A DIABETES diagnosis was a wake-up call for one Oxford woman who has now shed nearly six stone.

Retired nurse Rachel Griffin, 56, from Greater Leys said she was 'shell-shocked' at receiving the diagnosis last year after a routine blood test.

But after adopting a low-carb diet using tips and advice posted by other users of the website diabetes.co.uk, she now describes it as 'a blessing in disguise.'

The mum-of-two said: "It came as a complete shock.

"I have routine blood tests and I just went along and was not even thinking about diabetes.

"I got a call out of the blue telling me to make an urgent appointment but it was a bank holiday weekend so I had to wait to find out why.

"Lots of things cross my mind but I hadn't considered it would be diabetes."

Following the diagnosis, Mrs Griffin was forced into action and made it her mission to find out as much as she could about the condition.

She added: "I'd worked with diabetes patients before in my job but I didn't know much about it.

"When I started to read up online I was astounded at how little I knew.

"I thought I needed to do something to help myself and cutting out all carbs was the way I felt I needed to go.

"I was eating way to much rice and pasta and couldn't believe how much sugar these foods include."

Following the website's 'low carb program', Mrs Griffin, who now works part time at a cancer research call centre, went from 18 stone at her heaviest to just over 12 stone.

The weight loss and new diet helped relieve other conditions including hypertension and osteoarthritis which she had suffered from for years.

She has now begun to slowly reduce the amount of medication she has to take and her joints are much less inflamed than they once were.

She said: "It was really hard work but I was lucky in that I had just retired which meant I could spend a lot more time in the kitchen.

"I was able to plan out my meals a lot more and stop relying on things that are easy to cook like ready meals.

"It was invaluable to be able to speak to other diabetics and get their tips and ideas.

"I've had to become a bit more creative but I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.

"I still get to enjoy occasional treats, even chocolate, and I don't miss pasta and rice.

"My outlook has changed so much."