Andrew sheds 30kg, cuts type 2 diabetes risk, boosts confidence

by Kelly Eng, Social Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Life! program at Diabetes Victoria

March 6, 2018
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Last year Andrew Morley hit a point in his life where he was no longer happy with his weight or diet.

“I was 136.5 kilograms which placed me in the obese weight category. I was also having back pain and shoulder pain and was not sleeping well due to my weight,” the 29-year-old said.

Andrew visited his GP looking for sustainable ways to help him make long-term lifestyle changes. Andrew’s excessive weight served as a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes, while also making him up to four times more likely to develop heart disease or suffer a stroke. His doctor recommended giving the FREE healthy lifestyle program Life!* a go. Run by expert health professionals, the Life! program helps participants reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Having unsuccessfully attempted diets in the past Andrew readily joined the program, always reminding himself of the reasons why he decided to make long term positive changes to his health.

“My main motivation was to make a change in the way I ate and exercised with weight loss being the main goal”

While type 2 diabetes is one of Australia’s fastest growing conditions Life! educates participants like Andrew on ways the disease can be prevented or delayed. By learning more about nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress and managing weight, Andrew was able to smash this goal. Andrew has shed an incredible 30.2 kilograms and couldn’t be happier.

“As well as being a lot more active and exercising most days, the difference in my appearance and the reaction from others has given my confidence and self-esteem a much needed boost.”

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“If you really want to make a change, or just properly educate yourself about your health, or the impact food and exercise have on your wellbeing, I would recommend the Life! program every day of the week.”

Ready to make long-term positive changes to your everyday life and cut your type 2 diabetes risk?

Take the first step to good health and check your risk with the AUSDRISK test. It will only take 3 minutes. If you score 12+ on the AUSDRISK test, have a BMI score of 25+ and live in Victoria, you may be eligible for the Life! program.

Check out LiveLighter’s top tips on ways to reach a healthy weight and reduce your type 2 diabetes risk:

*Life! is delivered by the Victorian Government and managed by Diabetes Victoria and is available to those who have a BMI score of 25+ and live in Victoria. You can find out more about the program here.