Rick Loses Weight, Lowers Blood Sugar, While Enjoying Foods He Once Avoided
Rick has struggled with his weight since the 3rd grade. For the last 25 years he has also struggled with diabetes. He is now 66 years old and, for the first time, is nearing his goal weight. Since February he has lost 27 pounds, and his A1c, a 3-month measurement of his blood sugars, has dropped 30%!
Here is Rick’s story:
All my life weight has been an issue for me. 12 years ago I got to 360 pounds. That’s when I joined TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly). Over the next decade I was able to get down to 240. Then, last February, I was hospitalized because of heart problems. My doctor put a stint in. I was placed on all kinds of medications: one for my stint, my heart, my blood pressure and my diabetes.
After I got out of the hospital they put me on a diabetic diet and I couldn’t stand it. That’s when I made the switch to the Full Plate Diet. I lost 10 pounds and then signed up for the Are You Eating Enough to Lose Weight? online course. I lost 17 more pounds for a total of 27. I’m down to 213 pounds and my goal is 199.
In addition to losing weight, The Full Plate Diet has helped my diabetes. My A1c has dropped from 9.0 to 6.2 and my doctor has cut my diabetes medications in half! This really works. I am so delighted with the results.
It’s so simple. The system I was using before required me to spend too much time thinking about food. Now I just focus on getting enough natural fiber-rich foods. The 40 grams a day goal really helped me because before I wasn’t even getting 10.
As an added bonus, I can eat foods that I didn’t think I could. Before taking Are You Eating Enough to Lose Weight? I was avoiding fruit, grains and potatoes because of all the carbs. I was especially scared of fruit because of my diabetes. I’m not now. I eat fruit, grains, potatoes and plenty of beans.
Here are three concepts that really helped me:
1. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper. To help me do this I use 3 different size plates: a very large plate for breakfast, a medium sized plate for lunch and a smaller plate for supper. All three are always full and I’m eating more than I was eating before.
2. Eat only when I’m hungry. I still eat 3 meals a day, but I don’t have an exact set time. I eat when I’m hungry so my meals may vary from day to day by an hour or so.
It has taken some practice for me to know the difference between hunger or thirst or simply having a desire to eat. When I’m hungry there’s a growling sensation in my stomach. Thirst is a little different, I can’t really explain it. And I don’t eat simply because I desire to eat any more. I think it’s because I’m getting plenty to eat on The Full Plate Diet.
3. Eat only until I’m 80% full. In other words, before I actually feel full. When I start feeling satisfied with what I’ve eaten, I will stop for 5 minutes. Then I will ask myself “Am I still hungry?” If not, I stop. If I am, I eat a little more. But I don’t eat until I feel full.
I’ve been trying to lose weight forever and have never been able to get there. But now, thanks to The Full Plate Diet, I’m almost there!
Want to learn more about the concepts that helped Rick loose weight and lower his blood sugar? Join the Full Plate Living Membership.
Full Plate Living is a small-step approach with big health outcomes. It's provided as a free service of Ardmore Institute of Health.