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BLOKES’ SUCCESSES
You’ll find quite a few true stories from
real blokes in Belly busting for blokes: we called them ‘Blokes’ wisdom’. Here
are a few that might ring some bells:
Michael, aged 38, retail manager
‘I’ve turned over a new leaf and can’t believe I waited so long to
change my terrible
lifestyle. I feel so much better eating healthy food and walking
every day. I’ve lost 5cm from my waist and would like to lose another 5. I want
to see my kids grow up and be able to play with them and coach them at footy.
My wife suggested I take a ”before” photo and I refused at the time but now I
wish I had so I had a record of how far I’ve come.’
Phil, aged 40, company director
‘You are like a car and food is fuel. Everything you need to eat
needs to e burnt off. Fill the tank with food and you need to drive around to
burn it off. If you leave the car parked in the garage, the tank stays full’
Introducing champion belly-buster, Marty aged 46
His story is inspiring. Read it and imagine all this great stuff
happening for you too...
If you’d like to share your success like Marty, keep a diary while
on your BB4B journey (including pics), send it to us, and your story could be
here as well.
Hi
There!
I’m
Marty, 46, happily married 21 years, with 2 young but fit boys… and 1 big gut!
It
has had its ups and downs with attempts at exercise and all; but the diet side
I’ve never really grasped.
I
was really skinny when I was in Uni; but now I am married to a beautiful
European woman, a great cook, and we are also lovers of fast food. Therefore,
my weight has increased dramatically over the years!
I
didn’t feel too bad when the scales showed I weighed about 100kgs; but this
year it had risen unusually high to 107kg – and I felt I should do something,
but not really knowing how. I just knew that if I let it go high, it will
only go higher.
Apparently,
my scales were being kind to me, as I weighed closer to 120kgs in the doctor’s
office!
Here is an outline of how I looked at the
start of the year:
Doctors
were concerned about the weight I had put on, and I had blood tests that showed
my cholesterol was high too. I got support from Nicole in an effort to get
my cholesterol down (she has written a book called Eat to Beat Cholesterol),
to keep me accountable and to advise me on the food choices I was making. This
really got the ball rolling for me to do something about my weight as well.
Nicole
both challenged and changed my thinking! I would find myself in
situations with food where I would make better choices; and Nicole actually
dispelled some myths that really liberated me!
For
example, I had read that eating a Caesar Salad had as much fat in it as a
hamburger – so I would opt for the hamburger (might as well!). But she
called a spade a spade, and said “Rubbish”.Sure,
a Caesar may not be the lowest in kilojoules when it comes to salads – but it
was a smarter choice than the fatty hamburger, and vegetables are good!
Same
with Coke Zero. I heard the diet drinks actually make you fat; but Nicole
said it can be seen as an alternative to water at times (not a
replacement!).
She
surprised me when I told her I had began drinking healthy fruit juices to
replace Coke Zero, but she pointed out that these sorts of drinks are to be
seen as a food: as a snack.
During that same period,
where Nicole taught me to think differently about the foods I was eating, and
the amount of food I was eating, I dropped in weight by about 10kgs
(home scales and doctors scales!)
I realised I needed to make
a lifestyle change if these results were to continue.
Nicole then suggested I
consider what she calls the ‘Top gear’ program in Belly Busting for Blokes’: a
VLCD diet (Very Low Calorie Diet).I had pointed out to her
that when doctors had told me to lose weight, I agreed, but didn’t really know
how to go about it.I would exercise, but, even
though I may have felt better and stronger, I wasn’t losing any weight – in
fact, sometimes it would increase.
She pointed out that if you
really want to lose weight, its more about what you are eating and less about
the exercise (although exercise can help burn calories, diet determines how
many calories you are putting in in the first place).
Many people I have spoken
to share this same frustration – they turn to exercise to lose weight, but are
frustrated by it not happening; so they give up.
I have found that NOW that
I have lost weight by changing my attitude to diet and intake that I CAN and
WANT to exercise – it’s easy to run, to exercise, to lift myself up – simply because
I am lighter now; and it makes all the difference.
NOW I can see the
difference in my clothing size, and also enjoy the endorphins from
exercise.
Some of the changes I made
to my diet recommended in Belly Busting for Blokes include:
·
Having
breakfast
·
Changing
to low fat milk
·
Homemade
lunch to work rather than take-away (fortunately, I work next to a supermarket)
·
Tuna
for lunch
·
Drink
LOTS of water
·
Drink
Coke Zero instead of other soft drinks or alcohol, and not too often
·
Drink
water before making an eating decision (fill yourself up a bit!)
·
Chew
gum after a meal to stop snacking
·
Healthy
Soups for dinner
·
Have
salad – even Caesar Salad – when you can as an alternative to heavier foods
·
Look
for the Heart Foundation Tick to find healthier choices easily
·
Boost
my confidence to say no in the day-to-day temptations even when it's socially unacceptable
·
Eat
less
·
If
you have a big lunch, have a very small dinner (or don’t have dinner at all
that night)
I
noticed some good changes come about on my body… My wife said she could hold me
all the way around again; my belt notches have ran out (had to manually add
some holes!); and I have noticed my backside had gone down! I didn’t even
think it was out there that much before, but it really felt different now!
I
noticed that my tummy doesn’t blow up into a ‘basketball’ when sitting down on
the couch anymore.
A
cool Billabong t-shirt I have has always been extremely tight – particularly
around the gut; but now it was looser. My wife also noticed this, and
said it “looks comfortable”.
In
a series of promotional shots for work, I noticed I started to look healthier
in my face again… My wife says that when I lose weight, she first notices it in
the face…
There
were battles with temptations – like smelling KFC blown down the street towards
me; saying no to appetisers served at work functions; watching the family eat
popcorn during DVD movies, sausages sizzling at the kids soccer matches;
avoiding the advertising of the latest hamburger on offer; and having to choose
sparkling mineral water instead of other drinks…
I
found if I had a drink in my hand that it was easier to avoid food offered at
stand-up functions – my hands and mouth were already busy!
Amazingly,
as I put some of these simple principles into place, I found I was becoming
less hungry. I told Nicole about this, and she said “…It’s a sign your body is
fully feasting on your fat cells rather than its usual fare (this is called
ketosis). This is why the ‘Top gear’ program in Belly Busting for Blokes works
so wel”
This
is amazing – it’s like my body is eating itself!
There
were also moments when I would think:
·
“I haven’t stuck to a diet
this long before”
·
“It’s almost a week, I’m
almost a quarter of the way through this month of intense dieting… a month!!??”
·
“Am I allowed to break the
diet every now and then? Surely if I just eat this or taste that… would my
weight stop going down?”But,
I hung in there and persevered.
Here
are some of the things I put into place to deal with these temptations:
·
If using a VLCD shake in
Belly Busting ‘Top gear’, sip it slowly to make that 200mls last!
·
Enjoy the smell of food from
time-to-time. The attraction of food is the taste – yet isn’t it funny how
quickly we might chew it, and it’s gone, and we are ready for the next bite. I
can enjoy the smell by choice, even feeling it on my tongue, but switching it
off by concentrating on something else.
·
When in social food
activities, to keep my hands and mouth busy. I read an article Nicole
send out on social media that really helped me here. For example, when
the good food appears, grab a coffee or water or sparkling mineral water or
Coke Zero instead. This means one of my hands at least is busy, and my
mouth is busy too.
·
I don’t have to make an
announcement that I’m on a diet or not eating or bring attention to it at all –
but I can blend in with the crowd to not appear as unusual or different.
I am prepared – when the pressure is really on – to take food in my hand, but
keep talking (not eating); then maybe look for an excuse to leave.
As
weight was coming off, it was easy for me to say “well done, never done that
before”, and have an excuse to stop, as I had been successful!
But,
I if I had lost 5kg, I still had another 20 to go. My BMI may have
improved, but it was still way out of the ideal range.
Another
thing I learned through Nicole was not to rely too heavily on the scales. For
some strange reason, they go up and down from day to day; but I looked
elsewhere for assurance. Extra notches in my belt, compliments from others,
how I felt, and how I felt I looked… After all its busting your belly that’s
most important, not the number of the scales.
From
changing my eating habits, I noticed other improvements as well – such as
cleaner teeth, slightly better vision, and my snoring has stopped!
The suit above was beginning to fit better.
When I bought it, the pants were tight. The
salesperson said I needed to lose weight, as they didn’t have a bigger size. I
needed the suit for a function, so bought it anyway. But I always feared the
pants would rip when I sat down!
Today, this suit is too big for me to wear!
Look at this photo in June 2011:
I went to a BBQ event one day in
Canberra. A ‘Fun Run’ was part of the event, on which I expected to walk.
To my surprise, I ran!
Then I went to the local oval to run a few
laps with my son where he trains for soccer!
One weekend, my wife and I went to the famous
drive near Coal Cliff at the South Coast of NSW – I remember approaching a
steep hill, and saying to my wife, “I think I could run to the top with no
problems!” She challenged me to do so, and I did! She walked up, huffing
and puffing; and yet I was hardly out of any breath at all, easily
continuing to talk!
The following week we returned with my
kids. My son and I ran from one end to the other and back.
I
find this photo to be really inspriational because I remember a doctor warning
me that if I didn’t do something soon about my weight and health, that I
wouldn’t be able to run around with my kids. Wish I could go back in time
and tell him what we have been up to nowdays!
My
son is a good runner – does well in the school Cross Country, and even made it
into the zone carnival. He plays soccer, and plays his little heart out!
On
this day above, it was freezing cold, and very very windy. Yet, he was
more puffed than me! It was really great, and I felt great afterwards.
Really, it was probably the highlight of that day for me! Loved it!
In
losing weight, I am lighter, and more able to do more – a desire to
exercise. I try to run on a regular basis.
Part
of this is due to the fact that I have challenged myself to run in the worlds
largest running event – The Sydney City2Surf.
As
a kid, some of my peers ran in this, but I never ever thought I would be able
to make it.
Now,
I have just turned 47… I am amazed that I now think I can – because this would
have definitely been absolutely unheard of at the start of the year… in fact,
any year of my life!! Nicole said that this desire and ability is “(my)
body thanking (me)” for looking after it these past few months.
I
had a pair of tight Size 44 jeans – but in April, I bravely bought a pair of
size 38.
Even though I bought those smaller jeans, it
didn’t take long for the following to happen:
I was still shrinking!
In fact, some people who began to notice the
changes taking place in my body referred to me as “The Incredible Shrinking
Man”!
…and I now need to add another notch in each
belt again!
In starting to play squash each week, I
noticed improvements in my stamina; not just my game. Initially, I was
exhausted after a first set, and needed to take a break. Now, I can keep going,
and enjoy it!
As
the weight came off, my posture improved, and my belly stopped hanging over my
belt.By
April, all the abnormalities in my blood had reached normal range (except for
the liver function).By
June, my liver tests had improved dramatically – only 2 points above the normal
range!
Last
year, it was up at 100*; but now, mathematically speaking, the liver is back to
normal.As
a sufferer of gout, all of this is good news; and in speaking with my doctor,
who has lowered my dose of Allopurinol, is hoping I can get off it altogether
in 12 months’ time if I can keep such a result consistent.
What
I have found interesting about this whole experience is that weight loss is
more about diet than about exercise, and
Belly Busting showed me what to do. However, because of the dieting, I
have felt lighter and more flexible to do the exercise, and I think this is an
important thing to understand to make the weight loss achievable. I think
people fear dealing with weight loss because they have to enter a mental ‘zone’
in order to make such drastic changes to their life. I partially agree; but when
you realise you don’t have to exercise to lose weight, that’s half of
the concern dealt with. I see exercise as a benefit (the ability to
actually do it) or bonus that comes later on, and comes quite naturally.
I remember I used to like sitting down,
crossing my legs with my foot over my knee. In recent years, this has been hard
to do, and a habit I have stopped. However, it has taken me by surprise that I
do this again – I am sitting there like this, suddenly realising “Hey, I am
sitting like this! I haven’t done this for years! …and I feel quite comfortable
in sitting like this!”
Weird,
I know – but it really is an indicator that things have changed in me. I am
free to be me, not trapped and restricted anymore.
Nicole
has asked me share my weight loss journey with you using the advice she gave me
from Belly Busting for Blokes. My kids are really excited for me, and my
11yr old son, Andy, said “I am just so proud of my dad, seeing him lose weight
and getting fit!”
Well,
how do you put a price on that?
This
outline shows how much I’ve changed over 5 months:
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Success Stories
