Healthier living will help in battle to beat Covid

A weight loss champion has lost just over three stone (20kg) in a year thanks to one-to-one support from Be Well Tameside.

Nina Phythian, 55, from Denton, has a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, but says she now feels healthier than ever.

She has shared her weight loss story to help highlight the new NHS Better Health campaign.

The campaign is part of the government’s new obesity strategy to get the nation fit and healthy, help protect themselves against Covid-19 and protect the NHS.

Nina said: “I used Be Well Tameside, as I needed help, support and guidance to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes due to being diagnosed pre-diabetic and to reduce my cholesterol levels. 

“I had no real understanding of the sugar content in a lot of the foods I was eating - even though I thought I was eating healthily.”

Helping Nina identify the nutritional information on food labels and what to look for using the colour codes at a glance helped her, as well as knowing what is low, medium or high in fats, sugars, saturated fats and salt.

She continued: “I didn’t realise how many calories I was consuming by having a few bottles of wine at the weekend or when I was socialising. 

“I am more aware of the calories and sugar content in alcohol and the recommended maximum 14 units per week.

“I switched to wholegrain carbohydrates instead of cutting them out, to cut down in order to lower my blood glucose levels and increased my diet with healthy fats, nuts, seeds, oily fish and protein, which has all helped.” 

Her life has changed completely and she hasn’t looked back since. 

Nina joined PureGym in Denton, which she attends five days a week, doing a class or a session which has helped her physically and mentally. 

She is no longer in the pre-diabetic range, her BMI has reduced significantly and she feels healthier, knowing she’s eating better and exercising more.

Nina added: “I will continue to make this a lifestyle change, losing weight and staying healthy - I feel ten years younger.” 

Gaining weight is often a gradual process that takes place over a number of years and modern life doesn’t always make it easy. But extra weight causes pressure to build up around vital organs, making it harder for the body to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease and now Covid-19.

Main image:

NEW LOOK: Nina says she feels ten years younger.