Gordon's Calorie Counting Success Story
After having a replacement valve fitted to his heart, Gordon
needed to lose weight but it was his daughter's weight loss that
inspired him and motivated him to do it.
Age: 61
Height: 5' 10"
Start Weight: 15st 6lb
Current Weight: 12st 10lb
Goal Weight: 12st
Weight Lost: 2st 10lb
Working to Rate of Loss: 1lb/wk
Time Taken: 13 weeks
Dieting History
Diagnosed as
diabetic 18 years ago and for 2 years was
worried if I ate anything that included sugar. I lost a lot of
weight but was totally miserable about it. In the end I got over
my fear and started eating as normal again and though I put all
the weight back on I was at least a happier bunny. My main
trouble was that I stopped eating out of fear. This time I am
doing things properly with the help of WLR and all of its
members.
Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?
As I have already said I did lose a lot of weight about 18
years ago but I was not using a diet plan or anything. I became
quite miserable about the whole thing so that in the end I gave
up and hey presto all the weight came back again.
How being overweight has affected you…
I have never really worried too much about being overweight.
It was just the way I was. I sometimes would look in the mirror
and when I turned sideways I would realise how big I was around
the middle. It did not show too much if I looked straight on so
I avoided the side view if possible. I was not depressed at all
about it.
Motivation to Diet
In March this year, I had a replacement valve fitted to my heart. After a
period of recovery from the operation I had to attend a series of physiotherapy
sessions and the cardiac nurse pointed out that my BMI (I thought that was an
airline) was well over 30 and it should be between 20 and 25. Well I thought
about what she had said and just thought about it.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
My daughter Sally (alias Psychoprincess) came to visit me.
Well I was amazed she looked stunning and so sleek. I asked her
how she did it. She told me all about WLR so I agreed to do the
free trial period. I had nothing to lose except some weight. I,
of course, was hooked and signed up to full membership.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
When I started using WLR, I set my goal to lose 1lb/wk. It
was an easy target, not too ambitious. Within 2 days I had
purchased a good digital scales for my food and another one to
check my weight on.
I think my first surprise was how big were the portion sizes
I had got used to . It was not too difficult to reduce them.
Another surprise was the vastly different costs in calories
different foods were. I think that raw mushrooms are a dieters
best friend. I bulk up most of my meals with them.
Another thing I soon realised was that I could eat anything I
liked (nothing barred). The only condition was that if I wanted
to eat more than my daily calorie quota, I had to burn some
calories doing exercise. I started walking and then I came
across an advert for Nordic Walking (also known as Power
walking) equipment. It did not cost an arm or a leg so off I
went and kitted myself up. The great advantage of this type of
walking is that it not only earns you extra calories (I really
mean extra food) it is also very good for strengthening the
heart which is what I needed. I regularly walk between 6 to 10
miles two or three times a week and the extras I earn let me eat
some quite sinful food and not go over my allowances.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
I enjoy the menu section and have got some great ideas from there. I
have posted once on the message boards after my daughter had mentioned
me on there. I read quite a lot of the boards and especially like the
Food Ideas Board and the ideas you all come up with. I also use the My
Recipe section to work out the calories etc. for dishes I make. I find
that so useful.
Gordon's Calorie Counting Tips
I find it essential to keep up the daily recording of what
you eat. I print out the daily reports and all the weekly
reports and save them in a ring binder. It is really interesting
to look back and see how things have changed in my eating
habits. It also reminds me of some of the treats I have tried
and whether they were high or low in calories. I weigh myself at
the same time each week and do my measurements each fortnight. I
find it hard to believe that I have lost 7ins from my waist.
I believe that the support you get on this site and
especially from other members is so important. There are times
when your friends will knock you back saying that you are wrong
to lose weight, that they like you as you are. This is fine for
them. They think that they are being kind saying that you do not
need to do it. But if for any reason you feel the need to drop a
few lbs or more then it would be nicer of them if they supported
you. There are all sorts of reasons to want to or need to lose
weight and I believe that the support available on WLR is
invaluable.
I would just like to say a huge thank you to my daughter
Sally for introducing me to this site and for all her wonderful
support especially through my operation and recovery. Thank you
Sally! |
