How man lost 24 per cent of his body weight

We used to be such a fit nation, athletes all, punching well above our “weight” on the international stage. Now we have trouble getting out of bed

Graham Strang lost 24 per cent of his body weight. . Picture: Contributed

I'M FAT, you're fat, they're fat, everyone's fat.

Where on earth did we go wrong?

We used to be such a fit nation, athletes all, punching well above our "weight" on the international stage.

Now we have trouble getting out of bed let alone getting in and out of cars.

A mate of mine, Graham Strang from Hip Pocket Workwear and Safety, reckons 70% of excess weight results from what you put in your mouth and he should know because, previously, he put lots in his mouth.

His fighting weight (blokes use that sort of language) was 82 kilograms.

A year ago, June 10 to be precise, Graham weighed 115.6 kilograms. 

Six months later, he had his weight down to 103.2 kilograms, an 11% reduction, and today he stands proud at 88.2 kilograms representing an overall reduction of 24%.

That equates to not carrying a 10 year old child on your shoulders.

Graham's journey isn't finished yet as he still has 3.2 kilograms to lose.

If 70% of the solution is what goes in your mouth, let's check out what goes into Graham's mouth.

For a start he doesn't eat breakfast and has had that policy for more than 25 years, however, he does buy a $1 7-Eleven coffee on the way to work each day and, instead of morning and afternoon snacks, he has a Tony Ferguson shake in 250ml of water.

Lunch and dinner are as usual, on a reduced portion size, avoiding seconds and using smaller plates and bowls to ensure there is no overloading.

When preparing meals, he cooks two more than required and freezes them with a view to reheating, thus avoiding the temptation of takeaways.

They still have takeaway, but as a treat not as a regular thing.

What I found interesting is that Graham and his wife Teela have made a conscious decision to reduce their weekly food budget, so as well as reducing weight they're reducing expenditure.

Double winner!

And what I did find surprising was that Graham, a true country boy, only has six or so beers a year.

Bread is a no/no as is soft drink but water is a yes/yes, the more the merrier.

Each weekday he walks his two dogs at 5.20am, oh that's a bit early, and they cover five kilometres in pursuit of his 7000 to 10,000 steps a day target.

Graham follows his cricket and rugby-playing children passionately and told me he stands at games or walks around the grounds rather than taking a seat.

He said his program may not suit everyone, it's an individual choice.

If you'd like to get some tips from Graham, call him on 0488 385 858, no charge!

Originally published as How man lost 24 per cent of his body weight