Marcia, 58, knew that she had to start making changes after a diagnosis from her doctor. With the help of MoreLife services in Greater Manchester, she started changing her life.

I couldn’t quite believe it at first. I’d heard what the doctor said but I didn’t think they meant me. I couldn’t have diabetes. There must have been a mistake. I just refused to believe it.

I had struggled with my weight for years. I tried so many different diets, each of them promising quick weight loss. However, any weight I did manage to lose, I would put back on and then some. After coming to terms with my diabetes diagnosis, I wanted to start taking care of myself. I wanted to be healthier.

MoreLife was so different to all those diets I had tried in the past. I didn’t have to drink health shakes or restrict what I ate. I wasn’t made to feel guilty for eating certain foods or going to events. MoreLife made me feel like I could have it all. I could enjoy my life while making healthy choices.

I learnt about food groups and how to balance meals. It was stuff I already knew but with the help of the MoreLife team, I could take these lessons and actually start putting them into practice. The team helped me realise how these changes could easily slot into my everyday life.

My nutritionist reviewed my food diary and provided me with simple dietary changes. I reduced my portion sizes and planned my meals. I also started cooking more and found plenty of recipes that fit into my meal plans.

It wasn’t just food either, I started exercising more too. I used to do one boot camp a week. Then I started to do two boot camps and two personal trainer sessions.

I’m so grateful for the support I received throughout this programme. My group were always there to give me a boost when I needed one. Plus, there was my practitioner and nutritionist. They helped me so much. They would always pick out the positives and there were never any wrong answers. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was approaching weight loss the right way.

Now I feel so much more confident with managing my weight. I know I can maintain the changes I’ve made, keep going and get the results I want.

I would recommend this programme to anyone who needs pointing in the right direction for their weight loss journey. I can’t wait to keep going with mine. I’m so glad I found out about MoreLife.

During her time on the MoreLife programme, Marcia lost just over 4% of her body weight. Her starting was 131.5 kg and her end weight was 126.1kg.