Laura Murray doesn't remember being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She was diagnosed as a child.
monitor her Normoglycemia For the woman in Newcastle, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is connected to an app to let her know when she needs an insulin shot and when she needs a quick sugar boost to keep her regulated.
Laura, 25, doesn't have to think about what and when to eat. Her devoted parents ensured that her diet was appropriate for her condition.
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She didn't experience weight gain until her teens, as she often ate takeout, and gained weight when she moved out at 22.
“My parents always cooked really good food and since I'm a type 1 diabetic they always measured everything, but when I moved out I didn't have them around to cook for me anymore,” she explained road. “I really had to fend for myself, but I didn't know what to do. I made unhealthy choices that caused me to gain a lot of weight.”
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“I'll order a McDonald's family combo or popcorn chicken from KFC. It's delicious. McDonald's family combo is definitely my go-to. It comes with four burgers, four fries… I won't eat them all, But I eat a lot.”
Controlling her blood sugar levels became more difficult.
“As a type 1 diabetic my pancreas doesn't work properly so I need an insulin pump but when I eat unhealthy food it pushes my blood sugar levels up and I take insulin and I'll' Go low' ‘ and then ‘go high' again. This is a bouncing ball effect.
“I feel tired all the time, have no energy, and no motivation. My meals have no structure.”
She said the weight gain happened slowly over several years.
“I didn't realize how big I had grown until one day I looked at a picture and I didn't notice a big impact. I was carrying weight on my stomach, thighs, arms and face. I was carrying a lot There are too.”
She weighed herself and found that she had reached 121.8 kg.of
“When my blood sugar was high, I would inject myself with insulin, but then I would drop too low,” she recalls. This is dangerous for anyone with diabetes. Too much insulin can cause unconsciousness, coma, and even death.
Thankfully, Laura's mother was there when she lost consciousness during the night of 2019.
“Mom injected me with a glucagon injection in my leg and brought me back to life,” Laura said.of
Laura stopped using CGMs at age 21 because the devices were only funded by Medicare until that age. The fee means she can't afford to keep using it, but recent changes have made them more affordable.of
She has continued to work in child care throughout the pandemic but is finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the kids.
“It's a very dynamic work,” she said. “They want to go out and run around, do obstacle courses. They want you to do anything. I really struggle. I feel bad when I say ‘no' because when I'm doing it to them.
“My knees were sore because I spent a lot of time kneeling on the mat and playing with them. I had to ice them at night.”
Laura tried a variety of weight loss programs, including meal replacement shakes, but it was ‘unsustainable' for her.
“At first they work and I'll notice that I lose a kilo or two, but once I get off them the weight comes back,” she says.
She continued to struggle with her health until she saw an ad for Lite ‘n Easy. She placed her order and hoped it would go well.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” Laura said. While she admits she struggled with hunger for the first few weeks, she eventually adapted to eating fewer calories.
“At first I'd be hungry, I'd go to bed early. My head would hurt with headaches. But I stuck with it and it got a lot easier. I'm still going. I'm holding on for convenience.”
She's even finding she's saving money because she's no longer ordering multiple takeout meals each week.
“It's saved me money because takeaway can be expensive, and it all adds up.”
Laura and her fiancé Nicholas are planning their wedding later this year, so she's doing everything she can to make sure she looks her best on the special day.
“If I did get invited out, I would still go out and eat whatever other people were eating. I just worked out. I started walking in the local park. My goal was to walk 10,000 steps a day. It started off badly. I couldn't do it, I had to take my time at first because I was worried about the stress on my heart.
“I slowly built up until I could.” It took Laura two years to lose 50kg.
“Sometimes I look at Nicholas and ask, ‘Did I really lose 50kg?' I look in the mirror and I think, ‘My God, I did. It's so nice to go to the store, I can buy whatever I want Clothes bought. I used to be very restricted.”
She's been wearing her wedding dress since January.
“It was actually the first dress I tried on,” she said. “When I put it on, I knew right away. My mom and sister were crying. I tried it a few more times, but I stopped and said, ‘This is the first one.'”
She knows she won't gain any more weight.
“I changed my whole lifestyle,” she said. “I understand food now.”
For those just starting out on their weight loss journey, Laura recommends that they “stick it out” for the first few weeks.
“Keep going,” she said. “There are days and weeks where you may not see any weight loss, so don't rely on the scale. It took me two years. It's not a race. Slow and steady is better.
“Don't be discouraged by small, slow steps.”
Share your story with Jo Abi by emailing jabi@nine.com.au.
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