Growing up, I was constantly reminded that "be very careful as you have Diabetes in your family."

I never really took much notice as I enjoyed my food and have a very sweet tooth which I guess most diabetics do from what I've seen.

As time went by, and when I was in my thirties, I realized that occasionally, I would get light-headed, my head would begin to feel heavy as if its weight was trying to bring me down.

I even remember having a blackout at the local library once where everything went dark for a few seconds and also getting spells of dizziness which were becoming more frequent, I never gave it much thought and put it down to me not drinking enough water, diabetes never once entered my mind.

It was in 2016, when an uncle of mine returned from abroad, knowing how much I loved sweets brought me back some made purely from sugar and ghee.

I very happily consumed the sweets, but it was after this that I realized that I had to see a doctor as the heaviness in my head began to get worse.

I spoke with my family, who told me to get it checked immediately because there was a history of diabetes in my family. And so I phoned the chemist to book an appointment for a blood glucose test, when I phoned, they told me that to get accurate results I needed to fast from the night before therefore, I wasn’t allowed to consume anything after 8 pm which I followed and the very next day, I visited them, they did free blood and glucose tests as well as other tests.

When I arrived I was taken into their consultation room where they carried out the tests and after seeing the tests results they gave me that surprised look, I was curious, it was that look which made you impatient and want to scream out, what is it!, what's wrong I was thinking, have they caught something more severe than what I had imagined?.

Unfortunately for me, it was not good news. The days where I could consume sweets and chocolates without having to worry were over as I was told that although I had been fasting for 12 hours by the time the test was carried out, my blood sugar levels were still reading very high, they were concerned, they told me to see my doctor as soon as I could without delay, it was convenient for me that my doctor's surgery was just above the chemist. So I immediately went upstairs and booked an appointment to see her.

When I went into the surgery, my doctor explained to me that as my reading was of concern and because there was a history of diabetes in my family, she was going to book me in for further testing at the local hospital.

After a few days, I received the appointment letter from my local hospital. They also asked me to fast from the night before as they wanted to run several further tests that were needed to see the bigger picture of what was happening with my blood glucose.

After taking the tests, they told me that my doctor would give me a call with the test results, she called me  after a couple of days, and broke the news to me that I have been classed as a type 2 diabetic and that I should start taking medication as soon as posible to help me with this as a matter of urgency.

She even went as far as to write down the prescription for the medicine that I would require and began to explain the help I could receive in paying for my medications as I would need quite a lot of different pills and would require them routinely, the cost of which would run relatively high if no help was available.

When I was a teenager, I remember very clearly when a close friend of mine once explained to me about the human immune system, what it is, how it works, and how to strengthen it by allowing it to work on its own without pills and medication, etc.

He explained to me how drugs and medicines stopped the immune system from working to its full potential and how the immune system becomes lazy.

Ever since that day, I became very health conscious and refused to take any medication that I believed I could cope without unless I absolutely needed it, and till this day, I will only take one aspirin in dire and extreme circumstances, which, when taken, does work wonders for me, this I believe is all due to my immune system being strong and only because I took on board what my friend explained and who I am genuinely thankful too.

I explained to my doctor that I strongly believe in the human body's power to heal and in the immune system and would like to be given a chance to see if I can do something else rather than take medicine; she took a while to think about what else they could offer me.

After a while, she told me about this educational course that was being trialed, which was known as DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) and asked me if I would like to take this route and be enrolled.

I immediately took up the offer, and a week later, I received the invitation letter and was off to this course.

When I arrived at the course, I was greeted by the tutors and taken to a room filled with people of all different backgrounds and ages, all of whom had also been diagnosed like myself with diabetes.

Many of the people in that room were newly diagnosed, some with type one, others type two, ladies with gestational diabetes, as well as people that had diabetes and had been taking medication for a while.

The course was laid out very well; it began with explaining about training the mindset to adapt too and accept lifestyle changes, believing that anything was possible only with willpower and if the human mind allowed and believed in it.

The entire course was structured around what we consume, our eating habits, good ones and bad, our downfalls, and what we must do to turn this around in the safest, fastest, and best way possible.

After attending the course, I learned that my entire life, I was making the wrong choices and decisions when it came to lifestyle choices, food and satisfying my hunger, which led me to sitting there as a diagnosed patient.

The course tutors explained what sugar and glucose were, how and what foods turned into sugars and which ones didn't, what the ideal dinner plate should look like, what measurements our servings should be, the importance of diet and losing weight, the benefits of fasting, the importance of sleep and mental health, the importance of hydration and the adverse effects of alcohol and smoking, and how all of this can be carried out in the best and safest way.

After listening to the tutors, their words touched a nerve in me as losing weight was something that I urgently needed to do as I was a very unhealthy 224 pounds (16 stone).

I used to get tired and out of breath while climbing the two flights of stairs in my home, which had also been in the back of my mind now for a while.

I used to think to myself that if my children ever asked me to play football etc with them, I wouldn't last 2 minutes without having the need to sit down and take a break. I guess it had to take being labeled a “diabetic” to give me that wake-up call as this was the only way I would understand that I needed to urgently make positive lifestyle changes.

I remember the tutors of the course saying that in the past, they have had students who, like the people in the room, were diagnosed and who had successfully put their diabetes into remission; one of those students even decided to become a tutor and help deliver the course to inspire others.

I wanted to be that person; I wanted to help others who were diagnosed; I also wanted to be the one that had successfully put their diabetes into remission, and thankfully today, I can say that five years down the line, I am still on no medication and have also lost weight and hence why I have decided to write this book to inspire others.

I lost so much weight that I had to change my wardrobe; this also positively impacted my confidence and helped turn my life around for the better; I went from being an unhealthy 224 pounds (16 stone) to a healthy 182 pounds (13 stone).

All of this was done only because I believed in myself because I wanted to change. After all, I wanted to live a quality life which was free from doctors appointments and hospital visits.

So here I am today continuing my journey to try and live my life as best as possible without the complications and worries that diabetes can bring and, more importantly, without the medication.

And because I am diagnosed, my name is also on the diabetes register. Therefore, I annually receive all the tests from eyesight to blood pressure and glucose tests that other diagnosed diabetics receive.

And thankfully like every year, even this year I was told by my diabetes clinic nurse that I have nothing to worry about as long as I continue doing what I have been, which is following all of the course information from having a disciplined diet and exercise regime to generaly making the right lifestyle choices.

I don't starve myself; after all, I'm human. I also have cravings, and if you have a sweet tooth like me then you will understand that a sweet tooth never goes away. I do have cheat days where I will have something sweet the difference now is that I manage to control what I eat and how much of it  and I also know when to stop and what to do after.

How did I achieve all of this? This was due to my lifestyle changes and routine, which I adopted after taking the course, I began by making a plan on how to lose weight over a period of time gradually, realizing that consistency is the key.

I took up jogging, I started off very slowly and managed to build myself up and now I jog 4 to 5 times a week; I'm not training to compete in the Olympics! So I don't need to jog very fast or break any records I just want to lose some weight, anything; even if I lose ten calories, it's a step in the right direction, because out of the many things that I took away from the course, the one thing I remember the most from DESMOND is that if a person was to lose 100 calories a week by making small tiny changes, and kept consistent over some time. The difference would be enormous; They will eventually lose weight; it may take a while, but consistency is the key, and ultimately, they will get there.



When I first began to jog, I would get tired, but instead of stopping for a break to get my breath back or stoping running altogether and start walking, which most people do, I would carry on, I wouldn’t stop, I would just slow my pace right down to a very slow jogging pace almost like a speed walk, one that I am comfortable with and the reason I did this was because I didn't want my heart rate to drop and I wanted to keep up that sweat!

After a while, I began seeing results; it was working; I was finally losing weight and all because of those tiny little things that I had removed and also added to my daily routine, this also encouraged me to make other changes because when you see that something is working, making a difference, it gives you confidence and strength.

I introduced a fasting regime into my week and began fasting every Mondays and Thursdays where I would not consume anything from dawn till sunset, after which I would just have the one meal as I would on any other day; this also helped me towards my goal as I was losing weight faster, getting lighter and leaner.

This is my success story, putting my diabetes into remission and staying off the drugs purely through fasting, diet and exercise; and I genuinely believe that if it has helped me and I can do it, then so can you! So if you want to put your diabetes into remission then join our FACEBOOK GROUP HERE to find out what I learned from the course and how you can also successfully put your diabetes into remission by making the lifestyle changes I did. 😊