'How I lost 50kg and finally got my diabetes under control'

Laura's life has been turned upside down

Laura Murray's life changed after losing 50kg. Image: Supplied

A near-death experience was the final straw for Laura Murray when it came to her health. Now, she’s lost 50kg – revolutionised her diet, stabilised her diabetes, and turned her life around. 

A few years ago, Laura Murray’s health was in dire straits. 

The Newcastle-based childcare worker had an unhealthy diet and no exercise routine, which left her feeling tired all the time. 

“I had no energy and didn't feel motivated. There was no structure to my meals,” she tells Body+Soul. 

Takeaway was her biggest vice, and she also struggled with eating healthy portion sizes, saying “even if I was just eating a bowl of spaghetti, the portion size would be huge.”

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Her favourite was the McDonald's Family Box or Popcorn Chicken from KFC. 

“It was so delicious. The McDonald's Family Box was definitely my go-to. It comes with four burgers, four fries... I wouldn't eat it all but I'd eat quite a bit of it.”

Then Laura would find herself in a cycle of guilt about overeating, revealing “I would embark on a liquid diet, which also gave me no positive results.

“I felt light-headed and found it impossible to concentrate. I also felt really hungry all the time and only ever lost three kilos.”

A brush with death

Laura battled with her weight all through her youth, and is also a Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetic, which makes it hard to control her blood sugar levels. 

As a teenager, she was told by her endocrinologist, “If you stay like this you are going to shorten your lifespan.” 

In 2019, Laura’s lifespan was put to the test, after she underwent a traumatic near-death experience. 

“I had removed my Type 1 diabetic continuous glucose monitor and had no replacement sensors. I had also consumed takeaway for dinner that night (unable to properly work out the carbohydrates that I had consumed) therefore flinging my blood sugar level on a roller coaster,” she tells Body+Soul.

“I went to sleep, and did not wake up,” 

She ended up in hospital having “lost all cognitive recognition” and “unable to control most aspects of my body.” Laura couldn’t even remember her name. 

“Once I returned home, I knew I had to change my life. I was too young to die in my sleep, and by making the horrid choices of takeaway and poor health choices I was slowly hurting my body,” she tells Body+Soul. 

“I was terrified to go to sleep after the event, scared I was not going to wake up- I set alarms every hour to ensure I made it overnight.

“That’s when I saw an ad for Light n’ Easy. After trying all of the fad diets, and after almost dying I knew I had to change my life.”

Laura Murray before and after Light n' Easy. Image: Supplied

Revolutionising her diet 

A year and a half ago, Laura weighed in at 121.8kg. She knew that it was her diet that was having the worst impact on her overall health, and that once she made positive moves to improve that, she’d be able to participate in more exercise to further work on her health. 

“I decided to start my weight loss journey with the new Jumpstart 1200-calorie seven-day plan. After the first week I lost four kilos – I can remember screaming with excitement. I made the best decision for my health,” she says. 

“Two weeks later I finished my first two weeks of Jumpstart and moved onto the 1200-calorie seven-day lunch and dinner plan. In 44 weeks (10 months) I’m beyond happy to say I lost 27kgs!” 

A new life

Fast forward 18 months and Laura has lost 50 kilos – taking her from 121kg to 71kg. 

"Sometimes I look at my fiancé Nicholas and I ask, 'Did I actually lose 50 kilos?'. Then I look in the mirror and just think, 'Oh my God I did do it.' 

“It's so nice to go to the shops and I can buy whatever clothing I want to buy. I used to be so restricted. I went from a size 22-24 in clothing to a size 14 and when I graduated last year I was finally able to wear my dream dress.”

“But it's not just my weight. My cholesterol has dropped dramatically and my Type 1 diabetes is the most under control it has ever been.

“I have steady blood sugar levels, my body has a much better response to insulin and I have so much less fat.” 

Now, Laura Murray's diabetes has stabilised. Image: Supplied

Laura’s day on a plate

Reluctant to give up a good thing now that she’s in a great routine, Laura still eats Light n’ Easy for every meal. 

“1200 calorie Lite n’ Easy meal plan, 7-day breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she says. 

A typical day of exercise

I would start by walking around the local park and I aim for 10,000 steps a day. It was terrible at first. I couldn't do it. I had to take it slowly at first because I was worried about the pressure on my heart,” says Laura. “But I slowly built it up until I could do it." 

Now, Laura walks and engages in more exhaustive exercise: “running up to 10 kilometres each day and doing sit ups and pullups at the outdoor gym at the park with my fiancé.” 

“My job is reasonably active, running around looking after kids, so I get some passive exercise there, too”

Biggest challenges

“It has not been a fast journey to success for me but the learnings have had a lifetime impact,” Laura tells Body+Soul. 

“Staying on the program is now about healthy weight maintenance, easy ongoing management for my diabetes and the extra convenience of enjoying an evening meal with my partner, Nicholas, ready in 8 mins and tastes delicious.” 

Laura’s advice for people wanting to lose weight

For those at the beginning of their weight loss journeys, Laura advises them to "push through" those first few weeks.

"Just keep going," she tells Body+Soul. "Some days and weeks you may not see any weight loss so don't rely on the scales. And it took me two years. It's not a race. Slow and steady is better.

"Don't be disheartened by slow, small steps."

“I am a completely different person, feeling confident and happier in all aspects of my life”. 

“I have changed my relationship with food and one of the most valuable aspects of being on the full program is the education around food, portion sizes and nutrition in general”.

Originally published as 'How I lost 50kg and finally got my diabetes under control'