Having damaged my knee (a painful meniscus tear) I needed to reduce my weight as quickly as possible, partly to relieve the pain and partly to try and avoid having an operation. And I also wanted to improve my overall health, feel better about myself, and know that I’d live longer!
Why did I choose LighterLife?
I’d tried various diets over the last 30 years, including LighterLife when I lost a considerable amount of weight a few times. But it crept back on because I couldn’t get my mindset around maintenance.
However, I know LighterLife works, it gets weight off quickly, and it’s simple to follow. And the thing that made me really commit this time was the invite to my Mentor’s private Group.
Following the VLCD programme
I got into ketosis quite quickly during the first week and haven’t felt hungry since.
I enjoy the Spaghetti Bolognese and Jerk Noodles FastPot, and love the Salted Caramel Bars. Key for me was having the Jellies – they often got me through the occasional difficult patch
I did have one day when I found it particularly challenging and had some extra Bars. Then I had to make a decision as to whether I was going to do this properly.
So, I asked my wife to be a gatekeeper and hide/ration all my Bars, effectively removing my main triggers, to help me power through. Towards the end of TotalFast I could trust myself to manage my Bar intake again.
After starting TotalFast in October 2024, by the beginning of February 2025 I had lost 4st 1lb with 3lb to lose in February. My initial target was 12st 7lb but I revised it to 12st which brings my BMI below 25 and amounts to a 60lb (27kg) weight loss before moving onto the Management programme.
Mentoring, Mindfulness, and Support
My Mentor, Hazel, has been excellent and I think a lot of my resolve is down to her encouragement.
I had 7 “eating challenges” over the course of 12 weeks (including meals out with friends, and a 3-day wedding weekend) but with Hazel’s help, I was able to redefine them. I felt comfortable saying No to food and managed to sit through 3 5-course meals during the wedding weekend, and had no food (other than my Foodpacks) or drink.
Hazel gave me confidence by emphasising I had to think of who I was doing this for (me!). I liked her phrase, “You do you!” My decision to eat, or not to eat, in a social situation only had an impact on me.
In fact, most people at the 7 “eating challenges” were interested in what I was doing and they helped me think about what I’ll do differently now I’m moving into Management. As it turned out, my concerns about what other people might think were all unfounded.
Hazel ran her weekly CBT Mindfulness sessions very well, with clear rules but plenty of opportunity to talk, celebrate, and seek help. She introduced each topic organically, they didn’t seem forced, and it was good to hear from other members of our Group – what their challenges were, and how they related to the topics.
What really stood out for me on the programme?
The key things have been the small “private Group” sessions, Hazel, and the support of the other members of her Group.
When Hazel offered the private Group option I was drawn to the discipline of the weekly weigh-in with the dated code word (ie, no cheating). Also the weekly ketosis measuring where, if I “cheated”, it would be immediately obvious.
I also think the commitment to the 12-week subscription and Zoom sessions meant I was “all in”.
Support outside of LighterLife
My wife, Jo, has been a massive support. She doesn’t like me being on TotalFast as it means we don’t eat together or go out for meals. However, she also wants me to be healthy (and live longer) and can see that LighterLife gets me to my target weight.
She doesn’t want to be back here in a year’s time so she’s been extremely supportive, giving me added impetus to get my weight down, and then properly move onto Management.
My sister Ann has always been an inspiration for me diet-wise. She struggled with her weight when she was younger and in recent years has had leg operations that have limited her exercise.
She had to find a way to manage her weight without loads of exercise and has been doing Bright Line eating for a few years very successfully. As we’re both “food addicts” we talk a lot about weight loss and eating healthily for maintenance.
My friends have been very supportive (despite not believing it’s possible to get through a meal / buffet without eating or drinking!). They’ve often asked me how I’ll maintain my weight when I’m not on Foodpacks and that’s helped me challenge myself and give me a reason to maintain my weight.
What can I do now I’ve lost weight?
As I’m more confident and in a much better mood than I was previously, I’m being more proactive in getting things done.
My blood pressure has reduced from 130/90 to 105/65, my resting heart rate has reduced from 72 to 58, meaning my risk of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years has reduced from 12.4% to 8.5%. And I expect my cholesterol has dropped as well. My doctor even suggested I come off statins due to my improved health.
My knee is much less painful and, while it didn’t stop me needing the arthroscopy, it meant that my post op recovery has been very quick. I was back to playing golf in 6 weeks and it’s wonderful that the pain has gone.
I’ve taken about 80% of my wardrobe to the charity shops including 4 suits, 10 pairs of trousers, and almost 20 shirts – as my collar size has reduced from 17” to 151/2”.
I recently bought a golf jacket and a gilet – both are Medium compared to the XLs I had to go for previously.
I visited Next for some new clothes and walked out with 32 inch waits skinny jeans! A far cry from those 38 inch trousers!
Getting into new clothes has made me feel much more confident. I realise I was hiding myself in the past whereas now I’m happy to show myself off.
I went to the gym for strength training throughout my weight loss journey. And my Personal Trainer, James, has done a great job of helping me maintain my weights, even though my weight was steadily dropping.
I think it’s been key to me feeling good and, of course, it’s made sure I haven’t lost muscle mass. Quite a few people asked me how I would stay fit with fewer calories but I think this has helped me stay strong.
What have I learned?
I’ve learned that not committing to the Management plan to maintain my lost weight has been my issue in the past, and it’s why I’ve always put the weight back on.
I’m feeling much more confident this time as Hazel has talked about how she maintains (with a mix of LighterLife Foodpacks and “conventional food”) to keep her weight in a desired target range. That makes sense and it’s something I can do too.
I struggled to determine what my target weight should be and, again, Hazel was excellent in helping me decide what to aim for. She also suggested I use a smaller weight range to manage my weight.
I reset my target weight downwards by a further 7lbs meaning that in total I’ve lost 60lbs.
And I bought a 28kg (62lb) kettlebell – it feels amazing to lift it up each day and remember I was carrying all that extra weight. It’s a great motivation to never put it back on again.
What I’d say to anyone thinking about starting LighterLife
The key is getting into the right mindset, and having a Mentor and attending a private Group (Re-Creating Me, The Premium Plan) is the best way to achieve that.
Don’t worry about what other people think of you. I will confidently socialise while not eating. It doesn’t hurt them if you don’t eat / drink but it could hurt you if you do. If I’d eaten the 3 meals at the wedding my guess is I’d have put on 6lbs rather than losing 4lbs that week. A 10lbs turnaround! Mind you, it was tough…
Totally committing to the diet is the same as totally committing to yourself and who you want to be.
I realise people have traditionally seen me as “someone who needs to lose weight”. Now I can redefine myself as someone who looks healthy and is healthy.
