My husband’s diabetes diagnosis came out of the blue. An insect bite in the garden led to cellulitis, causing angry redness and swelling over his entire lower leg…and this moment in September 2023 became the catalyst for changing the habits of a lifetime.
We’d never heard of cellulitis – it’s nothing to do with cellulite. A search on the internet showed that this serious bacterial skin infection, if not treated, can spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream, leading to amputation and at worst, death. When antibiotics from the GP didn’t work Gregg ended up at hospital on a drip, followed by daily trips for injections.
While they had him “captive” other tests were carried out because before this it had been at least 20 years since he’d last seen a doctor. As an overweight 55-year-old who enjoyed beer, burgers, pizzas and chips, the good life had finally caught up with him, and me.
We never really gave a thought to what we were shoving in our mouths and often dinner was followed by snacks of crisps and bars of chocolate, beer and wine. I’m ashamed to admit how much pizza we’d eat if we ordered a Domino’s takeaway, so I’m not going to say.
Gregg and Lynette Pinchess before changing their eating habits
Over the years, contentment and eating whatever we desired meant the weight crept up. As well as high blood pressure, the tests revealed he had Type 2 diabetes. According to the NHS more than 69,000 people aged 15 and over in Nottinghamshire have this chronic condition.
He needed no explanation about the risks from medics – his dad Dennis had been diagnosed with diabetes in his 60s. As he continued eating and drinking the same as before, he suffered a series of falls caused by mini strokes, lost his eyesight and developed dementia before passing away at the age of 72.
His devastating demise was the biggest motivation for Gregg to change his ways. He didn’t want to take drugs – the most common is metformin – because of the potential side effects. Instead he chose to try to reverse diabetes the hard way, by losing weight and overhauling his lifestyle – and because I wanted to support him, I joined him on his mission – to a degree.
My job writing about food and drink and frequently eating out meant it was impossible to fully commit but the rule was that at home I would be 100 percent on board.
Early 2024 saw the start of a new regime. Gregg attended a six-week NHS awareness course about the do’s and don’ts. The biggest source of inspiration, however, was Dr Michael Mosley, whose diabetes went into remission after weight loss. His 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet and The Fast 800 Easy recipe book proved a game-changer.
Gregg – before and after
I’m not a medical expert and I’m not advocating that anyone follows what we did without speaking to their GP. Rather, I wanted to inspire and show what can be done when your mind is really set on it.
For eight weeks we followed the strictest eating plan – the aim was to lose weight and prevent a spike in Gregg’s blood sugar levels. This meant no alcohol, no white bread, pasta or rice, no pizza, no crisps, no cake, no chocolate, no biscuits – basically all the things we really loved. And the one thing I was probably dreading the most – no potato. The thought of going without roast spuds, chips, mash and jacket potatoes filled me with misery – but then I reminded myself why we were doing this.
A low-carb diet with lean protein, such as chicken, salmon, pork, and beef, and lots of vegetables followed. Planning is the key, so meals were decided for the week ahead. Omelettes and poached eggs were a good start to the day. At weekends we used to regularly go out for brunch (try finding brunch without carbs). Instead we had the Fast 800 Easy’s one-pan breakfast with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach at home and then go to one of our favourite haunts for coffee instead.
Lunches were tuna cups in little gem lettuce leaves, frittata, and Shake That Weight’s shakes, a low-calorie meal replacement. Tex-Mex chicken and beans, chicken katsu curry, steak, beef casserole, pork with mustard and cider vinegar and pesto baked fish were some of the dinners we ate, all under 400 calories. Gregg, who previously grimaced when I served up salmon and broccoli for dinner, is now fully on board with it.
We substituted spaghetti for courgetti, adapted to cauliflower rice or mash, and discovered alternatives for chips – we found we preferred swede to celeriac. I never imagined cottage cheese, eggs, spinach and garlic could be used to create a carb-free version of pasta. It takes a bit of effort in the kitchen but put it in a lasagne or cut into strips for tagliatelle carbonara it makes an ideal replacement.
It might look like tagliatelle but this ‘pasta’ is made from eggs, cottage cheese, spinach and garlic
After eight weeks, we started to eat out again. Rather than steak and chips, it became steak and salad. Tapas is perfect if you’re strong-willed enough to avoid the bread and patatas bravas, and samosas have been swapped for chicken tikka when we went out for a curry – minus the rice.
I’m not going to deny it hasn’t been easy and it has taken a hell of a lot of willpower, especially with no back-up support other than each other. There were times when we’ve been hungry and grumpy. But seeing the weight drop off is the reward and when a blood test came back as normal but “unexpected” because of the remarkable change to his blood sugar levels, it showed that it was really working.
Nearly a year on Gregg has lost 3st and has needed a whole new wardrobe. Once snug XXL tops, that began to hang off him after the changes, have gone to the charity shops, replaced by medium-sized jumpers. His waist has dropped from 38in to 32in.
After the harsh, joyless regime at the start, he’s gradually started to introduce small amounts of previously ‘forbidden’ foods but he tries to stick to no more than 25g carbs in a particular meal. A blood glucose monitor attached to his arm, linked to his mobile phone, shows up-to-the minute changes and what foods cause a spike. One thing we learnt is that no two people with diabetes are the same – and some people’s sugar levels rise when eating certain foods, while others’ don’t.
Lynette – before and after
People without diabetes have a normal reading between four and eight mmol/L. For the last 90 days Gregg has averaged 6.1. Now under control, it means a roast potato or two appears on Sunday dinners and low-carb Jason’s protein bread allows him to have a sandwich.
Using a Halo roll, he can have a burger. An occasional chocolate is just enough to savour that melt-in-the-mouth moment and Proper Chips’ multipacks of lentil barbecue or salt and vinegar chips have all the crunch and flavour of a typical bag of crisps but only 66 calories.
The other weekend we had sausage and chips at the Cod’s Scallops. It’s served with two sausages but we shared a portion to reduce the carbs and calories.
Pizza has been one of the hardest to go without. We’ve tried different low-carb bases but they’re either too ‘cakey’ or taste like eating corrugated cardboard. But since making improvements Gregg can have an occasional slice of normal pepperoni pizza. The lager he used to drink would spike him but he can have a pint of Amstel or a glass of dry white wine and keep within the normal range.
The hardest part has been lunch on the hop, when everything tends to be sandwiches, wraps and jacket potatoes. Even supermarket salads usually come with pasta or grains. Restaurants and supermarkets have meat-free ranges for the UK’s 2.5m vegans and gluten-free for the 500,000 coeliacs. What about the 5.6 million people with diabetes?
Events with street food are tricky too. It was impossible for him to eat anything at Nottingham’s Winter Wonderland as everything was high carb or too sweet. At least he was able to have a pot of mushy peas at Goose Fair.
While Gregg’s never been one for the gym, he’s upped his exercise with daily walks of at least 10,000 steps and occasional swims and says he definitely feels fitter and more agile.
Although my diet has not been as uncompromising as Gregg’s, I’ve also managed to shift two stone and have gone down a dress size. I used to hate having my photograph taken, feeling like I’d turned into a Teletubby with a double chin. Now I’m happy to see the changes.
I’ve put a few pounds back on after birthday celebrations and Christmas but I’m not going to beat myself up. Now it’s January, I’m going to rein it in again. I always used to say I couldn’t lose weight after ditching crisps or wine for a week. I now know I was going about it the wrong way.
I’m expecting some readers to say “you’re here for a good time, not a long time” but we’ve tried to compromise for a happier, longer time. Life has changed and I couldn’t be prouder of my husband, who is like a new man.