It’s Never Too Late: Woman Lost 250 Pounds After Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and Diabetes

Clocking at over 405 pounds, Elle Goodall needed to change her habits. After being diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at age 26, doctors warned her that she would not live past her 40s due to obesity. Instead of slumping into depression, she decided to make herself feel better.

Changing Her Diet Plan and Wardrobe

Now at 28 years old, Goodall lost 250 pounds after changing her diet. Before losing some weight, her daily menu consisted of fast food, specifically McDonald’s and KFC. She would eat six pieces of chicken and chips for lunch and three servings of Big Mac and large fries for dinner. Not only that, she also eats nuggets and large hot chocolates for her snacks. She spent most of her time eating junk food. Whenever she sees herself in photos, especially when she walked on the aisle on her wedding day, wearing a size 24 gown, she turned to binge eating. As a result, she just kept getting bigger and bigger every single day. Clothing options are getting narrower, and she resorted to online stores that sell shirts and pants of her size.

Now, her diet consists of green smoothies, boiled egg, raw vegetables, smoked salmon, corn, and seaweed. This helped her shed off the weight that prevented her from doing proper exercise. This also paved the way for her to be healthy, and her wardrobe selections became wider. After she lost weight, she became motivated, itching to lose more.

Working Out and Joining Triathlons

After losing a couple of pounds, she started to work out after her husband bought her a treadmill. Her progress took time as she had difficulty running even for just 30 seconds, but she didn’t give up. Few months passed, and the progress was already visible. She met a trainer that prompted her to join a triathlon. Her trainer conditioned her for a whole month and completed her first triathlon at 140 kg.

Through her consistent determination to lose weight, she maintained her diet plan and training regime. She also continued training for triathlons that helped her a lot in managing her weight problem. She started to feel better.

Going Under the Knife

Before it all happened, she had undergone a gastric sleeve surgery. This is a procedure done to obese patients that needed to lose weight.

Performing surgery on obese people is risky, and the longer the operation, the larger the risk. Doctors have invented a way in reducing the time of surgery by dividing the existing method into two parts. The first part involves reducing the stomach size, and the second part involves the bypassing of the intestines to minimize calorie absorption, which is done usually a year after the operation. Doctors prefer this kind of operation because it is much safer and less complex to do, unlike lap bands.

This was the best decision she made. She could not have done all those things if she had not undergone surgery. This reduced her appetite, which made the transition from eating junk food to healthier food options easier.

Why Is Obesity Usually Linked to Diabetes?

Elle was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. About 90% of people with obesity have this kind of disease. Diabetes is developed when there is insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin is not functioning properly. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps turn sugar from the carbohydrates that we eat into energy. This helps maintain the amount of sugar in our bloodstream, commonly known as blood sugar. If left untreated, blood sugar levels will rise, resulting in hyperglycemia.

High levels of blood sugar will cause the pancreas to produce more insulin. But if the hormone can not perform its function well, the pancreas will be damaged over time, resulting in many complications if the organ loses its ability to produce any more insulin. If the sugar stays too long in the blood stream, this will eventually lead to atherosclerosis or the hardening of blood vessels.

This will cause more problems in the body, such as kidney failure, increased risk of stroke, cardiac arrest, problems with vision that will lead to blindness, weaker immune system, nerve damage, erectile dysfunction, slower wound-healing, and poor circulation to the lower body. Most of the cases of diabetes are concentrated in the United States because of the prevalence of obesity due to the lifestyle of most Americans. Obesity is one of the easy factors to determine if someone has diabetes. The overweight or obese person’s body is pressured to produce more insulin than people with normal bodies or average weight.

Preventing Diabetes and Obesity

There are several ways to prevent yourself from getting the same situation as Elle did. These tips are both for diabetes and obesity prevention, as well as general health care.

• Fix your daily diet plan. Eating healthy food like fruits (not in excess) and vegetables that are rich in fiber helps in managing your weight, blood sugar, and digestion. Fiber-rich foods make your appetite satiated and also reduce the risk of heart problems. Foods with whole grain like bread and pasta also help in reducing your blood sugar levels. Reduce your daily sugar intake and improve your eating lifestyle by avoiding fast food or any junk foods.

• Be involved in regular physical activities. This helps you stay fit and lose weight, and this also improves your overall body condition. You can start by brisk walking for 30 minutes until you can do this consistently for an hour or two. If you want to go somewhere and it is near you, try walking or riding a bike. If your body is conditioned enough, you can try jogging or running short distances. Avoid sitting and laying down for extended hours while watching television or fiddling with your gadgets. If you have enough time, instead of taking the elevator, try walking up the stairs.

• If you are really conscious about your health and your body, plan everything. Weigh yourself every week and check if it there is any change. Check your body measurements if a part needs more focus when working out. This will affect your overall body health in the long run. Measure the calories of the food you eat and set limits for every meal so that you will not consume more calories than you burn. This will result in weight gain. Visit your doctor regularly for check-ups and assessments on your health so that you can prevent any disease other than diabetes or obesity.

Aftermath

Elle’s perseverance in losing weight resulted in a more positive outlook on life. Now she can wear anything she wants, eat healthily, live strongly, and pursue her dreams without restraints. Now, she regularly trains for triathlons, and always looking forward to joining every time she gets a chance. Her story serves as an inspiration to those suffering from diabetes and obesity. You could prevent it from happening, but if you are already suffering from the disease, it only takes a simple wake up call just like Elle had. Of course, it takes a lot of hard work and willpower to achieve her feats. Once you have decided to do something about it, you will never have to look back. Elle isn’t, and she will not eat fast food again.