Life! participant testimonial

Kerrie's story

Kerrie Beitzel says she’s glad she didn’t wait any longer to start the Life! Taking Action on Diabetes course, ‘because that would have been more of my life wasted.’ In her own words Kerrie was feeling ‘revolting and revolted’ about herself, about her size, her sleeping patterns and her energy levels.

‘When you’re younger it’s all about appearance, appearance, appearance. But it’s gone beyond what I look like now – it’s the way I feel.’

Kerrie felt so low that she was thinking about missing a close friend’s 50th birthday celebration, even though she had already booked her flight to Queensland. ‘It took so much courage just to get on the plane,’ she said later. ‘If I hadn’t started the course, I would not have got to that party.’

Kerrie says of her Life! course facilitator ‘Trent has a great way about him…everyone’s very encouraging.’ And she can’t quite believe just how much she learned at her first session. After years of yo-yo dieting, Kerrie thought herself an expert on weight loss strategies, like using a smaller plate or reducing portion sizes. But the Life! course, taught her more than just the ‘tricks’ of weight loss. After her very first session, Kerrie said, ‘I didn’t realise just how little I did know.’

‘I’m a heck of a lot better (now) than I was if I hadn’t have started.’

After calling 13 RISK, Kerrie took the Diabetes Risk Test. After doing the test Kerrie found out that she was at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as she suspected.

‘It was not a matter of if, it was a matter of when,’ Kerrie says.

A doctor’s appointment confirmed the results. As it happened there was a Life! course starting that very day. ‘I’ll take it, I’ll take it!’ Kerrie said, ‘From the next day I started to eat better.’

Signing up for the Life! Taking Action on Diabetes course, has put Kerrie right on track for a longer and healthier life.