An asthmatic 20stone dad whose health was so bad he had to have his severely clogged lungs 'washed' has shed a third of his body weight - and got rid of his inhaler.
Ad van der Rest admits he 'hates salad' and had struggled to lose wight - but now the 56-year-old has lost a massive 8stone in just 12 months and completely transformed his life.
Ad's lightbulb moment came as he watched his daughter run the Brighton marathon last year - and while she completed the course, he "gasped for breath" as he walked the mile from the start to watch her cross the finish line.
The married dad-of-three, from Maidenhead in Berkshire, had suffered with asthma for 50 years.
It was so in April 2019 he had to be admitted to hospital to have his lungs ‘washed’ as they were so clogged.
After discovering NHS-backed healthy eating plan Second Nature the following month, 6ft Ad now tips the scales at just 12st 4lb.
And instead of getting out of breath while walking he now regularly runs 5km races and hasn’t used his asthma inhaler since last year.
Ad, a HR consultant, said: "I'm tall and I've always been quite large shaped, large chested.
"But when you go beyond the largest shirt size and suit size in the shop, clothes become much harder to find. At my heaviest, I was wearing an XXXL.
"I had tried to eat healthy myself. But I can’t stand salads, and I didn’t want to starve myself. Then I stumbled across Second Nature on Twitter - it was luck."
Ad, who lives with his school teacher wife Gill, 56, used to gorge on crisps, Creme eggs, KFC, sausage rolls, pie and chips.
He thought nothing of devouring an entire family-size trifle to himself.
Ad wore an XXXL in clothes and was "appalled" at the idea of working out, having "never stepped foot in a gym"
He's now down to a size large and regularly runs 5km several times a week.
Having been diagnosed with asthma as a child, Ad - who has lost a third of his body weight - regularly used an inhaler - something which he has been able to reduce since losing weight.
He said: "I increasingly struggled with my breathing and used to huff and puff just crossing a car park. I was gasping for breath on a daily basis because of my weight.
"I’ve suffered with a little light asthma for 50 years, but given my increased weight, my GP prescribed 15mg immune-suppressant steroids every day so that I could cope.
"In April 2019, weighing 20 stone, I had to go into hospital to have my lungs ‘washed’. They were clogged. Think of it like jet washing a car.
"Thanks to losing weight, I’m down to 1mg steroids a day and haven’t used my asthma inhaler at all this year, and will be coming off that."
Even after his light-bulb moment at 22-year-old Jasmine's marathon, Ad wasn't sure where to turn for help.
He said: "I knew there were plenty of diet sheets I could get from my GP, but it didn’t address sugar or feeling hungry."
After signing up with Second Nature, which now has 30,000 users and is being trialled by the NHS, Ad was sent smart scales and given access to a health coach on a daily basis.
He said: "I typically eat Greek yoghurt with Alpen for breakfast, lunch is chicken with vegetables, and dinner is omelette or fish or meat with a plate of veggies - carrots, beans, sweetcorn and peppers.
"The first surprise for me was portion control. My go-to snack was cheese and crackers - I would have up to 18 in the past. But my health coach advised me to have two - so that was a big revelation.
"The weightloss model did the job for me - somebody who can't cook, doesn't like dieting, doesn't like salads - and it works.
"It’s the science behind it - and finding the clever way of doing it; the foods that allow the weight to come off."
The programme looks to not only ‘rewire’ unhealthy eating habits but also focuses on exercise and sleep.
Ad said: "I’ve also found I enjoy walking. I grumbled when my steps were increased from 5,000 a day to 6,000 - now I’m up to 8,000.
‘After Christmas, I did my first couch to 5k. I struggled to do a 60-second run. Last week I did three 5k runs in one week.
"How have I lost so much weight? I’ve followed the rules - persistently. That’s it. And it’s worked for me. If I can do it - anyone can do it."
Ad lost more than a stone in the first week, and had seen steady weightloss since then.
He said: "One thing that has kept me motivated was a visual reminder of how much weight I have lost.
"I have a washing basket, and each time I lost 1kg in weight, I would put a 1kg hand weight in the basket, and lift it up to feel how heavy it was. It was a wonderful visual.
"Then, when it got to 25kg, I switched it. I put in the amount of 1kg weights I needed to reach my target weight, and I remove one each time, I lost 1kg in weight.
"To start with, my family thought ‘what on earth is he doing, he’ll never stick to this’. But now they’re really pleased. I feel literally 2/3rds of the person I was."
Ad also revealed he is pleased to have lost the weight pre-Covid.
He said: "Whilst the chances of getting into serious trouble remain remote, it’s good to feel physically stronger, healthier and under a much lower level of medication.
"Covid-19 and other diseases will remain a risk. I don’t think there is ever a bad time to be losing a few pounds or kilos."
Ad’s weightloss tips
- Weight loss is 80 percent diet, 20 percent exercise. Start with diet, then build up the exercise.
- Sugar is a nightmare. Eat food with <5g/100g sugar. Max 1-2 pieces of fruit a day.
- Cut back on carbs (pasta, bread, rice, potato), only up to 3 x 15g of those per day.
- Avoid low fat and no fat foods that are tasteless and don’t sate your hunger.
- Eat full fat foods that fill you up. You don’t need a huge portion of those.
- Control portion sizes. I use a calorie counter app to spot check (not to calorie count)
- Weigh yourself regularly or you won’t notice you’re slipping or enjoy progress.
- Consider professional science-based nutritional support (I used ‘Second Nature’).
- Big goals are nice, but it’s often best to focus on one day or even one meal at a time.
