Footie-mad Duane gets help to lose weight after an operation  

Footballer Duane put on some pounds after an operation – but with our Gutless support, he was able to lose the weight and get back on track by learning healthy habits.

Can you introduce yourself?  

My name is Duane and I am 27 years old. I work from home as a technical consultant. 

I had a knee operation which had stopped me from doing much physical activity, and I realised I was putting on weight. When I went to my GP for an unrelated appointment (about a blocked ear), I was told about Beezee and Gutless. I thought I’d give it a go and see what happens. I was looking for an opportunity to get out in a group and do some activity, and maybe learn something new about weight loss. 

Learning new healthy habits

What was life like for you before?   

Before my knee operation, I played a lot of football: training on a Monday, five-a-side on a 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 or rice and some vegetables, while others would be less healthy like a stuffed crust pizza with garlic bread. As for my portion sizes, they 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. 

How has life changed since joining?   

One of the biggest changes I’ve made since being on the Gutless course is drinking a lot more water, and now I don’t feel as hungry throughout the day.  

My portion sizes have changed and I pay a lot more attention to the traffic light system on food packaging. I go for things with the most greens where possible! 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. 

My physical activity levels haven’t changed due to my injury, but I am now at 9 months post-operation and can soon go back to training which I’ve been looking forward to. Hopefully, this will boost the weight loss even more! 

Small changes add up

What have we taught you? 

The best thing I learnt is that small changes will eventually add up. I never knew about this approach to weight loss, and probably wouldn’t have without Gutless. I would’ve stuck to the mainstream thinking of extreme dieting and intense exercise was the only way to lose weight. But I feel I have achieved my goals. 

What do you like about Gutless?  

I really liked Gutless due to the nature of the whole programme – it wasn’t in your face like most weight loss programmes seem to be. It was all at your own pace and 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, learning healthy habits together. 

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