Success stories

Joe wins the battle to lose 8 stone 3 lbs!

Kellie Collins

In recent years, Joe has experienced a lot of serious health problems including a relapse of viral meningitis, and cancer. Despite the tough times he has been through, he has thankfully come out the other side in good health and great form.

One major side effect of being so ill was that Joe piled on a lot of extra weight, and even though he recovered from his illnesses, he still had this weight to contend with when he was well again. Having fought so many battles, you might wonder where Joe would get the energy to fight another one. But he took it head on and lost an amazing 8 stone 3 lbs!

Joe tells us about his experiences over the last couple of years. “When I first joined for an online weight loss programme, I weighed just over 19 stone. I followed the Gi diet for a while and it was going well, but I then had a relapse of viral meningitis. This affected my memory and made me act like a 2 year old in every aspect. I had temper tantrums and would only eat food that I liked, so it was obviously a case of all the wrong foods. My wife tried to monitor my food intake but I refused to eat anything I didn’t like. I couldn’t get to sleep if I knew there was still a bar of chocolate in the freezer.”

As a result of this, Joe’s weight spiralled and when he finally recovered from the viral meningitis after 5 years, he weighed 21 stone 3 lbs, giving him a dangerously high BMI of 43. Despite having recovered from his illnesses, the extra weight he was carrying was proving to be a continued health risk. And it was getting Joe down.

“I felt terrible. I couldn’t join in anything. I was exhausted just climbing the stairs and I felt that life was passing me by. My clothes sat on my like flour sacks. Before being ill, I had been very fit all my life – running marathons, jogging every day, playing squash, karate, refereeing football games, as well as scuba diving. I couldn’t do any of this anymore.”

“After losing my job through illness and putting all the weight on because of various medications, I knew the time had come to do something when I couldn’t tie my shoelaces anymore without going beetroot in the face.”

With the approval of his GP, Joe decided to change to our online Low-Carb Plan to help him shift the weight and he hasn’t looked back since. He has gone from 21 stone 3 lbs to 13 stone – that’s a drop in BMI from 42 to 26 and a total loss of 8 stone 3 lbs. He has also dropped 12 inches off his waist size going from 46 inch to 34 inch waist, and instead of XXL clothes, medium size clothing now fits him comfortably.

“Compared to my diet when I was ill, the Low-Carb Plan is totally different. I eat lots of lean meat, eggs, fish and fresh vegetables. I honestly don’t feel like I’m on a diet. I enjoy the weekly weigh-in and I love the support boards, especially the ‘50+’ board. I have made so many friends there now and they really make you feel like they are cheering you on.”

Joe is amazed at some of the differences losing weight has made to his life. “I am diabetic, and as a result of losing the weight my blood sugar levels have halved and my cholesterol levels have halved. In fact, my doctor says that I may soon be able to stop taking my diabetic medications because my levels are normal.” He lists some more differences he has found:

• Being able to walk anywhere without sweating
• Clothes sizes have changed dramatically
• Not having to rock back and forward to get out of bed
• Not needing help to tie my shoelaces
• Not having my 65-year old neighbour cut my hedge because I couldn’t (something for which I was deeply ashamed)
• Being able to exercise again

Exercise now plays a big part in Joe’s life again. “I joined a local gym and told them about my recent illnesses and they helped me all they could. They made me feel very welcome and gave me a personal trainer to help me get started. Once I learned what I was capable of, I started to manage on my own. These days I go on the treadmill for a fast 60 minutes, followed by 10 minutes on the cross trainer, and finishing with 10 minutes on the exercise bike. I then go to the pool and swim at least 20 lengths a day. Once or twice a week I swim 100 lengths.”

Joe’s family are delighted for him, especially now that his health has improved so much. His son, Scott, has even started following the Low-Carb Plan to lose weight as well. And of course Joe himself is absolutely thrilled with his progress. “I am over the moon. I felt totally useless before and felt so sorry for myself. Now I have the confidence to go to the gym and I love the increase in my stamina. I’m also delighted that my diabetes has improved as a result of the weight loss. I feel so much more confident in every aspect – before I would have always hung back from conversations but now I jump in and chat!”

Confident that he will maintain his weight loss, Joe is now preparing to move to the next phase of Low-Carb Plan where he can gradually add more carbohydrates helping to prepare him for weight maintenance. He does want to lose a bit more weight and hopes to reach his ultimate target of 12 stone 6 lbs in the next few months, which will give him a BMI of 25. He leaves us with a few parting words of wisdom.

“Look at where you are going wrong and why you want to succeed. Try not to keep falling off the wagon – do it right the first time! Get on with it and then you can think about those treats afterwards without going overboard, of course! I realise that not everyone is as determined as I am, and I really do wish everyone else success in their own personal battle. And one last thing – it’s never too late!”