James always looked after his health.  Working in aviation, where regular health checks and fitness were a requirement. He never had much of a sweet tooth and generally avoided highly processed foods. Despite this, younger years of intense training and playing football affected his knees which took a toll. By his mid-70s, James was in near-constant pain and expecting a double knee replacement within a few years. When he was invited to take part in a La Trobe University research study on the Defeat Diabetes approach to help manage chronic knee pain, he had no idea it would completely change the way he thought about food – and his future.

“I was recruited through my local Men’s Shed to join a study that was going to look at whether changing nutrition could help manage inflammation and chronic joint pain. I’d never been diagnosed with diabetes and still haven’t, but I was keen to see if changing my food could help me avoid surgery. I was lucky enough to be allocated to the low carb group. They handed me a guidebook, and that’s where I first heard about the Defeat Diabetes Program.

“I’d always followed conventional nutrition advice – I avoided butter, limited eggs, stuck to low-fat options – but the material I was given in the program introduced me to the science behind low carb. I remember thinking, ‘Hang on, this makes sense.’ I started reading more. The Diabetes Plan by Dr Brukner, Dr David Ludwig’s work, documentaries like Fat Fiction and That Sugar Film – they really helped me understand what was happening.

“I started to focus on eating natural, whole foods. More eggs, meat, fish, olive oil and butter, and cut out pasta, rice and bread. Within six weeks, I noticed a huge difference. I used to get knee pain at night that would disturb my sleep. That had started to go away.”

“At the three-month follow-up, I told the dietitians, ‘I’m not a disciple yet, but I’m a devotee!’. I’d halved my use of anti-inflammatories. One knee was almost pain-free. I was starting to think maybe I wouldn’t need surgery after all.”

“By six months, I’d lost about 6 kg. I hadn’t changed my exercise routine much, but I felt stronger and more mobile. At the start of the study, I could only do nine chair squats in 30 seconds. By 12 months, I’d increased that by 50%, and my walking pace and stamina had gone up by 30%. That was enough to convince me that this worked.

“Now, at 78, I weigh the same as I did as a 20-year-old amateur athlete. I’ve shed 8 kg and I’m in the healthy BMI range. My sleep is better, my gut is comfortable and I feel great. I haven’t needed any more knee surgery. I used to rely on ice packs every night, but now I don’t even think about it.

“My typical day starts with what I call a ‘Yum-lette’: sautéed bacon and mushrooms in butter, an egg, a bit of cheese, tomato, spinach and sometimes a spoon of sauerkraut. I don’t snack. Lunch is a big salad with sardines, cheese, olives and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. Dinner is usually meat or fish and lots of vegetables. My wife still enjoys pasta or rice, so she’ll serve herself that, and I just stick to the veg and protein. We’ve found a good rhythm. “I do sometimes use 16:8 intermittent fasting if I know I’m dining out or want to be a bit flexible. That’s the beauty of eating the Defeat Diabetes way – you can make decisions that work for you without feeling like you’ve failed.

“My GP wasn’t overly supportive at first – he was more focused on my cholesterol – but these days, I barely need to see him. At my annual check-up, the nurse talks to me for an hour, and the doctor comes in and says, ‘No action required.’. That says it all!

“This journey has made me more aware of how our food environment affects our health. I’ve learned how the food industry engineers products to hit a ‘bliss point’ and how the advice we’ve followed for decades wasn’t based on great evidence. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but the data is compelling.

“I’ve shared my experience with friends, including one friend who had pre-diabetes. He started eating the same way and lost 16 kg. His blood sugar is now normal.

“Thanks to Defeat Diabetes, I’ve avoided surgery, lost weight, regained my fitness and feel better than I have in years. But the biggest change is knowledge. I now feel confident that I’ll never become diabetic – and I’ve taken back control of my health.”