Summary @ 32 Weeks

For the last 15 years of my life since getting married, I practically abandoned all forms of exercise, and swelled from 15 stone to 29 stone.

In January, considering flying to South Africa to visit my ageing, ill father, but concerned about the swelling and rash on my left leg and the risk it posed on a long haul flight, I went to see my doctor.

Advised that it was due to poor blood circulation caused by my weight and sedentary job, the doctor suggested I try Slimming World and if that didn't work, that we consider a gastric band.

Initially skeptical of "yet another diet" I showed up at my nearest group expecting this not to work.

After week 2 with reasonable losses with out starving or sacrificing taste (Thanks to my wife’s amazing ability to cook SW recipes!), my hopes and confidence in Slimming World increased. I could actually see myself eating like this the rest of my life, and if the weight loss continued, I could reach my target weight in at least 2 years!

Week 3 saw a complete change of attitude and I decided that the only way to lose all this extra weight was to change my attitude, priorities and become a little more determined to do this. This included a life changing decision to "Go public"! I started up a little blog: http://duanesdietdiary.blogspot.com, and started posting my progress in my personal Facebook profile for Family, Friends, Work Colleagues, Church friends and old School Friends to see! My idea wasn't to get attention or support, but was more for the pressure brought on by the "Big Brother Effect". If everyone I know, meet, speak to or haven’t spoken to in years, is "looking over my shoulder" There is NO WAY I could give up!

Week 4 one of my closest friends started paying attention and suggested I start walking. Initially I laughed him off saying, "Not yet", the same as I did to my Slimming World Consultant who suggested Body Magic. But he was way more stubborn and insisted I entertain him with as little as 200 yards a day, 6 days a week. So I gave in and did it, reluctantly, thinking, what’s the point?

By Week 7, I was knocking on the door of 2 stone lost and had been walking 400 yards a day. This is when things got interesting. Suddenly the 300 and 400 yards a day didn't seem enough, and I was actually starting to enjoy the early morning walk. I felt a desire to get out there longer and walk further!

It suddenly hit me that I had replaced some of my unhealthy addictions (Fatty foods, sugary foods and computer games) with healthy addictions (tasty low fat sugar free meals, walking). I also noticed that there was a direct relation between the energy the healthy food was giving me and my desire to USE that energy doing exercise, and a complimentary relationship between how the exercise made me feel and my desire to eat healthy. A nice little cycle A->B->A. A match made in heaven.....literally!

From that point in my journey till today, it's all been a bit of a blur!

1. The intensity of my exercise grew till I was walking 5 to 8 miles a day, 6 days a week. Eventually my heart and lungs wanted something more intense than walking was giving me. So I tried my hand (Legs) at running. Unfortunately, that brought on a tendon/muscle injury in my left leg. Which got me to switch to cycling. I went from cycling 3.5 miles in a day to regularly doing 9 to 18 miles. 2 days ago in my most recent Cyclothon I did 40 miles in a day! I even do some mountain biking on the weekends, which I absolutely LOVE!

2. Extra Easy has become a habit. I don't have to think about what I'm eating anymore. I don't have to convince myself to choose a healthy on the go snack anymore. It's automatic! I'm sub consciously visiting the fiber bar sections or fruit aisle or looking for some easy open cans of Baked Beans/Spaghetti for a Big fix! I've discovered some of the fast food places serve a mean salad! And supermarkets have some great Salad lunch options if I'm away from home and forgot to pack a SW Lunch. I recently visited a KFC after 2 days of about 5 hours cycling, with an intense need for PROTEIN, and what would have been a burger/pieces meal in days gone by, naturally became a slightly healthier choice of boneless pieces (less fat, less bread).

I love the reaction I get from people who seem unable to stop themselves asking that seemingly rhetorical question: "You must feel like a completely different man?" then realize the answer lies before them as plain to see as daylight. I am a different man, I stand different, I look different, I move different and I smile different!

Though I'm only about 60% of the way to my target, I feel absolutely amazing. I have gained so much more enjoyment out of life and out of my body! I'm out in the fresh morning air and on weekends out in the beautiful Sherwood Forests! I'm already Happy! What the heck am I going to do and feel like at target?! Give me a few more months and I'll let you know!