healthmedicinet

• Dropped from 19st 3lb and size 24 to 10st 7lb and size 10
• Snacked on family bags of crisps, sweets and sausage rolls
  
• Eating twice the recommended calorie intake
• Developed diabetes and doctors warned her kidneys might fail
• Decided to take action when she was told she needed insulin injections
• Totally changed diet, eating regular healthy meals
  

By
Katy Winter

PUBLISHED:

06:29 EST, 27 February 2014

|
UPDATED:

06:37 EST, 27 February 2014

A mother-of-two lost 9st in weight after she ditched unhealthy eating habits which once saw her consume up to 4,000 calories a day.

While working nights as a care assistant, Deborah Kershaw, 32, ate regular meals during the day which she supplemented with fatty snacks to keep her energy up in the evening.

It was only after she developed diabetes that she examined her typical food intake and realised she had unwittingly been consuming twice the calories recommended for physically active women.

Deborah Kershaw, 32, of Matlock, lost 9st in weight after she ditched unhealthy eating habits which once saw her consume up to 4,000 calories a day

Deborah, pictured now as a slim size 10, has dropped seven dress sizes, and says the weight loss has transformed her life

By February 2012 she had ballooned to 19st 3lb, and was wearing size 24 clothes.

She said: ‘I’d struggled with weight since my teenage years – I broke both my ankles when I was 13 which meant I couldn’t join in with PE lessons. It was a difficult time, because I wasn’t able to be as active as my friends.

‘As an adult I stayed inactive, and I ate unhealthy food like very buttery toast and sugary cereals for breakfast, and snacks like crisps, sweets and sausage rolls during the day.

‘I could eat a movie-size bag of cheese Doritos and not even notice. I thought nothing of washing the snacks down with full-sugar coke.

Deborah, pictured before she lost weight, says working nights meant she would eat huge amounts of sugary, fatty foods to give her energy in the evening

Doctors told her that her level of glycated hemoglobin – a measure of blood sugar – was nearly three times the healthy rate

‘At the time when I was at my biggest I was working nights, and would take a fully-loaded packed lunch and snacks to work – it was the equivalent of eating a full meal on top of my daytime intake.’

After suffering from mysterious recurring infections, Mrs Kershaw, of Matlock, decided to visit her GP who gave her the shock diagnosis that she had developed diabetes.

She said: ‘I was very tired and thirsty all the time, but I hadn’t put the symptoms together in my head. I just assumed I had been overdoing things.’

Doctors told her that her level of glycated hemoglobin – a measure of blood sugar – was nearly three times the healthy rate.

Deborah pictured with her husband Mark before she was shocked into changing her diet and lifestyle by doctors warnings

She said: ‘I saw a dietician, but her advice didn’t make a lot of sense to me. So for a while, I didn’t change much other than to switch from full-sugar drinks to diet varieties. They were cosmetic changes which weren’t making any difference.

‘I laughed and joked about my weight, but inside it was eating away at me. I was very unhappy with my health, but I didn’t know how to turn things around.

Eventually, in October 2012, doctors told her that she would need regular insulin injections and warned her that her kidney function would soon begin to deteriorate.

Deborah started exercising regularly, taking up classes such as Zumba

She said: ‘Suddenly, I realised the damage I had been doing to myself. Kidney failure is something people usually associate with the elderly, so I was quite shocked.

‘I downloaded a mobile app which automatically counts calories. I scanned in the barcodes of the foods I was eating and couldn’t believe when the counter reached 4,000.’

Doctors generally recommend that women eat 2,000 calories a day and maintain an active lifestyle in order to avoid weight gain.

Mrs Kershaw immediately threw out the fatty snacks and pledged to eat regular, healthy meals.

Nowadays, she maintains a healthy diet, typically involving porridge for breakfast, followed by soup with bread or a low-calorie pasta pot for lunch and a square meal of steak with fresh vegetables for an evening meal.

She still eats crisps, but only one low-calorie packet variety every other day, and usually chooses to eat fruit as a snack instead.

She said: ‘For the first few days I was practically crawling on the floor, I was so hungry. It was a real shock to the system.

‘My friend pushed me into trying Zumba for the first time. I thought I would hate it, but the instructor saw how nervous I was and reassured me that I only had to do what I felt comfortable with.

‘I ended up loving it. In addition to the Zumba on Mondays, I started attending Bokwa and then muscle-toning classes. It got addictive.’

Supported in her weight-loss efforts by her husband Mark, 44, their son Kyle, 15, and daugther Jade, 13, by February 2013 Mrs Kershaw had reached 10st 7lb and could fit into size 10 outfits.

And in an unexpected twist, doctors are now testing her to see whether she is in remission from diabetes in light of the fact that her glycated hemoglobin levels are now normal.

The confidence which has come from her slimming has given Mrs Kershaw, who now leads a team of care assistants, the motivation to fulfill a long-held ambition of learning to swim.

The confidence which has come from her slimming has given Mrs Kershaw, who now leads a team of care assistants, the motivation to fulfil a long-held ambition of learning to swim.

She said: ‘While I was big, I hated the idea of wearing a swimsuit, so I never really learned to swim properly.

‘I started swimming lessons last week. I’m getting on alright with it, even though it’s much more tiring than I realised. I was very pleased at how I got on.

‘Today when I get home from work I’ve got the energy to enjoy my free time with Mark and be active with the children. The weight-loss has completely changed my life around.’

 

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