Blyth Star service user, Shona, is celebrating an incredible personal achievement having lost almost 4 stone in weight while taking part in the Living Skills healthy eating programme at The Steamboat.
Shona, who suffers from Type 2 Diabetes, began her weight loss journey in September 2024 after staff and healthcare professionals became concerned about her increasingly high blood sugar readings.
Supported by the team at The Steamboat, Shona has been learning about healthy eating, portion control and how to make substitutions to her diet to help her live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight gradually over time.
To track her progress, staff encouraged Shona to take part in a weekly weigh-in, similar to Weight Watchers or Slimming World. Staff have also been closely monitoring Shona’s Diabetes, taking blood sugar readings twice a day during her sessions at the day service centre to see how the changes to her diet are impacting her health.
Gillian Hobson, Support Worker at The Steamboat, commented:
“We’re so proud of Shona and how far she’s come. When we first started her healthy eating plan, she really struggled to adjust. Shona has got a real sweet tooth and loved stodgy foods high in carbohydrates and starch which were just no good for her Diabetes.
“It took some time, but eventually, Shona came around and started making small changes to her diet which had a huge impact on her Diabetes. Within a matter of months, Shona was able to reduce the amount of insulin she needed to take daily because her blood sugars had become so stable. Her doctor is now preparing to take her off her insulin altogether in favour of taking tablets instead. It’s a huge achievement.”
Shona commented:
“I feel so much better in myself. I’m walking better and I haven’t had any more falls, because I was falling over quite a lot. My Mam is over the moon.
“I’m finding that I’m eating less at home because I’m eating well while I’m at The Steamboat. I feel fuller for longer and I’m saving over £100 a week on my shopping bill. The only thing is, all of my clothes are now too big!
“I don’t have a target weight in mind but I would like to get fit enough to go on holiday. I was born in Gibraltar and I’ve always wanted to visit, so that’s my end goal.”
Before…
After…
