Jon Calorie Counting Success Story
Jon found being overweight a drag and decided to take
control of his life to become fitter, healthier and more
confident.
Age: 53
Height: 6'
Start Weight: 19st 3lb
Current Weight: 15st 7lb
Goal Weight: 13st
Weight Lost: 3st 10lb
Working to Rate of Loss: 2lb per week
Weight Loss History
I have calorie counted on my own and I used
Weight Watchers
online with a CD-ROM a few years ago, but this was not very
successful. I had a look at the GI diet but have to admit to
being a little half hearted and it did not inspire or motivate
me. I even bought the cookbook as I am responsible for the food
in the house and I like to cook but the recipes did not
particularly motivate me either.
Have you lost weight before
and regained the weight?
Yes! I was always a tubby child and teenager and in my late
twenties I went on a diet and lost about 5 stone. I got myself
fit (for the first time) and completed half marathons and lots
of 10k fun runs.
I knew that I was susceptible to putting on a few pounds but
would adjust my eating accordingly to control for the odd ‘good
night out’. However, the weight seemed to creep back up.
I stopped exercising because it became more difficult to
accommodate in the winter and with my work routine but of course
did not stop enjoying the ‘good nights out’. So on went the
weight, as work became more demanding so I would let things go
in the evening, with a view of ‘…why deny yourself when you have
had a hard day?’
So the weight carried on going up and I did nothing to stop
it, except for one or two half-hearted attempts at getting it
back under control. So, over time I put on approximately six and
half stone which is a little more than a bag and a half of
spuds!
How being overweight has affected you…
Being overweight affects your life in so many ways.
It was an ‘issue’ between my partner and I. She was concerned
for my health and could not understand how I could let my weight
go out of control – so it could spoil a ‘good night out’ by her
seeing me eat too much or eat food I couldn’t possibly need.
When you are overweight you know that friends see you putting
on weight but do not like to say anything – but sometimes,
especially in male company, you get the odd comment made in
‘banter’.
Other people you do not know look at you and somehow their
look seems to say ‘he’s a big (fat) guy’. I used to think I
would not want to sit next to me on an aeroplane!
I felt less healthy and I was aware as I got older of the
health risks of being overweight. For example, high blood
pressure, diabetes, increased risk of coronary problems and so
on.
All of this contributed to a feeling that I was not in
control and this in turn resulted in a lack of or reduction of
my self-confidence. I was not able to be as active as I liked
and found cycling and even some walking demanding. So, I had
lots of information that told me I was ‘A big guy – well a fat
guy really’ but yet I seemed to be able to convince myself I was
not that bad and that I had it under some sort of control.
It
also meant that I bought few clothes as I struggled to find
mainstream stores that carried sizes that were big enough. I
could just about manage it and resisted going to the ‘Big Man’
Shops. So, clothes were also an issue and it was difficult for
me to find clothes that allowed me to feel smart or well
dressed. Being overweight makes looking smart a real challenge
and this has a knock-on in terms of self-confidence and feeling
conspicuous because of the weight I was carrying.
Motivation to Lose Weight
Three things motivated me:-
Firstly, I recognised that my weight upset and distressed my
partner. Whilst we believe we are indestructible we know that
really we are very vulnerable. Two friends of ours died young
last year and whilst neither was related to weight I had to take
stock and recognise that life is precious. So I decided that I
must do things to reduce the risk of incurring health problems,
and there was only one thing to do - lose weight.
Secondly, on the ‘pleadings’ of my partner I went to have my
blood pressure taken and I was surprised that I didn’t have a
problem. I nearly did and I am still being monitored by my GP
but I realised that if I went on I would have a serious blood
pressure issue as there is a family history. The GP noted the
link between blood pressure and weight.
Thirdly, I was fed up with being fat. It was uncomfortable
and was not something I felt OK with, so I had to do something
about it. I was very self-conscious of how I looked and hated
having my photo taken as I was always the really big guy.
The motivation to continue is still those three plus feeling
much healthier. I find cycling a lot easier and now manage with
my two friends to climb the steep hill out of the local town on
our Saturday morning bike ride. Even though it is really steep
it is a great sense of achievement to be blowing and puffing
with them at the top having got there by bike rather than by
walking.
I have just started jogging again, gently and not too
far and the sense of well being this induces is so good.
I can
now buy clothes in less than extra-large and extra-extra-large
and it is a great boost to confidence that once again I look and
feel good in clothes – and I am not using them to try and hide
the fact that I am overweight.
My partner is incredibly supportive and she is not distressed
and worried about my weight now and we still have ‘good nights
out’.
I also feel good about having regained control over my life.
Finally, after a time people recognise that you have lost weight
and no one has ever been disparaging. In fact on the Saturday
morning bike ride there is sometimes a ‘pub stop’ for a pint. I
am not spending my calories on beer at the moment so I take a
glass of sparkling water. My friend said to me ‘That’s good,
there is no point doing it if you don’t mean it’.
I am fitter, confident and healthier - my blood pressure is
now on the way down!
One final point of motivation is the desire to be able to
wear my wedding ring again.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
I decided before Christmas 2005 that after the Christmas
holiday and a work trip abroad I would tackle my weight. I knew
that trying before Christmas would be hopeless and with a work
trip away it would be difficult to start. I arrived home,
actually having put on weight and so was at my heaviest. I knew
that calorie counting had worked for me in the past and so
looked for calorie counters in GOOGLE and up popped WLR. I
signed up for the trial but within 24 hours had signed up for a
month and then signed up for six months.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
WLR is a great motivator. The ability to count calories
accurately is excellent and it provides a framework for me to
work within. So I can record my food in the diary and know what
I have eaten and how I have balanced my diet between fruit, veg,
protein, fat and carbs.
As I started WLR I lost weight quite quickly. I think it’s a
guy thing. However, what WLR provides is a real sense of freedom
that I could have whatever I liked as long as I did not exceed
my calorie allowance – so it gave me the control and allowed me
to make the decisions about how I ‘spent’ my calories.
So, as I lost weight I found that my eating habits changed;
weighing everything to know how much I was eating, using more
fruit and veg in my diet, balancing the different elements;
carbs, fats and proteins. I also found I could cook for friends
and serve a meal and they did not recognise it was WLR friendly
– the Amoretti Crumble is a must as a pud!!
The weight reduced week on week and that showed me that I had
total control over this diet. I think I ate reasonably healthily
but I ate far too much and of course some not so good things.
WLR helped me to shift my eating from too much to the right
amount, to a better structured diet and to begin to include
elements of exercise in my routine. So, I decided to eat no
bread, Ryvita instead, no chocolate or sweets, no beer and no
pastry and so on – but this was my decision rather than one of a
‘diet’. So, my diet is much healthier now than it was before I
started with WLR. Within the first month of WLR I lost a stone
and yet I did not starve myself or feel that I was denying
myself a ‘good night out’!
The information on the site is also excellent as it provides
up to date nutritional advice as well as explaining why drinking
2 litres of water a day is a good idea.
The message boards are
also a really useful forum. I am not a great contributor but I
do read lots of posts and add something when I feel I can be
helpful. Reading the boards brings it home that changing how you
see yourself and feel about yourself is the key and that
everyone is really supportive and motivating of others. I think
my resolution for the future is to be a little more proactive on
the boards.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
I use the food diary every day and probably log on three or
four times. Sometimes I check the calories in a food item before
I decide to cook it. I read the message boards, look at the
articles that are available too. The only problem is you could
spend all day on WLR!
Jon's Calorie Counting Tips
The main tips are the ones everyone else has noted. Fill the
food diary in and be honest – if you are not honest it is only
yourself you are kidding. Also don’t see it as a form of denial.
WLR gives you the control and so you can use this to your
advantage to re-think your eating patterns so you lose weight.
Being the right weight really does feel good; it gives
greater confidence and a greater sense of well being. Being
overweight is a drag.
Drink the water – I drink less tea and coffee now and lots of
water and again I feel better. Also take exercise, but plan how
you are going to do it, and make it enjoyable because you will
keep doing it.
Take the advantage of WLR to explore food, you can try lots
of different things via the recipe section and it is great how
changing your eating pattern means you can change the foods you
eat and find ones that are new and exciting – one thing about
WLR is that it is not boring!
Weigh everything as this helped me to reduce portions and to
see how much in excess I was cooking – and eating!
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