Benutriwise - Weight Loss Mike's Story

Battling to fit into my clothes, always feeling uncomfortable and tired, I decided that “enough was enough”.
The decision to lose weight was not an easy one. It is normally brought about by your doctor telling you that you have to change your lifestyle. This was not th case with me. I was uncomfortable being overweight, and needed to change. My weight was 103 kg's and always remained in a narrow band of 101 – 104 kg's. I decided that my targeted weight loss would be an ambitious 20 kg's.

Tried Them All

I have tried most weight loss products, pills, potions, shakes and fad exercise devices (including the one's that shock your muscles and tone you while you relax). Unfortunately, I have a sweet tooth and can easily finish a slab of chocolate in an evening in front of the TV, so none worked for more than a few days, or a week or two at best. The emphasis was on the supplement rather than my eating habits.

My Jeans Don't Fit Anymore

Before starting the program, I set myself 5 major and non-exclusive goals :

Lose the 20 kg's as fast as possible
Not to be hungry all the time
Not to be obsessed with food
Be able to eat a “bad” meal if I felt like it without feeling guilty
To eat what I had selected, not what someone else selects for me
(freedom of choice)

Getting Started

The Benutriwise software had been developed and some enhancements were being tested. I had done a lot of work on the software but never actually used it for my own weight loss – hence the 103 kg's. I decided to use the software as it, in principle, met all the above goals I had set.

In February 2010 I started by loading my details into the Benutriwise software. As I was going to be evaluating the software's effectiveness, I decided to attempt to “push the limits” and aim to lose 1.5 – 2 kg's per week until I reached my target of 83 kg's.

Using the software, I logged what I ate. Spending some time loading our family's recipe's into the food database made the logging of the more complicated meals a breeze. The key here was to log everything I ate, not just the healthy food, but the sweets, chocolates, etc. What I did find is that the more time I spent on the software, the more I learnt about food, and the more I understood the underlying weight loss concept. Weight loss can only happen when the amount of energy you consume (calories/kilojoules) is less than the amount of energy your body uses up in a day. Eat less energy than your body needs, and you lose weight – simple fact.

I began just logging the food, without giving much thought to what I was eating. Soon, I realised that by careful selection of foods, I could eat the foods I liked, never felt hungry, and remained within my goal weight loss limits. When I did eat that slab of chocolate, I could immediately see the results, and plan how I could limit the effect on my goal.

Goal Reached

At the end of April 2010, I had reached my goal of 83 kg's. It was great. I had done it with some will power, but mainly by the knowledge I had gained from the Benutriwise software. In July 2010, my weight still remains in a 83 – 85 kg band, so I have not regained any of the weight I had lost. The reason for this is that I have been following a eating plan that suits me (foods I enjoy) and that meet my body's energy requirements. Most fad diets are designed to achieves a single goal – short-term weight loss. But how many people have actually maintained their weight once they stop “dieting”, taking pills, drinking diet shakes etc? Can you afford to “live” on these expensive supplements forever ?

Summary

I chose the food I wanted to eat, and saw the consequences of my actions
I decided on my short-term and long-term goals
I was able to learn a lot about the foods we eat (some are not fit to be called food)
I was able to see (via various on screen reports), why I had not lost weight.
I was able to see my progress and where my eating habits needed to be modified.

The software was crucial to my weight loss success. Will power played a part, but seeing what eating that slab of chocolate did to my daily plan, helped me to modify my behaviour, and rather have just a few blocks of chocolate instead of the whole slab.

Last Thoughts

Someone asked me if I had to go back to February 2010, and do it again, would I do anything differently. My answer would be Yes. I would have placed more emphasis on exercise and used the exercise tracking part of the software to monitor my progress in this area. This would have ensured that my body was better toned and I would have been much fitter. And, if I had exercised more, who knows how quickly I could have reached my goal ?

Benutriwise software is based on sound nutrition principles which allows you to select the food you want to eat as part of formulating your daily food intake goal. When you do eat an energy rich meal, the software unemotionally shows the results of your action. Using the software enables you to learn so much about yourself as well as the food you eat. If you are consulting a doctor, dietician, nutritionist etc, the reports the software provide would be invaluable to them.

Should you want to contact me regarding my weight loss experience, please email me on mike@stark.co.za