Technical consultant Duane found himself permanently working-from-home when his role changed during the pandemic. The 27-year-old had a knee operation in late 2021, which made it harder for him to exercise — so he put on a bit of weight. He went to his GP for an appointment about a blocked ear, and during the course of the visit was told about our programme to support weight loss.
Learn something new
Duane said: “I thought I’d give it a go and see what happens. I was basically just looking for an opportunity to get out in a group and do some activity, and maybe learn something new about weight loss.
“Before my knee op I played a lot of football — training on Monday, five-a-side on Thursday and a game on Saturday.
“Sometimes I go for walks with my partner at the weekend too. But my eating habits consisted of pretty much whatever I wanted and whatever was easiest.
“I would rotate the same 10-15 meals every couple of weeks. Some would be fairly healthy like chicken, rice and some vegetables, others would be less healthy like a stuffed crust pizza with garlic bread.
“My portion sizes would vary quite a lot, some meals would be big and others not as big. I didn’t tend to snack much, but when I did it would usually be chocolate or biscuits.”
Fruity flavour
One big change Duane made was to drink more water, helping him feel less hungry throughout the day.
“I also focus more on my portion sizes, I pay a lot more attention to the traffic light system on food packaging and I go for things with the most greens where possible,” he continued.
“I have found a new healthy snack I enjoy too — rice cakes with peanut or almond butter and I even throw on some raisins for a bit of fruity flavour.”
His injury has meant he still hasn’t been able to exercise much, he’s looking forward to getting training again soon.
Small changes eventually add up
“The best thing I learned is that small changes will eventually add up,” Duane said.
“I never knew about this approach to weight loss, and probably wouldn’t have without the programme. I would’ve stuck to the mainstream thinking of extreme dieting and intense exercise. But I feel I have achieved my goals.
“I really liked the nature of the whole programme. It wasn’t in your face, and it was at your own pace. It felt like it was there for you.
“The weekly sessions helped me realise it isn’t just me with these problems, even the guys running the programme have them and it’s okay.
“It’s so helpful seeing everyone in the same boat. I felt 100 per cent comfortable sharing my goals and what I went through each week.”
