Darin's waist has now gone down from 48 inches to 34 inches! "I
couldn't have done it without Thinking Slimmer and their great product,"
he said this week. "I love only eating to give my body the energy that
it needs. One word CONTROL - I love that word and what it means to me now." Darin is one of our Slimpod Champions you can talk to on our members' forum.
Remarkable as it is, Darin's initial weight loss is still only the start. “I wouldn’t have gastric surgery if
they offered it to me for nothing,” Darin says now. It’s not just the
ongoing weight loss that excites him, though. He’s also
noticing massive differences in his confidence and his happiness. He’s
exercising regularly with an X-Box and has just bought himself a bike - AND he successfully completed the 10-mile Great South Run in a time of 2 hours and 9 minutes. Thinking Slimmer's Sandra was in Portsmouth to cheer on all the Team Darin runners and Trevor ran with him on a remarkable, inspirational and highly emotional day. "I'm walking on air," he says. "I couldn't have done this without my Slimpod."
SEE DARIN'S GREAT SOUTH RUN ACHIEVEMENT
CAPTURED IN HIS VIDEO DIARY
Darin's blood sugar level,
monitored by his diabetes specialist at Portsmouth hospital, has gone
down so much his insulin dose has been reduced by 90%, his body mass index (BMI) has dropped a category, his depression
has lifted and he is now jogging and power walking along the seafront at Southsea - all with the help of one of our Slimpods!
Read Darin's remarkable weight loss interview in the Daily Mirror>>
“I feel on top of the world and I’m so happy that everything is
falling into place,” says Darin. Everyone at Thinking Slimmer is very
proud of what Darin is achieving and he’s become the perfect role model
for overweight people who wrongly believe gastric surgery is the only
solution to losing weight.
 At Thinking Slimmer, we believe
passionately that gastric surgery is an expensive and
unnecessary
operation for the overwhelming majority of people. It does
nothing to correct bad eating habits or eliminate the hunger
pangs and craving for food. With Darin’s invaluable help we
are now
campaigning to open people’s eyes to the fact that there is
another way
forward for them.Here are some uplifting extracts from
Darin’s weekly blog. There are highs and lows, good times and bad times.
Darin is an amazing man whose achievements will inspire thousands of
people. At the end of this article there’s a link so you can read his
blog in full. Here are the early highlights.
|
|
Slim line Darin pictured one year after he started using
his Slimpod: so far he's
lost 5 stone!
Darin in the Mirror
|
Week One
“I am still scared that sometimes when I eat I will not stop but as time passes I feel confident that will pass.”
Week Two
“I feel better about the whole process of changing my eating habits and working them into my shift patterns, now more willing to accept eating at different times as I need to give my body energy at the right times. I have had two bad nights with my blood sugar levels this week but I am aware why they happened and have made a mental note to make changes if my evenings are different from the norm.”
Week Three
“The biggest change I have noticed is that I don't miss Coke Zero, sweets, chocolate bars and crisps. That was an amazing thought when I realiszed that. My depression seems to have lifted and I feel happier and at peace with the way my life is changing for the better.”
Week Four
“I cannot remember the last time I felt this good about myself and positive about my life all at the same time, I feel like I want to burst with excitement. The whole week has gone well. I have been on late shifts three times this week and only one night my blood sugar dropped so I am coping so much better and I can clearly see the benefits of the choices I now make
“I’m full of confidence and belief, I never thought I would be in a position to say and mean this especially after only four weeks: “IF I CAN DO THIS ANYONE CAN DO IT.”
Week Five
“This week started with so much confidence and such a natural high I have even made an appointment to see my doctor to come off or cut down on my anti-depressants as I clearly don't need them any more.”
Week Six
“Been to hospital for diabetic check up, first time seen Doctor since the press story broke. Will now be keeping an eye on blood sugar levels more closely due to weight loss. The need is to balance weight loss, blood sugar level and the new ingredient going into the mix EXERCISE. Also spoke with GP so everyone is up to speed at where I am at.”
Midweek Thoughts
“What a great start for the week, actually enjoyed the first two days exercise looking forward to the different programmes on the X-Box fitness. Glad I started exercise at home quite funny (sad), my coordination is worse than bad, legs and arms all over the place and never in the right place at the right time.
“It will get better slowly, thank god I am the only one in the room. Looking forward to making my fitness video “How to fall over in a heap gracefully every 2 minutes and get fit.” Sounds like a best seller to me.
“My goal for April is to be able to do up the top button of my work shirts so I can wear my tie. Today I have got my work clothes ready and the trousers I have been wearing are too loose - so I pulled out an old pair size 40 and they fit, only just but enough that I can wear. I am so amazed, my biggest trousers were size 48 and I have never felt better in years and years.”
Week Seven
“Writing this on such a natural high. Two months ago I was suffering from deep depression which I have had for years, so unhappy with myself and my life. This week has been the best week on my journey by far and the previous weeks have been pretty amazing as well.
“I have had a flirtation with nuts that has not gone well and my blood sugar is still work in progress as I keep adjusting my insulin to my new healthier life style, my trouser size is down to size 40 so I am really pleased.”
Week Eight
“My diabetes is a very important part of my life and needs constant checks to make sure my body is coping with the changes to my lifestyle. I am filling in food intake blood sugar sheets every day from now on as this also acts as a guide for me, especially with my new-found fondness for fruit.
“I will also be changing my insulin in the next two weeks which will hopefully help stop the hypos I have been getting. This has made me realise that my weight loss is clearly good and at a safe level for my body to cope with.
“Losing weight more quickly might well come at a cost to my health which in the long term would do more harm than good. I now really do feel as though my mind has been re-tuned and I have joined the party.”
Week Nine
“I have had a bad week with hypos, far too many for my liking and not too sure why to be honest. I have an appointment with the hospital this week so I hope to get answers to help me get back on track. I will also be getting my new insulin as well.
“It has been a strange.bad week for food, too. I missed an evening meal on Thursday and I have eaten more wholemeal bread and fruit than I should or need to this week; again is this down to the hypos more than me?
“On Dr Albon's advice and encouragement I have entered the Great South Run in Portsmouth on October 30. This is very daunting but having made the decision of a lifestyle change and embracing exercise it would be wrong of me to make excuses not to do something like this, my only aim is to finish the race for the pride and confidence that it will give.
“I cannot believe that I have done this nor have I ever felt the need to do something like this in the past. I am very proud of doing this and strangely looking forward to the big day.”
Week 10
“Diabetes is the biggest and most important challenge in my journey and after the last couple of weeks struggling to keep it in check, I believe that as expected - with the help of the hospital - we have sorted out the problems of the last couple of weeks.
“I have been taking too much insulin for what I am now eating and exercising which is a shock as I have already reduced my night time insulin by 50% and my day time by 40%. This just goes to show how badly I have looked after myself these past few years.
“I am more comfortable reducing my insulin now as my lifestyle improves my health and weight. Since Wednesday I have kept my blood sugar under control and feel so much better for doing so, and I feel great again for being in control of the diabetes and it not being in control of me.
“After last week’s setback with the diabetes I can see now that I was still on track and only ate what I needed to look after my body and see it through the difficult period of adjusting to my health conditions. This is such a relief as deep down there is always the worry of losing control of food.
“This is absolutely crazy because the cycle has been broken by the Slimpod, and backed up by the fact I have not eaten any bad foods in ten weeks - nor do I wish to eat any bad foods.”
Week 11
“Having got over the various problems I have encountered over the last 3 months and learnt from them so I can move forward with my journey. The hardest part of my journey is my diabetes and controlling my blood sugar levels.
“This I knew from day one would be the biggest hurdle to get over in my quest to get control back of my whole life. While I feel that I have broken the back of it, I know I must keep on top of it as I hate having the hypos.
“The fact that my insulin is still coming down is great and long term I am hoping to not need insulin any more. I am also really happy with the steady weight loss I have achieved although deep down I would have liked a massive drop for one week but that’s not to be. The benefit of the steady weight loss will prove to be the right way when I reach my goal.”
Week 12
“Yesterday I did my first jog/walk with my partner Hazel in preparation for the big day and I was amazed at what I achieved. While the time was nothing to write home about it gives me something to work with and the knowledge that I can complete the race.
“I cannot tell you how much of a buzz I got off my jog/walk last night. It was truly a moment in one’s life when it dawns on you that what you have achieved is special. Barriers have been smashed down and I can see ahead to how I will achieve goals.
“I am truly proud of myself for the first time since I started my journey as this is a combination of everything coming together and the realisation that with the correct information and help you can make a difference to your life and regain the control needed for a healthier better lifestyle.
“My blood sugars are so much more under control and I have not had a hypo for nearly two weeks. I eat fruit in a more measured way than previously and I love only eating to give my body the energy that it needs. One word: CONTROL. I love that word and what it means to me now.”
Week 13
“On the insulin front I am now down to 25 units for day time and night time. Life is so much better now I have control of my diabetes and I am not getting any hypos.”
Week 14
“Diabetes has also been great again even with the exercise programme. This is truly amazing after all the years I struggled due to my bad lifestyle decisions.”
Week 15
“This week has been a hard week. I have felt like I have let myself down and gone back to bad habits. I have not done any X-Bbox fitness training this week making the wrong decision twice not to do it. I have gone out for a jog after work today and feel great for it but felt it was hard.”
Week 16
“My diabetes control is still going really well; my insulin is now down to 20 units day time and 20 units night time which is great news, and I have had no hypos either.”
Week 17
“My diabetes is still well under control and I feel I have found the right balance between proper food, exercise, and lifestyle. I am still not entirely comfortable but I have far more information to help see the problems and deal with them.”
Week 18
“A disappointing week for me. I have let myself down and I hate myself for doing that. The culprit, apart from me, is again white bread. For the first time ever I have been getting it out of the freezer and toasting it. Before I never bothered with it so this is a rare big defeat for me.
“Enough self pity, time to pull myself together concentrate on the positives - and there are some big ones - and move forward on my journey. The first positive is that I beat my best time for 5 miles along the seafront by 10 seconds so no fluke on that.
“Real progress is being made on that front and also twice I have done my best workouts on a two-hour set with X-Box Fitness, so really proud of myself on that front.
“The second positive is that I have gone down to a size 38 in trousers, which is a loss of 10 inches since I started, which is a truly great achievement.”
Week 19
“Last night I went to my mum’s 65th birthday party (Happy Birthday Mum) and for fear of sounding like a woman (joking) I needed a new pair of trousers to wear for the evening. So I went out and found a nice pair of jeans and the good news is they were a size 36. I was shocked as I have only just got down to a size 38 in the past 3 weeks.
“What I am doing is clearly working and will continue to work, it is a new lifestyle that I am so pleased with that I will never go back to my old ways of the last 45 years.”
Week 20
“Sometimes things just happen and you have to accept that and move on. That is what I have done this week and boy do I feel better for thinking this way. This is the bonus side of the Slimpods in that it is not just about the weight loss.
“It’s also about the decisions you make on your journey and the fact you to just accept that what you are doing is right while the body adjusts to its new life. It has taken a while for me to grasp this but I now have, and its great not to beat myself up this week.
“A little frustration as my weight has stayed about this level for the last three to four weeks, but I am happy with where I am at the moment. The weight is not the only gauge of my journey and the bonus is that I don't feel fat so there is a victory for me right there because I feel slimmer and fitter.”
Week 41
"After three months of my weight fluctuating between 101kg and 104kg the milestone that is below 100kg has been frustrating and difficult at achieve. Today's weight loss is even more remarkable, it shows me that to lose weight I must eat less food than I have been, but the amount of food that I have been eating was enough to keep my weight balanced and steady so there is a great lesson learnt that I have control over my food to know not to overeat, never thought I would ever learn that lesson but now I have. So it is with great excitement that I give you this week's weight 98.3kg a loss of 3.2kg or 7.1lbs making my weight a very happy 15st 6.7lbs I have been so fed up telling everyone that my weight is still 16 stone after 3 months this is just such a relief and a great kick start on my journey to my 13 stone target. I still hate the scales!!!"
Week 45
"This time last year I was a overweight blob, 21 stones worth to be exact, to be honest I really thought that surgery was the answer. Boy was I wrong on that.Here I am one year later weighing in at 15st 11lb, wearing size 34 jeans and I am a long distance runner! That's right a long distance runner, training every week and loving it. Since I started learning to run on May 14 2011 I have been out 55 times and have completed 266 miles and burnt off 38,977 calories."
Week 49
"The scales at the doctor's surgery had me at 95kg [14st 13lbs] with shoes off... they are the official weight on my records now. I have grown by one inch to 5ft 8in - maybe just standing taller and prouder, but it's a good thing. My BMI has come down by about 17 points as well from my heaviest. Great strides and show's the value of patience and perseverance."
Week 50
"The new me is happy being positive and proactive rather than the old me lounging around feeling sorry for myself doing nothing and taking more time off work sick. THINKING SLIMMER LOVING LIFE."
Read Darin's blog in full >>
|
