My name is Lyn Dunkley Rodney.
I'm 52 years old.
I'm a divorcee and I have a 14-year-old son, Daniel.
Five years ago, I was very busy,
a very busy single mum.
Basically, I was working full time.
My son was at junior school,
and once I finished,
then I was picking him up from afterschool club.
It would be quite late by the time I got home to prepare a meal,
so we were fast-food junkies.
My lifestyle dictated, really, what I ate.
It was trying to juggle work,
and bringing my son up by myself,
it was a struggle.
I was drinking quite a lot of water.
I would say at least three to four litres a day,
and I was going to the toilet very regularly.
I was very overweight.
I was at least 17 stone.
I was feeling unwell, very lethargic
and I was admitted to Dudley Road Hospital in Birmingham.
The doctor mentioned to me
that there is a higher risk
of African Caribbeans getting diabetes,
which I was not aware of.
My sugar level was so high
that they had to put me on insulin immediately.
Basically, he said to me, "You're one lucky lady.
"This disease is a silent killer."
From knowing nothing,
and then all of a sudden you're told
that you have a disease
that is going to be with you for the rest of your life,
it was an absolute shock.
I had to go and see my local diabetic nurse,
and she mentioned that there is a possibility
that I could be off the insulin through diet and exercise,
and I really needed to hear that,
because I felt it was empowerment for me.
I decided to do something about it.
One of our main dishes
that we have in the African-Caribbean culture
is rice and peas.
It's a rich, rich dinner,
so I've had to give up most of these things.
I wouldn't say totally,
so I have some things still,
but I do in moderation.
Another favourite of mine is chicken.
Before all of this, eating it with the skin,
but I now realise that most of the fat is stored in there,
so if I do cook it with the skin,
I take the skin off prior to eating it.
I was never a salad fan,
didn't like it, but I do now.
When I'm making my salad,
I design them,
so I make it look attractive on the plate.
There are certain vegetables that I like anyway,
carrots, beetroot - I absolutely love beetroot.
Just making it look nice,
and make it attractive, so that I want to eat it.
Part of my, I would say, exercise regime now
could be hoovering.
So I'm a fanatic now for hoovering.
I go for a walk with my friend Paula
at our local park.
Sometimes we power-walk,
sometimes we have a good laugh in between,
but by the end of it,
we've had an hour, an hour and a half of exercise.
Sometimes when I come in from work,
I get this bee in my bonnet,
and I say, "Yes, go. Get up."
I will just go walking by myself.
I just put my headset on,
and I absolutely have a power walk.
Think about what it's going to do for you.
It's going to help with your sugar level,
it's going to keep it down,
and so it motivates me.
When I come back in, I feel great,
and I think, "Wow, I'm so glad I went out."
These are some of the little things that you can do
that can make a difference.
My son and I, we play a little bit of badminton.
Not that we're great,
but, again, it's another way of us having some time together,
of him coming off the console,
and also getting some exercise.
Since changing my lifestyle, my eating habits,
I've actually lost three stone.
Hooray! It was absolutely great.
You feel better,
you look better, you walk better,
you even think better.
Not easy.
I have put on a little bit, because it's hard to maintain.
It's hard to keep up,
to constantly keep going.
I can say through the diet and exercise,
I'm now off the medication.
The first thing that I came off was the insulin,
and I have got a pair of jeans in my wardrobe,
and when I put those jeans on, I know, girl, you have arrived.
You have reached your target,
and, yes, the future is bright.
I was a dead man walking.
The time has come for me to take action.
I was 17st 2lb,
and now I'm 12 stone,
and I feel absolutely brilliant.
Now I actually feel excited for the future.
You're told that you have a disease
that's going to be with you for the rest of your life.
It was an absolute shock.
I love my life now.
There's a future, and I'm going to live it.