Gary's story

Gary joined in June 2011 with the motivation of 'losing his porky stomach' for an Autumn beach holiday. He reached his goal in October and is now maintaining.

What was your reason for joining Nutracheck?

While I wasn't huge when I started, I knew I needed to lose weight as the job I was doing was pretty inactive and I was aware that I was steadily gaining weight over the years. I also knew I needed some support from others and I thought the internet would help, so I completed a search and Nutracheck came up!

I'd never tried any other diet programmes before. With Nutracheck it was the weight loss combined with healthy eating that attracted me the most, and seeing so many other people who were trying to do the same thing.

The weight fell off - why had I left it so long to do this?

What's been the key to your success?

I guess my willpower and the need to succeed. Also being able to broadcast my new weight each week on the forums and know that so many people would comment and support me. I did not want to let other people or myself down. Plus everything on Nutracheck is so motivational.

What are your top three pieces of advice?

1. Always use the Food Diary.
2. Invest in some kitchen scales.
3. Doing regular exercise alongside your healthy eating plan is a must.

How easy was it to fit the diet into your lifestyle?

It was hard to start with, but the routine soon kicks in and you eventually stop snacking. Drinking lots of water each day really helps to fill you up and it also helps with digestion. I am now eating much more balanced meals and I visit the gym 4 or 5 times a week for an hour at a time.

Have there been any success milestones?

I am much fitter than I was before and I have more stamina - my heart rate has also dropped with doing more exercise. Doing regular exercise makes me far more motivated at work and at home.

How do you feel now compared to before you started?

I cannot explain how 'well' I feel - my blood pressure is now within a normal range, well according to my doctor it's better than normal!

What have you found most challenging?

Planning all my meals was difficult to start with and I found that feeling hungry initially made me bad tempered - but I soon adjusted. I also found pushing through the pain barrier at the gym while my body was still adjusting quite difficult.

How often do you weigh yourself?

While I was losing weight I weighed in each week and recorded the result in my Nutracheck account. The bar chart and time plot gave me a visual incentive.

Now I'm maintaining I weigh every morning. I do this to ensure my exercise and food intake is well balanced and my weight is maintained. Depending on my weigh in I can adjust my food and exercise accordingly.

How much does your maintenance weight fluctuate by?

My target weight is 10st140lbs63.5kg but I can drop to 9st 11lbs137lbs62.4kg - but as I say I can fluctuate daily.

If you gain a few pounds what do you do?

I adjust my exercise levels and food intake accordingly to help me shed the extra pounds.

Any top tips for someone who has just hit their goal?

What works for me is to weigh each day so I can adjust my food intake or exercise for the day if necessary. Also carry on using the Food Diary each day.