James Diet Success Story

AKA "Leone115" on Weight Loss Resources

Dieting History

Prior to finding WLR, I had not seriously tried to lose weight, although had flirted with Slimfast, Detox Diets, and when an awful lot younger, a high-protein “grapefruit” diet with my mother, designed for oil-workers who had over-indulged whilst working on the rigs. Needless to say, none of these approaches really worked.

On Being Overweight

I had always been overweight, from my earliest childhood memories, and it was always a cause of consternation to my super-slim athletic family who found my size an issue. Throughout my teenage years, where I was heavily involved with academic work and other sedentary pursuits, I continued to pile on weigh, until at the age of 20, I reached the zenith of my weight; 14 stone 7, with a 38 inch waist! The embarrassment I felt when I went to Austin Reed to be measured for some trousers cannot be expressed; it was heartbreaking. It was as though all of those years of unhappiness about my weight crashed on top of me at once, and I thought action must be taken!

Finding the Motivation

The motivation to get started was brought about by the “trouser” incident, after which followed seriously using WLR, and joining a gym so that I could add some exercise to balance calories more efficiently. From never having enjoyed any form of physical activity, owing to my size, I became a gym regular, attending 7 times a week on occasion. This spurred me on greatly, as I could see the results before my eyes, not only on the scale, but more importantly in the way that my clothes were fitting.

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

Finding this site was really like crossing the Rubicon; ‘alea iacta est’ sprung to mind when I realised that my “dieting destiny” was in my hands. I found it incredible to find this site where I could enter all of the food I ate, without having to refer to endless nutritional tables, or slavishly study food labels. It allowed me to plan my eating habits, and take a longer term view of the cause and effect of what I was eating on a daily basis.

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

I find the food diary of the greatest assistance; as far as exercise is concerned, I have a heart-rate monitor which allows me to keep a record of calorie expenditure, so I will often manually enter that information. As my body shape has changed, so have my food needs, as currently I am working hard to gain lean mass, which requires a high protein intake. To this end, WLR is invaluable in working out those dietary needs, which is why I still subscribe even though I am not actively attempting to lose weight any longer.

Dieting Tips

• Don’t view using WLR as a “diet”; view it as an instrument for changing lifestyle habits
• Counting calories is useless unless you exercise regularly at a high intensity
• Indulge, as long as you know that you will be able to account for excess calories later on, ideally through exercise
• Avoid refined wheat and sugar which often encourage (in my case at least) overeating
• Don’t be disheartened by inexplicable fluctuations in weight or bloating; the sensation that owing to a little water retention you have undone a month’s good work can be devastating
• Eat large quantities of protein rich foods, as these will help you to retain lean tissue whilst losing weight

Finally...

Even though it’s a wonderful feeling to have successfully lost weight, it’s essential that one realises that keeping the weight off is in some says a greater challenge than losing it. In my view complacency is the downfall of most successful dieters, resulting in the yo-yo effect; having lost weight does not give one carte-blanche to go back to bad old habits! Continuing to use WLR as a maintenance support is the best way to achieve a steady weight.

James' Vital Statistics

	Then	Now
Weight	14st 7lb	11st 7lb