A diabetic woman from Stowmarket has found a new lease of life after dropping four dress sizes, getting her condition under control and shedding almost three stone - and it is all thanks to her daughter.
Before starting her weight-loss mission at the start of the year, Doreen Swan was 67 years old and 15 stone, living with diabetes that required daily insulin injections and was very unhappy with her health.
She had spent 25 years as a carer for her husband Richard, who suffered from MS and died in 2017, and had overcome breast cancer herself - all of which took a major toll on her health and well being.
Mrs Swan’s daughter, Jenny Williams, also struggled with her health and ended up yo-yo dieting through this difficult time, but turned a corner when she joined Slimming World.
Her quick success inspired her mum - and the results are clear to see.
Mrs Swan said: “My wellbeing took a backseat as it does with many people caring for a loved one. My body was ballooning out of control and I thought this was my life.
“My daughter who was also affected badly by losing her father so decided she needed to take control of her body and joined Slimming World to help her lose weight. I was so astounded to see she had lost so much weight in only two sessions.”
Mrs Swan started attending weekly meetings last summer, and after 12 months of hard work she has dropped from a size 22 to a size 14, shedding three stone.
She still has a little way to go before reaching her goal weight of 11st 5lbs, but is delighted with the progress she has made.
Previously Ms Swan needed 50ml of insulin every day to control her diabetes, but since her lifestyle transformation, she has been told that she may not need any in the future.
She continued: “My diabetes is now being controlled to such an extent that I am now only using 10ml of insulin a day, with the prospect of coming off before the end of the year. When I visited my diabetes consultant for my last appointment she called me a superstar - imagine how good that felt. “I’ve just had my 68th birthday and I feel about 40 years old thanks to my year of weight loss with Slimming World.”
Mrs Swan’s fitness regime features three weekly trips to the swimming pool as well as Tae Bo - an up-tempo fitness class with Tai Chi and music.
The difference in her health has allowed her to take up her and her husband’s horticulture hobby again and she is now growing vegetables for her support group.
Mrs Swan added: “I’ve got my daughter to thank for all of this.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here