My mindset MAKEOVER

After losing 4st, the future is bright for Hazel James

- MICHELLE RAWLINS

As I sat in the treatment room, I could tell from the look on the doctor’s face that it wasn’t good news. It was summer 2022 and I hadn’t been feeling well for months. At first, I’d put feeling thirsty all the time down to the hot weather, but in the weeks leading up to the appointment my symptoms had got a lot worse. Even so, I wasn’t ready for what I heard next.

‘I’m afraid your blood tests have showed you have type 2 diabetes,’ the doctor said. ‘I’ll put you on medication, but I’d also recommend you go on a weight management plan.’ I listened as he explained how eating healthily and losing weight would help me manage my blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance. I nodded, trying to hold myself together, but as soon as I got home I burst into tears. My husband, Matthew, tried to reassure me: ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘I’m here for you and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re OK.’ Still, I couldn’t stop blaming myself for my diagnosis, knowing the link between type 2 diabetes and weight.

It had gradually crept up as life got busier. Before I had children, I danced competitively, trained five times a week and was consistently around a size 8-10. Then I had my daughter, Demi, when I was 19, followed by my son, Teddy, two years later. Crisps, cakes and chocolate would keep me going, and it was difficult to fit dancing around looking after a baby and a toddler. By the time my third child, Pixie, came along in 2010, my wardrobe was full of baggy T-shirts that I could cover up in.