Many years ago I had a very severe car accident which left me with limitations on mobility, but for years I "coped" with pain and restrictions as I had a young family to take care of. Always though, I have had an issue with weight so, like many others, I tried all the main stream diets with some effect but never lasting.
As years passed, my family grew up and my pain increased as predicted as one gets older.
My doctor firstly suggested I went on a pain management course for 8 weeks. I attended feeling very sceptical because what could anyone tell me that I had not already tried?
At the same time, my doctors put me forward for the Gloji weight management course, again I attended with a similar view to the pain course.
What made me attend these courses was the fact that the doctors supported me in this and both courses were free, so what has a person to lose?
My first attendance at the course was interesting, Chris was running our course and greeted us all with a very friendly approach, explained he was not there just for the dreaded weigh in, and handed out our 12 week diaries.
Obviously, being the first week he explained the general progress of the course and the first question was, What does the word “Diet” mean to you!!?
The biggest 2 things that kept me interested in the course was the suggestion of only losing 5% weight in the 12 weeks. Personally this took away the worry about weighing and the feeling of failing when a target was not met.
The most impactful suggestion for me alone was the 1% change every week. So easy, and so successful.
After years of struggling, this course, together with Chris' input, lit a light in my brain. I loved the 1% challenge. First week I changed to Soya milk for breakfast, then a move to Decaf tea, wrote down shopping lists, planned menus and many, many other small changes.
Every week Chris was always led an interesting course, even when he was absent for a couple of weeks for illness the guys who took over still kept the continuity going.
It was so good to be interacting with other people, and no mention of “you must do without this, or you must lose that.”
I thought I knew everything about healthy eating, but this course put a lot of my issues into perspective.
Here we are some weeks after the course finished and I am still focused. I miss the group sessions but I know the support is still there.
My big success since the end of the course is having been away for 10 days in a caravan, I have taken my menu and eaten sensibly but still with the so-called guilty pleasures on hand, and I came home having lost weight instead.
So, for me so far the course has been a really useful course.
Thank you to Chris, One you Lincolnshire and Gloji.
Helen
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