Steve's Weight Loss Success

Steve, Age 50, Height 1.78m

Start Weight	90kg
Current Weight	76.5kg
Goal Weight	75kg
Weight Lost	13.5kg
Working to Rate of Loss	750g per week
Time Taken	Just over a year

About Steve

My work involves a lot of travel in unusual places and I am constantly flying through multiple time zones.

This makes it difficult to stick to a regime, as you can find yourself with an extra-long day (hence, more meals), or an extra-short day (hence fewer meals!); overall, it tends to balance out. 

The really difficult thing can sometimes be making sure to get enough exercise when I’m on the road:  some of the gyms I use are terribly equipped – one has barbells with no bar!! 

I have a good trainer in Cyprus, who fits me in for extra sessions when I am on the ground there, and he gives me programmes to follow when I’m away, based on the equipment I expect to have available to me. 

Again, the application of a little discipline and planning usually means I do all, or most, of my program for the week. 

"Until I started WLR I had managed to lose weight successfully in the past, but it always came back on when I stopped following the regime."

WLR has helped me to identify what I should be eating more – and less – of, and one of the side benefits has been that, as I have been eating more healthily, foods have reacquired their flavour. 

In a way I’m spoiled, because many of the places I travel to have fantastic fresh fruit and veg., and it’s easy to eat well.

I certainly notice a difference when I spend time in the UK; so much of the food on sale in the UK is of a noticeably low quality, and even most of the fresh stuff doesn’t match up to what I get overseas. 

The secret seems to be to pay for quality: I buy most fresh fruit and veginn the UK at Marks & Spencer or Waitrose, and never go for the cheapest variety. 

"There is definitely a difference in taste and overall quality. Another rule I follow is to go for the ugliest looking fruit!  Somehow, it always seems to taste better!"

The other factor I constantly have to grapple with is time zones: I can often find myself awake several hours before others in the house, so that is the time to get the bike out and burn a few extra calories before breakfast! 

I’m now up to do doing 30 Km rides over the hills in the couple of hours before the rest of the family is up!

I'm married to Maya. Our daughter works on the airlines and is frequently away.

It took quite a while for my family to get used to my new eating habits, at least in terms of portion size, but we got there eventually.

"We all cook and usually wind up with 3 different meals on the table, to suit individual tastes!"

I work as a financial adviser, and am offered a drink of some kind at every single meeting.

For the last couple of years I have rigidly asked for water, rather than tea or coffee, except on the odd occasion when I actually felt like having a coffee! 

I will sometimes have a beer with a client, but if I do this, it forms part of my WLR regime.

If there is a party to attend, I try really hard to go for the healthiest option available, and if there is nothing suitable, try to balance it out later.

What diets (if any) have you tried in the past?

No formal diets, but I have successfully lost weight in the past by following my own rule of asking myself if I am actually hungry, or if I am just being a glutton.

"It’s surprising how successful this can be, if you are honest with yourself."

The problem is it stops working as soon as you stop asking yourself the question! The other drawback is you aren’t really paying any attention to nutrition, just quantity.

Please comment on your experiences of trying these diets

As mentioned above, I did quite well in the past by myself, but it wasn’t backed by any science.

I also didn’t do any exercise before, other than making sure I was reasonably active by walking to meetings, taking the stairs etc., which was at least something, but nothing like the level of exercise I do now.

Tell us how your weight has affected you

I didn’t really have a problem before. I knew I was overweight and that I ought to do something about it, but it never got me down.

I think the fact I could still do pretty much anything I wanted without getting exhausted made me think I was getting away with being overweight.

What has been your main motivation to lose weight?

Ever since I was a young boy I have always said I intend to live to 100.  And I have also always said that I will make sure I am in fine fettle at the halfway stage – my 50th – to give myself the best possible chance of getting there.

"So, about 15 months before my 50th I started going to the gym."

I actually moved house in Cyprus to be near a gym where there was a good trainer who understood what I wanted to achieve.

My trainer Zenos has worked with me all this time and also put me in touch with a good nutritionist who helped me through some of the basics. 

Then I found WLR, signed up for that, and also got a Polar HRM – all of which combined gave me a way of quantifying my results and seeing in black and white exactly what I had achieved. 

"The other real motivation is when Zenos shows me what we were doing in terms of exercise in the early days, compared to what we are doing now."

I really was kidding myself that I was getting away with being overweight!  Anyway, 50 in July, so 100 here I come!

Which tools and resources on WLR do you find most valuable?

Food tracking, weight monitoring, nutrition report.

I especially like to track the nutrition report from the date I started and currently have a profile of Carbs 48.1%, Protein 17.5%, Fat 29.8%, and Alcohol 4.6%. 

I’m a bit cheesed off about the alcohol figure, but I really do keep it as low as I can.

Why do you think WLR has helped you lose weight where other diets have failed?

I like the fact I can quantify my results and see in black and white (OK, in colour!) exactly what has been achieved!

Try WLR For Yourself

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Have you struggled at points in your weight loss journey? Experienced a weight loss plateau? What has kept you motivated?

I hit a plateau after reaching my first interim goal of 79 Kg., but I read the members forums and plenty of other articles which had told me to expect this.

I had also bought into the science of eat less calories than you expend, and eventually the weight will drop off.

I think the fact I also accepted that it’s not an exact science also helped.

Since losing weight can you give examples of how your life has changed?

Food tastes better!  I have more energy for day to day tasks.  I feel much better generally.

Exercise routines adopted

Usually treadmill for about half an hour, followed by universal circuit training (sometimes with a trainer, sometimes by myself) for about 45 minutes, followed by treadmill for about half an hour again.

I have gradually built this up over time, following my trainer’s guidance and also the Polar HRM program, to the point where my target is now 8 hours 55 mins a week, for a total calorie burn of 5550.

I usually hit this, but sometimes miss it because of my schedule.

One thing I am pleased I have learned to do is not to chastise myself if I really am too tired to exercise on a particular day.

What do you love about your body now?

Fitting into 34” jeans – I never imagined that would be possible!

For as long as I can remember, the smallest size I could wear comfortably was 36”.

	Before	After
BMI	28.4	24.1
Body Fat	29%	25.9%
Waist	38in	34in

Steve's hints and tips

Make a firm commitment to yourself on day 1 and stick to it! 

Also, don’t beat yourself up for the occasional lapse – just recognised it for what it is and reapply yourself with renewed vigour!