Success Story: Phil

AKA "Phil Bradshaw" on Weight Loss Resources

Dieting History

Nothing specific. I did try about 4 years ago to give up mars bars and chips, after being diagnosed with high blood pressure and cholesterol but with limited success. I never even weighed myself!

Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?

None that I would know about. I have not weighed myself for about 20 years.

How being overweight has affected you…

I was not aware of any specific problems. The gut had grown a bit but I put that down to bad posture. I got out of breath walking up hills; an unavoidable hobby in the Welsh valleys.

Motivation to Diet

About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My doctor advised me to cut down on the chips and Mars bars and put me on tablets for both.

I never thought I was particularly overweight and my doctor did not weigh me. After a couple of months I gave up the tablets without going back to my doctor, as I could not afford the repeat prescriptions. My eating slipped back into old habits.

I recently turned 50, moved house and had to find a new doctor. The practice insisted on giving me a check up. My BP was high. I was weighed and came in at 13st 7lb – in the obese range by BMI. I was shocked. Until my mid twenties I was always very slim 10 st 7lbs for years. By 30 I had reached 11 st 7lbs and assumed I still was about the same.

At about the same time a friend suggested a sinus problem I had for years may be due to dairy products. I decided to diet seriously to a mid-range BMI and cut out all dairies. By the time my new doctor checked my cholesterol about six weeks later I had already lost 14 lbs and my BP and cholesterol were normal – no drugs required!

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

I was searching the Internet for information on non-dairy diets when I came across Weight Loss Resources.

How Weight Loss Resources Helps

It gave me the discipline to monitor food and exercise on a daily basis and to establish a healthy eating pattern.

The detailed information helped me to identify areas of excess that would never have occurred to me for example I was drinking over a litre of fresh orange juice a day, and having loads of pesto on my pasta – easy to cut down on with absolutely no loss of enjoyment. I had not even thought of them as contributing to my ‘food’ but they were about 700 calories – equivalent to an extra meal.

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

Mostly just the diaries. I supplied my own motivation once I had decided to go for it.

Phil's Dieting Tips

Use the diary fully. Do not just log the food – but which meal it was at. Look at the whole eating pattern. I found it easier to have a complete redesign. I used to have a small breakfast. Moderate lunch. Large evening meal. I switched to large breakfast, loads of snacks, smaller lunch and smaller earlier evening meal. Nothing after 7 pm. This helped to stop any bad habits as the snacks were now part of the plan.

Build in some exercise too. I upped my waking from 10 mins a day to about 45 mins.