Karen spent most of her life trying to lose weight. She was active, played sports, worked with a personal trainer and stayed busy with volunteer work. But after 41 years working in a bank, long days and convenience foods had become part of life. When her GP told her she had developed type 2 diabetes, the worst moment of Karen's life turned out to be the first day of a completely different one. 

“I grew up with very old-fashioned eating,” Karen says. “Meat and three veg. Food was just food. We didn’t have many sweets growing up, but when I moved away from home and started working, I became dependent on convenience foods.

“I worked in a bank for 41 years, and when you’re busy, you go for what’s easy. Lunch would often be sandwiches, and dinner could be microwave meals or fast meals, especially when I was working and living on my own. I’d always exercised. I’d played sport and had a personal trainer. But diet was my main weak spot.

“I’d tried all my life to lose weight. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Lite n’ Easy, I’d tried them all! With Lite n’ Easy, I lost 30 kg, but then it slowly crept back on.

“Then my GP told me I had dropped into the type 2 diabetes range. He explained insulin resistance to me and said he wasn’t going to put me on medication yet. He said, ‘Go away and see what you can do, then come back in two weeks.’

“I came home and I was a mess. But after that, I started researching. My sister is a medical clinics manager and she gave me some information and I also started HelloFresh and lost 3 kg. I went back to the doctor two weeks later and he was happy and I told him I wanted to do this myself, without medication.

“My GP explained that my weight was contributing to insulin resistance. He told me, ‘Reduce your body fat and you’ll improve.’ That conversation really gave me the push I needed. I found Defeat Diabetes and joined straight away. I thought, ‘I need all the help I can get.’ I knew I needed to learn it for myself so I could do it myself.

“In the beginning, I was on the Defeat Diabetes app all the time. I learned so much. All the resources helped me make sense of it. The webinars with Nicole were fantastic and the recipes were amazing. If I was looking for a snack, I’d go to the Defeat Diabetes recipes and find something there. 

“You don’t have to feel like you’re missing out. I learned there are swaps. Even with sweets, there are low carb options. You start to realise there are choices around you, but you do have to think and sometimes you have to ask.

“We’ve recently been on a cruise and they even had sugar-free desserts! Even the crumbs and crusts were nicer than some of the normal tarts and pie crusts. A lot of cafés are also happy to help if you ask. There are options around, but society has to bring on that change too.

“Three months after starting, my HbA1c was 5.5 and I had lost 13 kg. My GP said, ‘Keep up what you’re doing and I’ll see you in 12 months.’ Three years later, I’ve lost close to 30 kg and my HbA1c has stayed in the 5s.

“My GP is extremely excited and very happy. He’s been very supportive and we’ve talked about what I’ve been doing. He told me he’d had other patients who had reversed type 2 diabetes and I was the fourth. He gave me the belief that I could do it.

“For me, the biggest shift wasn’t just losing weight or improving my blood glucose. It was understanding why my body was struggling. These days, we eat more simply. I’ve never really been a breakfast eater. Our main meal is usually in the middle of the day, then something light at night, maybe a low carb wrap with salad or leftovers. I feel better when I’ve prepared food and frozen it. If I’m not hungry, I might just have a Defeat Diabetes Protein Power Muffin.

“I’ll still look at a menu and think, ‘Can I eat that?’ There’s still that fear of eating carbs or sugar, but I see it as a positive one because it makes me stop and think about what’s on my plate.

“My husband, Ray, started doing the Defeat Diabetes approach with me. He loves the meals and he’s benefited from it as well. He had a kidney transplant 38 years ago, so his kidney health is very important. There’s often a concern about low carb and higher protein, especially when kidneys are involved, but his kidney specialist is very happy with his results. For us, that has been a really positive thing.

“The changes have gone beyond my blood glucose too. My doctor has stopped my blood pressure meds and halved my cholesterol medication. He said if I keep going the same way, I could come off it completely.

“I’ve had lower back problems and my doctor said taking the weight off has helped. My joints feel better. I’ll suddenly realise I’ve walked further than I thought, because I have more energy. I go to the gym now, I volunteer, and I’m just generally very active. I just feel better in myself.

“If someone has just been told they have type 2 diabetes, the first thing I’d say is, have you got enough information? Read about it yourself and come up with your own questions.

“If you’re given a choice between medication or seeing what you can do yourself, look at all your options; investigate for yourself.

“The most incredible relief was learning that low carb is sustainable. That was huge for me. I have followed this approach for three years now and love how I feel, but I've always been nervous I’d be told I’d have to stop for some reason. Knowing this is not a diet, but now just the way I live, is wonderful.”