The right frame of mind
Editor's note: Does every diet you try leave you feeling hungry and tired? Do you want to eat healthily without giving up satisfying foods? You need our new Gi Plan! VHI Diets is happy to launch a Gi plan that will help you feel fuller for longer, curb cravings and lose weight. Click here for more information.
Nutrition Team
Keith had struggled with dieting for nearly 3 years, but his weight continued to pose a problem to his mobility and health. The wake up call came when his waist measurement reached 44 inches, he found it increasingly difficult to achieve simple tasks that most people take for granted and his asthma was worsening. Keith registered for the High Fibre plan and in just 6 months he dropped 6 inches from his waist and lost a fantastic 2 ½ stone.
Keith tells us about his weight loss journey...
Why did you decide to join us?
I had difficulty in bending over to put on my socks and fasten my shoes. I was also advised to lose weight by my GP. I also suffer from asthma and the excess weight was not helping.
Was your weight causing you any problems?
I was very conscious of being overweight. I kept telling myself it was due to stomach muscles weakened after abdominal surgery
Tell us about your diet before you joined us, and how it has changed as a result of the programme.
Before registering I was eating the wrong foods and definitely at the wrong times. I skipped breakfast, chose only convenience foods at lunch time. In the evening I would have a cooked meal and then 4 or 5 slices of bread and cheese, or similar just before bed. On a weekly basis I would stuff myself with crisps and biscuits, as well as lots of coffee laden with sugar.
Was there any particular aspect of the plan you found most helpful?
I did enjoy the plans. I liked the flexibility it gave me. It was calculated to give me my 5 a day and 2 or 3 servings of calcium, which saved me keeping count.
How do you feel about your weight loss?
I feel it is a great achievement to have managed it, and got me out of bad eating habits. It is good to be told I am looking trim. Chocolates and sweets are now a rare treat instead of eating them because they were there. I check the calorie content of everything I am buying.
Are you confident of maintaining your weight loss?
I think it has got to be harder to lose it than maintain it, but self-control is still needed.
Do you have any other tips you would like to give?
Although I had decided to start the diet, I didn’t actually begin for a while. I spent that time getting into the right frame of mind. I feel it certainly helped. At supper time I started thinking ‘did I really need that’ and this helped in getting my self-control in gear. I know I would not have succeeded had I just said ‘here’s a diet, let’s give it a try'.