I vowed to lose weight so I could keep up with my grandson — and now my type 2 diabetes is in remission
MARK Chadbourne knew he had to act to save his health.
But the real spur was the birth of his grandson Theo — and wanting to keep up with him as he became a lively toddler.
Mark, 50, says: “I was huge and had tried every diet. You name it, I’d had a go — low-fat, no-fat, the lot. Nothing shifted the weight.”
He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2013, when he weighed 22st. His doctor put him on medication and told him to count calories.
He was also desperate to get fitter because he is full-time carer to wife Gilly, 52, who has type 1 diabetes.
But it was not until March 2018, when he saw on , that he realised it could be done.
Since then he has dropped 6st 9lb. Gilly, 52, has also lost nearly 3st 7lb.
Mark, of Burton upon Trent, Staffs, says: “Gill is less stressed, knowing my health is much better, and I have much more get up and go.
“Theo is a little Tasmanian devil but these days I keep up. He can’t give me the runaround any more.”
The whole Chadbourne family embraces the new lifestyle, with son Vinny, 26, and daughters Bianca, 28, Ashley, 26, and Samantha, 23, all supportive.
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Mark and Gilly also have nine-year-old grand-daughter Amelia to keep them on their toes.
Before low-carb, an average day would start with a bowl of Frosties, lunch would be cheese sandwiches and dinner a takeaway or something pasta-based.
Mark says: “Snacks would be the usual suspects of crisps and biscuits. But these days a snack is a handful of almonds, berries or just a piece of cheese.
“With main meals, a roast comes out on top, but we lose the potatoes and gravy. I just roast a lot of veg with a little oil, salt and pepper.
“Adding the fat but removing the carbs is key. My favourite meal has to be pork medallions with plenty of veg.
"We love chicken salad or a nice steak and don’t feel we are missing out.”
Even the little Chadbournes are healthy eaters. Mark says: “Theo is lucky to have parents who feed him fresh fruit and veg and he is happy to snack on carrots.
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“I’m afraid to say Grandad throws the odd spanner in the works with the occasional bar of chocolate.
“There is a lot to be said for how people ate hundreds of years ago – no pasta or rice, just meat, fish, fruit and veg.
“We can’t recommend this highly enough and wish we’d done it years ago.”
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