Posted on: 13 November 2024
After piling on weight during COVID, Paul Hemingway from Kirklees lost 5 stone when he realised the impact his weight and lifestyle was having on his diabetes.
Paul was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16, and with the support of his local diabetes team and his family, he’s managed the condition well for most of his life. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes need regular insulin injections for the rest of their life that help them to manage their sugar levels.
As with so many people, during lockdowns, the number on Paul’s scales began to creep upwards and upwards, and before he knew it, he weighed almost 16 stone. This World Diabetes Day, Paul is sharing his story to help encourage others to make positive changes to manage their condition better.
Paul said: “I got into a rut where I was chained to my computer and working long hours from home. I just got into the habit of not moving very much and piled quite a lot of weight on.
“I was living off convenience food, a sandwich, a packet of crisps, some biscuits with my coffee in the afternoon. I was managing it by giving myself extra insulin, but I was grappling with my sugar levels going up and down like a yoyo. It got to the point where I didn’t recognise myself and couldn’t even run around a football pitch with my teenage son.”
When Paul saw a family photo in November, he realised how much weight he had gained and knew something needed to change.
Between November 2023 and June 2024, Paul lost nearly 5 stone. Alongside feeling more energetic and fitter, Paul also saw a huge improvement in how easily he could manage his diabetes.
“I spoke with my diabetes team, and they advised me how I could change my habits safely and effectively. The changes I made have hugely helped my diabetes.
“Before I made the change, I would manage my poor diet by giving myself more insulin, which resulted in having quite a few hypos (where blood sugar levels drop below the healthy or normal range).”
At his recent 6 monthly review, Paul was pleased to see his sugar levels averaging around 6.9 which was a huge improvement.
“Losing the weight has helped me to control my diabetes and feel so much more positive about my condition. I even went for my first run a few weeks ago and was able to run 3 miles – I don’t think I could have got to the top of the street before!”
Dr Waqas Tahir, Diabetes Clinical Lead for West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said: “It’s really promising to hear Paul take control of his lifestyle to help him improve his general wellbeing and better control his diabetes. It’s often the small changes that really make a difference. Millions of people with diabetes face daily challenges managing their condition at home, work and school. Being active and eating well can really help people to not only manage their sugar levels, but also their wider physical and mental wellbeing, which we know can be real a struggle for people with diabetes.”
You can watch Paul’s full interview on YouTube here. If you need support to make a change to manage your diabetes, speak to your local diabetes team.
Visit your GP as soon as possible if you experience the main symptoms of diabetes, which include:
- feeling very thirsty
- peeing more frequently than usual, particularly at night
- feeling very tired
- weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
- itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
- blurred vision
Type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days.
Weight loss is common in people with type 1 diabetes when it first develops and before it's treated, but it's less common in people with type 2 diabetes.
Many people have type 2 diabetes for years without realising because the early symptoms tend to be general, or there are no symptoms at all.