing around for work – plus, I had time to
Lunch Lunch
indulge my love of cooking and baking. My
Soup Home-made vegetable soup
weight soared to 17½ stone – a size 28.
Being that size made me ill – I couldn’t
Dinner Dinner
move properly and was always out of breath.
Large roast chicken dinner, including Roast chicken without the skin, with a
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in my
the skin of the meat, with Yorkshire few plain boiled potatoes or one roast
early 50s, and I’m positive it was self-induced
pudding, roast potatoes or mashed potato, plenty of vegetables and gravy
because of overeating and not exercising. My
potatoes with butter, and vegetables made without fat, from granules
cholesterol was also very high, and the doctor
told me I had to change my lifestyle. At fi rst, Snacks Snacks
shocked, I did try, but ultimately the shock Two slices of home-made cake; A couple of pieces of fruit;
wore off and I went on ‘walkabout’ – as many large packet of Kettle Chips Quark fruit mousse
people with diabetes do. In other words, I
14 Sweet Magazine
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