AN INSPIRING Basingstoke man who lives with a rare condition has lost three stone to help his health.

Alan Durham was diagnosed with diabetes insipidus in 2016 - a painful disease that leaves sufferers urinating regularly and often left feeling thirsty.

He said: “I initially showed diabetes symptoms some six years ago and was diagnosed in February 2016 after extensive testing.

"Diabetes insipidus is comparatively rare and whilst it doesn’t directly impact on blood sugar levels, it does upset the balance of my blood chemistry.

"The doctor told me I would need to take medication to manage it, as my weight was seriously impacting my health. I needed to take control to help manage it and my pre-existing condition of gout."

Alan said he was aware he was overweight and the impact his size was having on his health but was nervous to make the first step.

He continued: "Being overweight impacted me on so many aspects of my life, from struggling to find clothes that I liked to fit to not being able to do simple everyday tasks without feeling out of breath.

"I always felt like I was lacking energy, and like I was on a slippery slope to gaining more and more weight – I didn’t really see a way out.”

Alan's wife suggested he tried a weightloss group so he joined her at the Chineham branch of Slimming World.

"I found joining really nerve-wracking," he said. "I was embarrassed about my size and scared that I might be the only man there."

But Alan said he was quickly put at ease and "hasn't looked back".

The couple have been attending virtual meetings and adjusting their diets, swapping shop-brought sandwiches and biscuits for pasta dishes and healthy versions of traditional meals.

Alan has lost a total of three stone 1.5lb and has gone from a 40inch waist down to 36inches.

And it's had a positive impact on his health.

He said: "Thanks to the changes I’ve made my health has improved dramatically my doctor has told me that I have significantly reduced the risks to my health, my balance and flexibility have dramatically improved.

"And there is the added benefit of positive contribution to my mental wellbeing. I have never felt as good as I do now, I couldn’t be happier.”

Faith Howard, Alan's Slimming World consultant, praised him for his hard work.

"The changes Alan has told us about are incredible. I hope his success will inspire other people in Basingstoke who would like to lose weight and improve their health," she said. 

To find out more, visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk.

The main two symptoms of diabetes insipidus are extreme thirst and urinating a lot, even at night. In severe cases, a person can pee up to 20 litres of urine in a day.

The NHS advises anyone who constantly feels thirsty to contact their GP or are peeing more than normal. Its website states: "Most healthy adults pass urine four to seven times in a 24-hour period."