- Name: Andrew Naylor (find him on TALK here)
- Height: 6’3″
- Job: Full time carer (of my wife) part time shop supervisor
- Age: 31
- Location: Southport
- Highest weight: 248lbs (112kg)
- Lowest weight: 175lbs (79.4kg)
- Plan: 18:6 diet and calorie counting
It’s a common story – the way you remember it, as a kid, you could pig out on ice cream and wolf down chips like a gannet (just a few of the animal idioms your mum used to describe your eating habits) and not get fat. Suddenly, you hit twenty and every granola bar you eat deposits itself instantly on your burgeoning moobs, the result, you’re sure, of some genetic time bomb. Or possibly your newly acquired taste for lager, and lapsed interest in running around screaming on your lunch break. Whatever the reason, it’s massively frustrating and that feeling can create a vicious cycle that can lead to real health problems, as Andrew found out.
Andrew, how did you get to the position where you needed to lose weight?
Very simply, I like food. When I was younger I could eat as much as I wanted without gaining any fat. By my early twenties this had stopped, but my eating habits kept going, but probably more so as I now had money from working and no one to tell me what I could or couldn’t eat.
What made you decide to change?
How did you do it and what made it different from the times before?
I think the fasting helped for me. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t start to feel hungry until 2 or 3 o’clock if I don’t eat anything, so pushing it another couple of hours till dinner time isn’t much trouble, that way I can eat a big (1000 kcal) dinner and still eat a decent supper. I would normally have a protein shake and a small snack before bed to stop any hunger overnight. I also decided to do some weight training while I was dieting, I do an hour for four days and have a rest day on the fifth day.
What did you eat over the course of an average day?
BEFORE
Breakfast: A big bowl of cereal
Lunch: A cheese sandwich and crisps
Dinner: Chips and meat of some sort, with profiteroles for dessert
Snacks: A bar of chocolate, big bag of crisps and a couple of bags of sweets
AFTER
Breakfast: n/a
Lunch: n/a
Dinner: 300g chicken breast, 4 bacon medallions, a tin of beans and a 4 egg omelette, though there wasn’t really anything I wouldn’t eat as long as it totalled 1000kcals +\-50.
Snacks: For supper I would normally have a protein shake made with semi skimmed milk and a snack bar like a Weetos bar.
How was the journey? Straightforward or were there a few plateaus along the way?
How has life changed now you’ve lost the weight?
The biggest change has been liking how I look, I can fit into clothes that look good. I can now kayak all day long if I get the chance and I can play with my daughter until she falls asleep without feeling tired. Also I no longer have to take medication for acid reflux and I no longer have fatty liver disease.
Who helped you the most, and who got in the way?
What surprised you about losing weight?
I was surprised by just how fat I was, I tend to hold fat quite evenly so I didn’t think I was as big as I was. Originally, I thought I needed to get down to 209lbs, but once I got close I realised I needed to change my goals and lose more. I did this twice.
If you could go back to the person you were at your heaviest, what would you say to him?
[blocktext align=”right”]”The biggest change has been liking how I look”[/blocktext]
I’m not sure I would have listened but probably something along the lines of ‘you need to lose weight or your going to end up having a heart attack like your father, uncle and grandfather!’
You’re Prime Minister for the day, what one law do you bring in to help others who are obese?
I believe there should more simplified information on food packets to explain how many calories you are going to eat. That and nutrition should be a much bigger part of school education.
What else should we know about your weight loss story?
It’s not over yet, I want to build some muscle and maintain my body fat percentage at somewhere between 10-13%
What three things do other fat men need to know about losing weight?
- It’s far more simple than the diets will ever tell you, you just need to eat less calories than you use.
- My fitness pal is a godsend, download it and get used to using it, but ignore the exercise part.
- Count every calorie! You might think it’s a pain at first but it soon becomes second nature and it’s the only way you will know how much you’ve really eaten.
Our thanks to Andrew and don’t forget – as with all our Amazing Losers and their weight loss before and after stories, you can find Andrew on Talk and ask him anything you like!
