Diabetes and prevention in Bromley

This is Karen's story, in her own words. Karen, from Chislehurst, was diagnosed as at risk of developing diabetes in November 2014. She had a starting weight of 78.9kg or 12.4stone, and a BMI of 34.

"I was identified by my GP as being at risk of Type 2 Diabetes, the conversation was pretty uncomfortable and a bit of a wakeup call really but we talked about being overweight and she explained the risks and things that could happen if I became diabetic – we also talked about things I could do to prevent becoming diabetic.

"I'm not stupid; I know what I should do; I just let 'real' life get in the way."

She then told me about a local pilot that I could join in Bromley – I must admit my thoughts were a mixture of being a little embarrassed but really excited about the opportunity to do something about a problem that I’d really known about for quite a long time. The programme was a mixture of re-education and support about food and exercise – the support and things I learned kept me on the straight and narrow and showed me the way – I’m really quite evangelical about it now. I feel so much better, 20 times better, I can’t begin to tell you. I’ve now got a new wardrobe as well as a new lease of life – but let me tell you when you get good support it really helps and not being pre-diabetic anymore is such a great feeling.

"We’re talking about stopping problems – not curing them – that’s got to be the way to go?"

It's a journey, and I've learnt how to incorporate healthy habits into my "real" life."

Karen's weight after 9 months was 69.8kg or 10.10 stone, and a BMI of 30.3.