"I reversed my diabetes in six months" says 53-year-old hospital worker

John Davies, s 53-year-old ward assistant has also made lifestyle changes to help him get back to better health.

"Having to shield during COVID-19 had a major impact on my health," John said.

"I really noticed a change as I couldn’t go anywhere. I also don’t have a garden to go out in so it ended up that all I could do was eat and drink.

"All my motivation was lost and I certainly became more unhealthy."

It was during this time that John started to experience some pains in his stomach and went to the walk-in centre at New Cross Hospital to be assessed.

The budding cyclist said: "I had the assessment and they did a test which showed I had type 2 diabetes.

"It was a complete shock, I really couldn’t believe it, I had heard lots of stories about what could happen if I had diabetes and it wasn’t under control.

"In my family, my uncle had diabetes and suffered major health issues.

"I knew I needed to do something."

John, who lives in Snow Hill, started a low carbohydrate diet and took up cycling to try to reverse his diabetes diagnosis.

He also signed up for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s cycle-to-work scheme and started cycling to work every day from Snow Hill in Wolverhampton to New Cross Hospital.

John managed to reverse his diabetes diagnosis with his change in exercise routine and diet– which mainly consisted of eating more fruit and vegetables and reducing his carbohydrate intake.

"Within three months my blood sugar levels were back to normal, and within six months I was taken off the medication and no longer classed as having diabetes," John said.

"I felt so much better and quickly felt the benefits. I lost three stone in three months which was fantastic.

"I was paying £60 a month for a bus pass before and now pay £30 a month for my bike instead – so it is also a lot cheaper."