A Burgess Hill woman, who has been driven on by seeing her mother suffer with diabetes, has lost over two stone in weight and become much more active after signing up for a Mid Sussex Wellbeing pre-diabetes course.
After a routine visit to the doctor in January 2016 Joanne Hamilton from Burgess Hill was advised that she was at risk of developing diabetes.
“My mum’s diabetic, has suffered with blindness and suffers awfully with her legs, so it was a real spur to do something,” said Joanne. “I was given a leaflet by my GP recommending the pre-diabetes course run by Mid Sussex Wellbeing. It was held at my local GP surgery, so it wasn’t inconvenient at all, and it was packed full of information.
“At the end of the course we were asked if anyone would like to do anything extra or have some one-to-one support. We were told about the 12 week Mid Sussex Wellbeing courses in Burgess Hill, which are local to me an cost just £1 per week, so it was a bit of a no brainer really; if someone was going to help me.
“All I can say from the heart is I know I would be bigger now than when I started if it wasn’t for the Wellbeing courses. I’ve lost 2st 3lbs, which is amazing, and it’s completely changed the way I look at food. I’ve now taken up swimming and I’m going three times a week, where I meet up with some of the other ladies from the group.
“The Wellbeing course has been invaluable. I have yo-yo dieted in the past and joined slimming clubs but personally I don’t think they work. The only way to do it is to change your lifestyle and I would recommend the Wellbeing team.”
The number of people living with diabetes in the UK has tipped over the 4 million mark for the first time, a figure that has increased by over 65% in the last decade. The Mid Sussex Wellbeing team is working hard to try and buck that trend locally and has announced new dates for their successful pre-diabetes programme to help people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes avoid the condition.
The programme is open to anyone who is concerned about their lifestyle or weight. However, some people are more at risk of developing the condition than others so residents with a family history of Type 2 diabetes, a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25 and adults from ethnic minority backgrounds are being strongly encouraged to sign-up for the prevention programme.
The free course looks at small and manageable steps that individuals can take to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes, such as changes to diet, increasing activity levels and other lifestyle factors.
The free half-day courses will be run at GP surgeries in Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath on the following dates:
East Grinstead – Friday 16 September
Haywards Heath – Thursday 13 October
Burgess Hill – Friday 21 October
Burgess Hill – Wednesday 2 November
East Grinstead – Friday 11 November
Burgess Hill – Friday 2 December
Haywards Heath – Thursday 8 December
East Grinstead – Friday 20 January 2017
Burgess Hill – Wednesday 1 February 2017
Haywards Heath – Thursday 9 February 2017
Burgess Hill – Friday 17 February 2017
East Grinstead – Friday 17th March 2017
For more information or to book your space now please call the Wellbeing team on 01444 477191 or email wellbeing@midsussex.gov.uk.
