Age: 46
Height: 6' ˝"
Start Weight: 14st 8lb
Current Weight: 12st 4lb
Goal Weight: 12st
Weight Lost: 2st 4lb
Working to Rate of Loss: 1˝lb per week
Weight Loss History
Many years ago I successfully lost quite a bit of weight
using a self designed calorie controlled diet and even then I
felt that calorie-counting was the most reliable means of losing
weight. Over a number of years my weight slowly crept up almost
certainly as a result of an increasingly sedentary working life
though in my leisure time I remained reasonably active.
I decided some while ago following all the publicity on the
subject to try the Atkins Diet even though I was generally quite
sceptical and even a little concerned about the potential health
effects of following a high-fat high-protein diet. On the Atkins
Diet I successfully lost just under a stone but the problem from
my point of view was that the diet left me feeling very
lethargic due to the lack of carbohydrates and I also remained
unconvinced that it was a healthy way of eating. Of particular
concern to me was the very low
fruit and vegetable intake on
this diet, and others like it. After about a month I decided to
stop the Atkins Diet because I felt so lacking in energy and
predictably my weight rapidly returned to its original level as
my levels of stored glycogen returned to normal, I decided not
to follow a high-fat diet again and remain unconvinced of the
long term health implications of these diets.
Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?
As already indicated I have in the past lost weight using the
Atkins Diet and by a self-managed calorie-counting diet. In
addition I have also in the past lost weight by continuing with
a "normal" eating plan as well as increasing the volume of
exercise taken and this has been successful. The difficulty I
have experienced with this approach is that in the past I have
at one point or another experienced a variety of injuries which
have curtailed my exercise programmes with the inevitable result
that the weight loss achieved has been negated. For a period
some years ago I also experimented with a high-protein diet
which I lost some weight on. However, I had similar feelings
towards this as I have towards the Atkins Diet in that I did not
feel particularly energetic whilst on a high protein diet and I
also felt that this was probably not a particularly healthy
longer term way of eating.
How being overweight has affected you…
I am fortunate in some ways to be quite tall and the result
of this is that my weight can vary a great deal without anyone
else really noticing. I have found over the years that until I
am approximately two to three stones over my
ideal weight people
don't really notice at all and if they do notice perhaps they
have simply been too polite to point out my expanding waistline!
For this reason I have been a fortunately largely unaffected by
the reaction of other people or by other people's perceptions of
me. My weight has however had an enormous effect on my lifestyle
and mood and has stopped me doing things that I would have liked
to have done and has certainly stopped me doing things as well
as I could have done.
Examples of this are that in recent years I have enjoyed a
much more active lifestyle. I enjoy running and cycling and
elect to spend my holidays where possible in the Swiss Alps
mountain walking, all of these activities require a high level
of physical fitness if they are to be enjoyed to the full.
Having, entirely through my own failure to take myself in hand,
gained at least two stones in weight I found that I have been
unable to run or cycle at the levels I had previously reached. I
also found that as a result of carrying excess weight my walking
holidays were more of an effort than they should have been.
Things became much worse when in 2002 I tore a cartilage in my
knee (whilst training for a marathon) which resulted in surgery
and a lengthy period of rehabilitation. During this time I was
not able to exercise significantly and I gained further weight.
The overall effect of all this was a quite profound reduction in
my mood and a general loss of motivation and "get up and go".
Something had to be done and there was only me that could do it.
I lost some weight in 2003 and successfully completed two
marathons abroad but I was still well above my ideal weight and
was very unhappy to be in this situation, I knew that things
could be a lot better, so I acted.
Motivation to Lose Weight
My primary reason for wanting to
lose weight is to maintain
and improve my health. A number of events in my life have led me
to the conclusion that above all else we should try to maintain
our health as best we can. It does not matter how much money or
how large a house we have, if we do not have our health we have
very little and are poor indeed. I have increasingly read of and
seen the effects of being overweight and I decided to make every
possible effort to avoid weight related illnesses. We
increasingly live in a society which expects problems to be
solved for us or for us to be able to purchase our way out of
difficulties. Weight related illnesses are an area which we have
to take responsibility for ourselves and I was determined to do
this.
Secondary reasons for wanting to lose weight were that I
wanted to be able to enjoy my running and cycling as much as I
had previously and I think within all of us there is a little
something which makes us feel that we would like to look at our
best, especially perhaps as the years advance! I had in my
wardrobe a number of items of clothing which I could not even
consider trying to wear and I felt that at the age of 46 it
simply was not good enough for me to just accept this and to
continue to buy clothes with a larger waist size. I knew that if
I failed to act now I was probably condemning myself to the next
20 or so years of wearing clothes which were larger than I would
have liked and generally being in much poorer shape than I could
and should be unless I was prepared to put in the effort. Looking at
things in the cold light of day it simply wasn't good enough to
take the easy and lazy route, which is what I was doing.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
In April 2004 I decided to start a self designed calorie
controlled diet, I dug out an old reference book which contained
the calorie values of a large number of food items and I
developed some recording charts and armed with a calculator and
pencil started to record the calorie values of all the food I
was eating. I put myself on a 2000 calories per day diet working
on the assumption that in order to maintain my weight I needed
approximately 2500 calories per day, I reckoned that on this
regime I should lose one to two pounds per week, and I did in
fact start to lose weight.
After a fairly short period of time I got somewhat tired of
manually recording everything and started to investigate
Internet resources which might be helpful to me. I believe I had
conducted a search for "calorie counter" and one of the sites
listed was the WLR site. As soon as I started to browse the site
I realised immediately that it would satisfy my needs exactly.
What I had been looking for was a calorie measured database of
foods, the means to record food intake, and a means of
calculating and recording the calorie value of any exercise
undertaken. I found that all these requirements were satisfied
by the site and I immediately signed up for the three-day trial,
following this I became a member and have not looked back since.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
There is no doubt whatsoever that the site has been a great
help to me. I think one of the greatest problems of trying to
lose weight, which is never easy at the best of times, is
retaining one's motivation. I have found it extremely useful to
be able to accurately record everything that I do, including the
occasional times when I go off the rails, and to be able to look
at this information alongside the results of what has been
achieved. Doing this I have found that the use of the site has
strongly reinforced my belief that effort and discipline in at
one end yields the results you require out at the other end.
There is no doubt whatsoever that if one is trying to lose
weight there genuinely are no short cuts and it is probably
truer in weight loss than anything else that if you do cheat you
are only cheating yourself!
Since commencing my calorie controlled diet and picking up
from this and switching to the WLR system I have lost two
stones and 3 pounds, or 31 pounds in all. This does not sound an
enormous amount of weight but I try to think it in terms of
almost 60 packets of lard, I visualise these in the fridge, if
in fact they would fit in. It is a horrifying thought that I had
been carrying this lot around with me and not only that, I had
been trying to run and cycle long distances with this attached
to me. I think now if someone stuck either a rucksack on my back
or filled by bicycle panniers with 60 packets of lard I would
probably just grind to a halt, if in fact I could get moving at
all! If ever I start to waver in my programme I think about all
those packets slowly creeping back on to me and this does keep
me on track.
Using the WLR system has also helped me get a much clearer
picture of the balance of my diet in terms of carbohydrates,
fats, and protein. Using the system I have managed to ensure
that I have a high proportion of carbohydrates in my diet which
provides me with the energy I need to continue to exercise
regularly. Using this system I have found that I have been able
to continue exercising even though at times I feel hungry. I
firmly believe that it is probably not possible to actually lose
any significant weight without sometimes feeling hungry. In
comparison to the Atkins Diet I have felt infinitely more
energetic and healthy using this system, I find that the pattern
of eating and exercise that I have now established is completely
sustainable and I believe that I have made changes to my eating
habits which I expect to be permanent in nature. Chocolate
(plain, preferably organic) will continue to be a treat but in
very small quantities as part of a healthy diet and not as a
food or meal substitute or as a mental prop.
Other WLR members who use the discussion boards are a lively
bunch! I think I am probably right in saying that my approach to
exercise as part of a weight loss programme is a little extreme
and and is not to everyone's taste but my objectives in terms of
the activities which I wish to remain involved with are perhaps
different to those of others. I find the discussion boards are a
source of fun, which is I think the way it should be. It would
be quite easy to become almost addicted to the discussion boards
and it is good to contribute to the chatter and banter, it's
healthy for people to have different viewpoints and approaches
but I think I'd rather they didn't become the focus of my use of
the WLR system.
There really are some very very nice people who use the boards
and people are generally most supportive of those who are
struggling with their weight loss programmes. I have certainly
never felt at all uncomfortable posting to the boards and I
would advise anyone using this system to give them a try.
The discussion boards are certainly fun, the problem is that
using them uses up very few calories and doesn't make much of a
contribution in terms of shifting the blubber!
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
I tend to use the site as very much a working tool. My main
use is of the food diary and I have found it very useful to be
able to add in recipes of the things I eat frequently. One of my
favourites for example is a fruit and banana smoothie which I
tend to have before and sometimes after going for either a
running or cycling session, I also have one of these not
infrequently for breakfast. It saves a great deal of time to be
able to add items like this to the food diary as a recipe rather
than having to add individual ingredients one at a time. The
other area of the site which I use extensively is the
exercise
diary which is an area which I have found to be deficient in
other systems but which works very well on the WLR site, being
interfaced directly to the food diary. I think this is a very
good method of linking calorie consumption to exercise and I not
infrequently in an evening find myself going out for an evening
walk to earn a few extra calories to make sure that I can have
an enjoyable supper. I know personally that I would fail in my
weight loss programme if I tried solely to lose weight by
restricting my food intake, a combination of calorie control and
exercise is far more beneficial for me as it allows me to eat
regularly and not feel too hungry too often.
I read the message boards regularly and try to contribute as
often as I can, trying to bring a light hearted side to things,
but hopefully giving some positive advice and support along the
way where I can. I think if nothing else the message boards let
you know that you are not the only one wrestling with weight
loss and calorie control which can otherwise seem quite a lonely
affair.
Quentin's Tips for Losing Weight
Without doubt I believe if someone seriously wants to lose
weight through calorie control the best use of the site is made
by concentrating on the food and exercise diaries. The whole
site is quite scientifically designed and if you stick by the
rules and generally stay within your calorie allowance, take
regular exercise, and weigh and measure things accurately you
will lose weight. I think the worst possible thing to do is to
concentrate too heavily on the message boards, though this can
be very enjoyable in the short term, in the long-term unless the
main focus is on the food and exercise diaries disappointment
may well be the result.
In summary eat less, move more, weigh and enter everything,
follow the rules, stick to your allowance, have some fun on the
boards, and if you can do all that you will lose weight - and
deserve a medal. We all have our little lapses but as long as that
is all they are this programme works. There is no such thing as
a (calorie) free lunch, not a proper lunch anyway! |
