A size 18 mum-of-one who ‘thought about food constantly’ was devastated when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in June last year. Teacher Jane Grant was caring for her elderly mother during the pandemic and while she was shopping and cooking for two households - admits her own eating habits became haphazard with ‘out of control’ cravings.
The 48-year-old gorged on Chinese takeaways, homemade curries, pizzas, burgers and chips, but describes her diagnosis as a ‘complete and utter wake up call’. After embarking on a low-calorie, meal replacement diet recommended by her doctor, Jane managed to lose 2st 7lbs in the three months after her diagnosis - enough to put her type 2 diabetes into remission and transform her health once and for all.
She consumed diet and meal replacement brand exante’s nutritionally-complete shakes for breakfast and lunch, alongside a healthy 400-calorie meal in the evening, for 12 weeks. After this, she upped her calorie intake and went on to lose a total of 3st 5lbs altogether.
Jane, from London, went from 14st to 10st 9lbs and is now a comfortable size 12. She said: “I felt terrible. I was so lethargic and I couldn't keep up with my daughter (9) at all. I was dipping out of family events and felt very much on the sidelines of life. I thought about food constantly and gave in to cravings on a whim. I was out of control.
“I started exante because I’d just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I knew I was at risk because I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was being monitored regularly, but that stopped during the pandemic.
“During that time, my eating became very haphazard. I was caring for my elderly mother and doing shopping and cooking for two households. I became a low priority and just grabbed whatever food was convenient, usually carb-heavy and processed foods.
“After the lockdowns, I had my blood sugar levels tested and was told I had type 2 diabetes. I was devastated. My doctor recommended the’ very-low calorie diet’ to aim for remission and so I’ve never been on diabetes medication.”
Type 2 diabetes causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It's often linked to being overweight or inactive, or a family history of the condition.
Jane decided to try exante after hearing about a friend’s success story. She initially stuck to 800 calories a day, which is the recommended amount to benefit from a very low-calorie diet, and this plan must only be followed for 12 weeks maximum.
She admits she was sceptical of meal replacement diets previously, but wanted to try after failing to calorie count or follow plans in the past. For her healthy meal she would eat lean chicken or fish, and occasionally beef or lamb, alongside her favourite vegetables like courgettes, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms.
Jane added: “I wasn’t in the right headspace to constantly shop and plan for meals for myself, as well as my mum and my family. exante meant I had freedom from always thinking about food and planning up to nine meals a day. It meant I could focus on my one meal in the evening and truly enjoy it.
“I added spices like harissa or jerk seasoning, or cumin, garlic and ginger to make meals tasty. Sometimes I’d add a crumbling of blue cheese or feta, or a drizzle of pesto. I made chickpea or butter bean stews in the winter too.
“I found that the exante shakes really filled me up and I loved having them. After a week of consuming them I didn’t feel hungry and I’d never experienced that before. The plan was so convenient and I think that was the key to my success.”
After three months, Jane says alongside losing the initial weight her energy levels had increased and she noticed it was much easier to move around. She went back to her doctor for a follow-up blood test, when she was told the good news.
She added: “My HbA1c (blood sugar) level was 39, so not only wasn’t I type 2 diabetic anymore which meant I wouldn’t need medication, I wasn’t in the pre-diabetic range either, where your blood sugars are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis.
“The relief was amazing and I have a real sense of accomplishment. Suddenly, I was bounding up the stairs with my daughter. I didn’t avoid walking up hills in Greenwich Park any more - my life experiences widened as I slimmed down. I’m now enjoying clothes shopping and have no anxiety about what to wear for nights out.
“Now, I consume more calories but maintain my weight with one shake for breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday, a healthy meal in the evening, and I’m more relaxed with my diet on weekends. I do eat at restaurants or have the odd takeaway.
“exante has given me my life back. It’s the only diet I’ve stuck to for more than a few weeks, and the results speak for themselves. I need to get better at allowing my photo to be taken now. Before, I would always shy away from the camera or have my picture taken at a high angle. Only the most flattering photos were allowed on social media, I deleted so many where I hated my double chins and big tummy.”
Jane’s story comes after a recent NHS announcement which supports the use of nutritionally-balanced, low-calorie meal replacement products (soups and shakes) for up to 12 weeks to kick-start weight loss, with support from expert healthcare professionals1 .After a successful pilot in 2020, it plans to roll out the Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme across England to offer soups and shakes to those eligible, giving them a chance to put themselves into remission1.
The news has been welcomed by The Hut Group’s (which owns exante) Medical Director, Dr Ishrat Ahmed, who said the soups and shakes diet has ‘great potential’ to kick-start those with the disease’s weight loss journey - and that it reduces the need for type 2 diabetes medications. She believes those who are obese or morbidly obese will benefit the most, adding that “most evidence suggests that the best way to cause remission is through weight loss.”
Dr Ishrat Ahmed said: “The soups and shakes diet to support people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has proven to be clinically effective in significant weight loss, as well as improvements in diabetes markers (HbA1c). It has shown a great potential in the remission of the disease and has reduced the need for medications for type 2 diabetes.
“The lack of calories will inevitably cause weight loss, and nutritionally the soups and shakes are tailored to have a reduced sugar level thus the hormone, insulin, can manage the reduced blood sugar levels in the body better.
“This in turn will help to reduce insulin resistance, which is a cause of type 2 diabetes, and improve blood sugar control. The average weight loss from this type of diet over 12 months was 11kg, and remission from type 2 diabetes has been observed for up to 5 years, which is fantastic.
“I believe those who are obese or morbidly obese will mostly benefit from the soup and shake diet. Type 2 diabetes can go into remission if detected early and intervened early with dietary and lifestyle measures. Most evidence suggests that the best way to cause remission is through weight loss, and usually the remission occurs when the weight loss is in the early stages when first diagnosed.
“I advise that weight loss and maintenance of diabetes remission involves staying active through physical exercise in addition to diet.”
Anyone embarking on a low-calorie diet plan or who has a medical condition and is looking to change their diet, should seek medical advice from their GP or a healthcare professional first.
