How Aussie couple avoided gastric band surgery by losing 50 kilos with CSIRO diet

Aussie couple Jayne and Brian Shortt were about to both undergo serious surgeries to help them lose weight — but then they lost 50kg in a matter of months. See the video and how they did it.

Exclusive: Jayne and Brian Shortt were on the cusp of undergoing gastric band surgery but decided to give dieting one last go — and they were rewarded when they lost more than 50kg between them in just eight months.

The Adelaide couple, aged 52 and 50, had even upped their health insurance so they could be covered by the surgery which would’ve cost them $5000 each.

“I came away from seeing the bariatric surgeon thinking ‘what am I doing, surely I can lose weight myself’,” Mrs Shortt said.

They decided on a last-ditch attempt at dieting with CSIRO’s total wellbeing diet, a high-protein and low-carbohydrate eating plan.

“I was 117kg and lost 21kg and my husband was 135kg and lost 32kg - we have never looked back, it’s been life changing,” she said.

Jayne and Brian Shortt with their daughter Madeleine before their weight loss journey. Picture: Supplied

The couple decided on a last-ditch attempt at dieting with CSIRO’s total wellbeing diet, a high-protein and low-carbohydrate eating plan. Picture: Supplied

It comes as Australia’s national science agency has launched a new online healthy habits quiz, which assesses participants’ habit strength, moods and tempting foods, and provides tailored, science-backed advice to help Aussies break free from unhealthy eating habits.

A recent CSIRO study of some 2000 Australians revealed mood significantly influenced eating behaviours, with three-quarters eating more when bored and over half eating more when feeling depressed.

Positive emotions had the opposite effect, with nearly half of participants eating less when feeling happy.

Females were more prone to emotional eating than males, with 24 per cent eating to lift their mood compared to 16 per cent of males.

Australia ranked 10th out of 21 countries with available data for the proportion of people aged 15 and over who were living with overweight or obesity (64 per cent).

This was greater than the OECD average of 59 per cent, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Mrs Shortt suffered from acid reflux and aches and pains in her joints when she started her new eating regime, while her husband suffered from heart issues, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

“I was very much a snacker,” she said. “I would constantly have chips and chocolate and fast food around my busy working hours.

“I wasn’t doing any form of activity whatsoever so bad nutrition paired with no exercise was just a recipe for disaster.”

Jayne and Brian as they began to lose weight. Picture: Supplied

The pair continued to lose weight together. Picture: Supplied

The birth of her first granddaughter was the motivation she needed to curb her unhealthy habits.

“My husband and I wondered what sort of grandparents we would be if we don’t sort our health out and our weight,” Mrs Shortt said.

“We knew we wouldn’t have the energy to run around the park and sit and play on the floor - it was the wake up call we needed.”

Mrs Shortt said she now started her day with a shake, ate three pieces of fruit a day, fresh vegetables, salads or soup for lunch and a protein with vegetables for dinner every day.

She also sees a personal trainer and does water aerobics every seven days, while her husband plays soccer twice a week. Their health woes are a thing of the past.

“This is something you simply cannot put off,” she said.

“The secret is to plan and be prepared and just do it - you’ve got nothing to lose except the weight.”

More information about the CSIRO total wellbeing diet and the new healthy habits quiz can be found at totalwellbeingdiet.com. 

Originally published as How Aussie couple avoided gastric band surgery by losing 50 kilos with CSIRO diet