John’s Low Calorie Diet journey

John has been attending the NHS Low calorie diet programme with Xyla Health & Wellbeing and has seen some amazing changes since starting his journey. He has been happy to share with us some of his experiences and results.

Life before the programme

I had only been diagnosed with diabetes for a few months before starting this programme. I was on medication, taking 4 tablets a day. The medication made me feel spaced out and not very well. It made me want to sit in my armchair and sleep. As soon as I started the programme I began to see the benefits. I would say I was relatively active before the programme, but I did find that I was out of breath when I would go up the stairs and wouldn’t be active for long periods of time.

Introduction to the programme

I was introduced to the programme by my nurse who sent me a text about it. Since 2013, I have had high blood pressure and have been overweight for a few years. I have never felt right health wise and
exercise would cause me to be out of breath. In the past I have tried other diets and lost weight so was aware of the benefits of doing so and feeling better afterwards. I knew the only way to feel better again was to participate in something that was more long-term. I felt it was the right thing to do and it has been amazing.

The participant journey – What is your experience on the programme so far?

The support from the practitioners has been great. I have been doing all of the online learning alongside the sessions from the app and the topics covered have been good. I no longer crave the unhealthy food options I previously had. Instead I am happy with non-starchy veg and chicken. Before the programme I used to drink a little, not a lot, and started reducing this. Since being on the diet I have not missed it at all.

How has the programme improved your health and your life?

I have found many positive changes since I started the programme. Firstly, my HbA1c reading has gone down a lot. My blood pressure is also in the healthy range for the first time in years. I have managed to reduce and/or stop some of the medication I have been on. So far, I have lost almost 4 stone. My sleep has also improved, and I no longer need to wake up in the night for a drink of water. I feel more active and younger being able to carry on for longer. I used to get out of breath when being active and using the stairs, I never feel like that now. Prior to this plan, I had aching knees, but this does not happen anymore.

Did you achieve the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the programme? 

The overall goal was to have a healthy weight and healthy life. I feel these have already been achieved. I also wanted to go into remission and I have achieved this goal also. When starting, I set out to lose weight, which has been going well so far. I would like to lose around 3 more stone, which I no longer see as a problem, instead it’s very doable. Thinking of the future, I also plan to maintain my weight once I reach my goal. My motivation for this comes from the benefits I have been experiencing. I am feeling positive about the rest of the programme to come.

You can find out more about the NHS Low Calorie Diet here.