At 56, Melbourne engineer Sladjana was used to working long hours, sitting for much of the day and feeling too tired to exercise by the time she got home. But when a visit to her GP led to blood tests in September 2025, she was shocked to learn her HbA1c had reached 6.7%, putting her in the type 2 diabetes range.

Looking back, Sladjana says the warning signs had been there for years. She had gestational diabetes during both her pregnancies more than 20 years earlier, loved sweets and grew up in a Serbian family where bread, potatoes, rice and pastries were a big part of everyday life. With type 2 diabetes also in her family history Sladjana felt she had been “pre-destined” for the diagnosis.

“I grew up eating Balkan food, and bread was part of everything. We had bread with potatoes, bread with rice, it was just normal.

“I’d had gestational diabetes with both my boys, so I knew I was at risk. But I think I’d been building visceral fat for decades without really understanding what was happening.

“When my HbA1c came back in the diabetic range, I knew I had two choices:  I could get rid of the high blood sugar by changing my diet and implement all the good stuff I learnt in Defeat Diabetes program, or I could go on medication.

“I didn’t want medication. I wanted to understand what was actually happening in my body.”

After speaking with a friend who had prediabetes, Sladjana was encouraged to look into Defeat Diabetes. Around the same time, she heard Dr Peter Brukner speaking on a podcast, which helped the low carb approach “click”.

“I downloaded the app and joined Defeat Diabetes and honestly, it was the best investment I could’ve made.

“I also read both of Dr Brukner’s books, and it all just made sense. The way the program explains how food affects your blood glucose is brilliant. It’s simple enough that anyone can understand it.

“I loved the educational videos. Seeing Dr Brukner explain it all really got my attention because you can tell he’s passionate about it and has done the research.”

One of Sladjana’s biggest breakthroughs came when she started using a continuous glucose monitor. Rather than seeing it as an extra cost, she saw it as an investment in understanding her body.

“I thought, I’d rather invest in a CGM than medication.

“The CGM helped me so much because I could actually see how different foods affect my blood glucose. Before, it was easy to think, ‘what I don’t know won’t hurt me’. But when you see a spike in your sugar levels in the App, you know, you need to avoid food that spiked it in the future. 

“I’d stopped eating sugar immediately after I was diagnosed, but my fasting blood glucose was still 8 and 9 in the morning. I remember thinking, ‘Why?’ Then I realised, as Dr Paul Mason told in one of the videos, ‘starch is just glucose molecules holding hands.’

“That was a huge a-ha moment for me. I could understand why cereal would spike my blood glucose and I’d be hungry hour later, because sugar spiked and then crashed. I could understand hunger soon after eating  an apple, “Now I know what food affects me, and that keeps me in control.”

Within just a few months, Sladjana’s HbA1c dropped from 6.7% to 5.8%, bringing it back into the normal range. She also lost 9 kg and noticed a huge improvement in her energy.

“The biggest difference has been my energy. I used to have that 3 pm crash and feel like I needed chocolate just to get through the day.

“Now my energy is much more even. I can reach the end of the day without crashing.

“I feel great. I don’t get those sugar spikes anymore, and I’m not hungry all the time. And everyone complimenting me that I lost so much weight is a big bonus!”

Sladjana says her meals are now simple, satisfying and much easier than she expected. She skips breakfast because she is no longer hungry in the morning, but when she does eat, she chooses meals that keep her full for hours.

“Before, I’d have cereal and be hungry again by 11. Now, if I have a late brunch with eggs and bacon, I’m not hungry for the rest of the day.

“For lunch, I might have leftovers, or eggs, ham, cheese and low carb bread. Dinner is usually meat with salad, a stir-fry, or something pretty basic.

“I love meat, so sometimes I’ll just chuck a steak on, make a salad and that’s it.

“I also love the recipes in the app. The Berry and Apple Galette is beautiful, I love the Creamy Cauliflower Soup and the Cauliflower Rice is great for soaking up sauces. The recipes make it easy.”

Sladjana’s husband joined her in changing the way they eat and has also seen the benefits, including weight loss and better energy.

“My husband has been very supportive. He joined me and lost about five or six kilos as well. He’s thrilled and has more energy. He looks 20 years younger!

“My boys are 20 and 22, so they do their own thing, but I talk to them a lot about food and health. I’m hoping the basics stay ingrained in them somehow.”

While Sladjana is grateful to her GP, she says her experience has made her realise how little doctors are taught about the role of food in type 2 diabetes, and many other illnesses. .

“My GP cares about me, but she doesn’t really understand my approach.

“I think doctors need to learn more about nutrition. It needs to start at university. People need to understand how food affects our health.

“So many people hear ‘type 2 diabetes’ and think, ‘I’ll just take a pill’. That’s their choice, and that’s fine. But I want as many people as possible to know there is another way.

Now, Sladjana is waiting for her one-year anniversary and hopes to keep building on the progress she’s already made. She still enjoys the occasional treat, but says her relationship with carbs has completely changed.

“I did crave things at the start, but with the help of my CGM, I now know I can have very small amounts as a treat. That’s enough for me.

“I tell everyone about Defeat Diabetes. I’m going to do a presentation for everyone at my company, because people need to know this information.

“My advice is to start small. Read a book. Learn what food is doing in your body.

“For me, Defeat Diabetes has been life-changing. It’s not magic. You have to make changes. But it works for me.”