Health issues and weight creep got Ged moving to lose the extra kilos
For Ged, weight loss crept on over a period of about 30 years. As he got older, he became more sedentary in his lifestyle yet his eating habits stayed the same.
He decided to join the Total Wellbeing Diet after his doctor told him he was a dead duck for diabetes. In the first 12 weeks, he went from 120 kg to just over 100 kg*.
*In 6 months. Individual results may vary.
How did you put on the weight?
"As I got older (and bigger), it became who I was. When I looked in the mirror, I saw me - not an overweight version of me - just me. I also convinced myself that I was one of those people who 'did not have to do much wrong' to put on weight.
"As it turns out I was doing pretty much everything wrong. Weight gain is a vicious circle – the more weight you carry the less you seem to care about it. I have had trouble with my knees for a long time. It got to the point where I would constantly limp. I was unaware and only knew because of the comments of others."
"I couldn’t buy the clothes that I really liked because they didn’t come in my size. Because of my work, I would still dress professionally, but socially I became limited to whatever would fit rather than what I liked."
"I had been warned by a doctor that I was a 'dead duck' for diabetes if I didn’t lose weight."
What sort of foods did you eat before your weight loss?
"I would pretty much eat whatever I felt like. I would buy lunch every day, and it would be more likely to have been a parma and chips than a sushi box. I also had a disastrous sweet tooth. When I was younger, a coke and a Mars bar were regular visitors and lollies and cakes? Well they are food groups, aren’t they?"
"When I was younger, I enjoyed socialising and I was a pretty enthusiastic beer drinker. Over the past decade this has been limited to one night a week on a usual week and only a handful of beers. I am certain that this contributed to the initial weight gain - ten years ago I weighed in around 132kgs - but it has been a long time since I have seen drinking as a weight issue."
Have you tried other diets in the past and how was your experience?
"Over the years, I have tried a number of diets - usually at the behest of those around me - The Beverly Hills Diet, Jenny Craig, the 5:2 diet, working with a naturopath and many others that I have driven from my memory."
"They all seemed to have two things in common: You would certainly lose weight if you followed their eating programs; and for various reasons, they were impossible to stick to."
What was ‘your moment of truth’?
"I have always pictured myself enjoying a long, healthy, active life after I finish full time work. While that is still some time off (fingers crossed), I have got to an age where I had to make some decisions if I was serious about that as a goal."
"My wife Therese and I have recently bought a camper trailer. In March of this year we took it to Port Fairy for the Folk Festival. I really struggled getting in and out of the very comfortable bed and I found that I really struggled around the campsite. This was not who I want to be. Getting out of those low event chairs was also pretty comical – but inside I wasn’t laughing."
Why did you choose the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet online and how did you hear about it?
"Shortly after getting home from Port Fairy, I was watching an infomercial on the TV and they talked about the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet online. Therese and I already had two of the books and would often choose our evening meal from them but we never embraced the program holistically."
"So I was positively inclined anyway but the clincher was the money back offer. Even though the program is inexpensive, I thought that the money back offer would be yet another incentive to stick to the program – I really did have nothing to lose!"
What do you like about the program?
"The menu plans are really helpful as a base. I love how easy it is to swap out anything that you really don’t like, or just don’t feel like eating that day. If you plan properly, the menu takes the guesswork out of each day and we no longer have to agonise over 'what to have for dinner'."
"I like the indulgences, so that honestly is a fundamental aspect of the program. I don’t want to give up life – I just want to be healthy enough to live it."
"I enjoy the forums and contribute if I feel that I have something to say. I nearly always jump on on weigh-in day to report my progress – this has been made more fun because my progress has been terrific."
What do you think has made you successful in losing weight?
"For whatever reason, this seems to be the perfect diet for me. Doing the program with my wife, Therese, has been a big part of my success. We encourage each other and support each other and forgive each other for being human."
"The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has taken away every excuse I have ever had for being fat – and I love it."
How has your life changed?
"I walk without pain – that would be enough. Regular compliments on my new form are also really motivating. I no longer sweat at night – sometimes I get cold, that hasn’t happened for years."
Ged's top 3 tips to losing weight
- Change like this is never easy. You have to really want it. This program will give you the tools – but you have to be brave enough to use them.
- Promise yourself that, for the first 12 weeks (at least) you will be selfish and make yourself the priority. Don’t use excuses to slacken off. Don’t feel well? Work is stressful? the kids are driving you nuts? So what! Love yourself and get healthy.
- We spend a fair bit of time each day online, planning our meals and recording our progress. It is an important part of the investment.
*Individual results may vary
