Kate, 63, from Mayfield, NSW who was told by her treating GP that her latest blood tests showed she was a pre-diabetic, reveals how The Doctor’s Kitchen’s Diabetes First Program helped change her habits and health

Kate, 63, at risk of developing type 2 diabetes decided to start the Diabetes First Program – Level 1 after reading about the 12 week program on her health insurer’s website, Phoenix Health Fund.

• Kate reveals the steps she has taken to reduce her risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and her changed habits
• She increased her muscle mass by 2kgs from 38kgs to 40 kgs (being an average level of muscle)
• She dropped her biological age by 4 years from 78 years – 74 years (chronological age 63 years)
• She learned more about her vital biometrics including her muscle mass, body fat % and basal metabolic rate using the Tanita body composition scales
• She said her Dexcom continuous glucose monitor that she applied to her body for the first 4 weeks showed her why she should never to eat 2 minute noodles again
• She enjoyed her diabetic friendly calorie controlled meals which were delivered by Lite n' Easy which showed her portion size and coupled this with daily resistance training exercises

Kate, a young and fabulous grandmother from Mayfield, NSW, was told by her treating GP that her last blood tests showed that she was pre-diabetic. This sparked Kate to search for some options to help her change her ways and her health. “I felt like I needed a plan to lose some weight and be more active. I'm a grandmother now and want to keep up with them”, Kate explained.

12 weeks later, Kate has made some incredibly positive changes to health, feels much healthier and knows what she needs to do to help her reduce her risk Type 2 Diabetes progression. “I'm getting out of the house, moving, going to aquarobics, and I feel stronger and just better in myself”, she said.

Kate learned about the program while searching on Phoenix Health Fund’s website. Kate hadn’t tried any other programs but had seen a dietitian in the past about lowering her cholesterol and weight. “It all seemed a bit too hard and I lost motivation trying to just diet”, she shared.

The Doctor’s Kitchen Australia developed the Diabetes First Program with the support of Phoenix Health Fund in order to help address the rising prevalence of Australians who are living in a pre-diabetes / early diabetes state or suffering from Type 2 diabetes. Phoenix Health Fund uniquely supports eligible members to participate in the program for the betterment of the health of their members.

It is a GP led program managed via telehealth and delivered by a care co-ordination team including a credentialled diabetes educator, registered dietitian, nurses and clinical team members. It is complemented by scaled calorie controlled meals delivered by Lite n’ Easy, body composition scales, Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM), daily resistance training exercises and the Doctor’s Health & Weight Tracker App which enables individuals to to track their own health measurements and progress.

As part of the Diabetes First Program comes a 12 week Resistance Workout Plan which is tailored to your fitness level (beginner, intermediate or advanced). At home, or outdoors.

 Dr Phillip Wuth, an Australian GP and Founder of the Doctor’s Kitchen Australia said that the organisation’s purpose-led mission is to prevent disease, maximise quality of life and keep patients out of hospital with the support and guidance of doctors and allied health professionals. “The large number of Australians affected by obesity and excess weight coupled with the rising prevalence of diabetes in Australia (with little to no improvements in the relevant statistics in recent times) sparked the Doctor’s Kitchen to think more broadly as to how it could better support Australians”, Dr Wuth said.

With the unwavering support of Phoenix Health Fund, the Doctor’s Kitchen embarked on the development of their new Diabetes First Program. There are 3 levels of programs offered: 

•       Level 1: for individuals who are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes;
•        Level 2: for individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes without insulin;
•        Level 3: for individuals diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes using insulin.

Dr Wuth said that the program aims to help reduce the morbidity and mortality from Type 2 Diabetes and its complications by improving the treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, promoting early diagnosis and preventing onset of diabetes. “The Doctor’s Kitchen Australia is focused on helping individuals achieve and maintain healthy weight, reduce glucose levels within the target range, and reduce the burden of medication”, Dr Wuth explained.

Kate’s 12 week journey began at the end of October 2024 with her wellbeing assessment with nurse, Georgie. Kate said her goals were to lose some weight, feel healthier and become more active. “I'd been a couch potato for too long and feeling a bit down hearted”, Kate explained.

Kate then received a personalised welcome pack in the mail which included her body composition scales that she would use for the full 12 weeks and a Dexcom CGM that she would apply on her body for the first 4 weeks to help her track her understand the impact of diet and exercise on her glucose levels and control. 

Prior to her initial consultation with the Doctor, Kate applied her CGM on her body and recorded her measurements from the body composition scales as follows:

Table 1: Kate’s initial measurements recorded on 24 October 2024 on commencement of the program using the Tanita BC545N body composition scales that are delivered as part of the Diabetes First Program.

The Doctor recommended that Kate begin on 1200 calories per day coupled by daily resistance training exercises to help her improve her health and lower her risk of disease progression. 

Lite n’ Easy then delivered to Kate 4 weeks of diabetic friendly and nutritious calorie controlled meals at the calorie intake recommended to her by the Doctor. Kate received 5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first two weeks, lunch and dinners on the third week and dinners only on the fourth week. This scaled nutritional support enables individuals to not only understand appropriate portion sizes and the types of food that can form part of a healthy diet but also enables them to practice their portion control as part of their normal life on their days without the food to help encourage positive changes, Dr Wuth said. Kate said that she loved melted cheese but the Mexican or Italian dishes were her favourite foods. “Adding salad to a meal of lasagne was a game changer!”, Kate shared.

Lite n’ Easy’s delicious range of calorie controlled meals come as part of the Diabetes First Program. For 4 weeks, individuals receive 5 days of meals on a scaled basis to help show portion control and the types of foods that form part of a healthy lifestyle.

Each week through the Level 1 Program, Kate would check in with one of the coordinated care team (a dietician, nurse or clinical team member) and each week she would measure herself on the body composition scales and enter them into the Doctor’s Health & Weight Tracker App. Kate said, “I could see evidence of where I was going both good and not so good, on the scales and the glucose monitor. And I was making positive changes.”

The Diabetes First Program includes a set of the Tanita BC545N body composition scales which uses advanced technology to enable individuals to measure and monitor their body composition including body fat percentage and muscle mass over the full 12 week program.

During the first 4 weeks of using the Dexcom CGM, Kate was able to monitor her glucose levels and the impact of diet and exercise. When Kate first started the program, her average glucose levels were recorded at 7.1. Over the period of time (30 days) that she used the Dexcom CGM and while she restricted her calories at 1200 calories per day and performed the resistance training exercises (Monday 28, October 2024 – Wednesday, 18 December 2024) she, on average, reduced her glucose levels and her average reading as at the last date of using the CGM was 6.8. 

 The Diabetes First Program includes 4 weeks of a Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor which enables individuals to access and monitor their blood glucose levels in real time and understand the impact of their diet and exercise on their levels.

When asked whether there was a meal that she would no longer eat as a result of seeing the impact of her diet on her glucose levels Kate said: “I'll never eat 2 minute noodles again!! My glucose reading shot up to 14 and stayed high for ages”. Kate has now said that if she wants something quick to eat it means that she hasn’t eaten well earlier in the day and will “have a glass of water and think about my options.”

Research suggests that effective blood sugar management can reduce the risk of eye disease, kidney disease and nerve disease.

The Dexcom CGM also showed Kate the standard deviation of her glycemic variability (GV) which is how controlled her blood sugar levels are. At the commencement, Kate’s GV was recorded at 1.5. During the time that Kate wore the CGM (4 weeks), her report from the Dexcom CGM shows that she was able to consistently reduce her GV significantly to under 1 and the last day of her CGM recorded her variability at 0.9. This is almost half from when she first began the program. Research suggests that the lower the GV, the less risk that patients have for complications, diabetic neuropathy and cognitive impairment.

At her final consult with the Doctor, Kate’s measurements were as follows:

 Table 2: This table compares Kate’s results from the Tanita body composition scales from when she first entered them into the Doctor’s Health & Weight Tracker App on 24 October 2024 and started the 12 week Diabetes first Program – Level 1  to her measurements recorded on 14 January 2025.

Kate not only feels healthier but has made some incredibly positive changes to her health and life throughout her 12 week journey while on the Diabetes First Program. The changes set out in the table above shows that she has increased her muscle mass by 2kgs, dropped her biological age by 4 years and cut her body fat percentage by 3% all the while increasing her basal metabolic rate by 31 calories.

Research suggests that increasing your lean muscle mass helps improve insulin sensitivity and glucose (blood sugar), and boosts your metabolism.

As to the program outcomes, Dr Wuth said that while weight is an important health indicator, we don’t just want our patients to be lighter — we want them to be healthier for the rest of their life. “We aim to change the conversation from ‘weight loss’ to ‘fat loss’ in order for patients to attain optimal metabolic health”, Dr Wuth explained. 

When Kate was asked about whether she would recommend the Diabetes First Program she said, it is not hard work. “It's gradual and the tools keep the momentum going (prepared meals, glucose monitor and body scales). I put the resistance exercises on a corkboard and do some watching tv, or standing in the kitchen while the kettle boils,” she shared.

Kate learned that balancing blood glucose levels is about intake and output. “I've learned that some foods are not good for me, and sometimes too much of a 'good food' isn't good for me either”, Kate stated.

Kate’s top tip is to drink water when planning on eating. “Don't miss meals and avoid the hangrys (hungry and angry mood). A little activity often is do-able and rewarding”, she said.

When sharing her results, Kate said that her muscle mass increased after week 4 and her glucose started to stabilise but her weight didn't shift much. “Then I started to understand about basal metabolic rate (BMR - how many calories my body uses at rest). More muscle speeds up my metabolism”, Kate explained. 

Kate is now so committed to maintaining her results that she opted in to keeping the body composition scales to continue her health improvements and journey to better health for herself and her grandchildren. 

Phoenix Health Fund is the first health Fund in Australia who provides support to eligible members to participate in the Diabetes First Program. Dr Wuth stated that “this partnership brings exponential opportunities for us to have a positive influence on the health and lifestyle of people in a very unique and preventative way through general practitioners using The Doctor’s Kitchen Diabetes First Program, to deliver better health to all Australians”. Phoenix Heath Fund’s support means that more people across the country will be able to now get access to this life changing program, to optimise and gain health, not just lose weight, Dr Wuth said.

To find out more or to get started with the Diabetes First Program visit here.