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May Member of the Month - Rob Darracott
Posted 24 June 2008
This month’s Member of the Month, 48-year old Rob Darracott, comes to us highly recommended by Simone Cripps (AKA Charlies Angel), our April 2008 Member of the Month. When Simone ran the New Year’s weight loss challenge on the forum, Rob consistently lost weight and was the competition’s biggest winner (loser) overall with an impressive 29 pounds lost! Since then he’s just keep losing weight and looking and feeling great.
Fitbug: How did you first hear about Fitbug?
Rob: It was recommended by a doctor during my check up. I wasn’t particularly surprised by what he had to say, but one thing he said to me really stuck. When we were talking about diet and exercise and the balance between energy in and energy out, he gave me an interesting statistic: he told me that the average man today walks the distance of a marathon less a week than just 25 years ago. That’s 26 miles a week less than we used to.
He told me to put the marathon distance back in, it wasn’t so much what I was eating, but that I had a very sedentary lifestyle. He said I didn’t need to diet, but to get more activity.
He also told me he’s recommended Fitbug to many people. Mostly because of the pedometer aspect and the support mechanism, and it just kind of appealed to me with the information he gave me on my own health. It’s all very visual, and I’m a visual person, so the charts and dials appeal to me.
Fitbug: When did you start?
Rob: Just before Christmas, I didn’t tell anyone in family for a week. What was interesting was between Christmas and New Year, I lost 3 pounds, and while I didn’t drink a lot, I didn’t really diet.
Fitbug: What did/do you hope to accomplish?
Rob: I had several goals: to get my blood pressure down, get my cholesterol to a normal level and to lose weight. I focussed on losing weight, because if you lose weight blood pressure and cholesterol will come down, unless of course you’ve got a family history of problems. I started Fitbug at 16 stone 12. I set myself a goal of 13 stone. In terms of BMI, I want to be in the normal range of less than 25. I’m now at 13 stone 4. My blood pressure is well down and my cholesterol is not quite normal, but way down, just above normal (in May). I’ve lost a bit more since then, so hopefully it’s all down. My BMI is 25.3, so I’m almost there.
Fitbug: What inspired your goals?
Rob: When the doctor presented all the data, he showed me visually where I was against 100 47-year old men. He said ’this is how many men are worse of you than you...’ There were only 6! I was 93 out of 100. He told me to come back in a years, time, so I have set myself that date. Hopefully I’ll look much, much better on that chart.
Fitbug: What have you gained?
Rob: A new wardrobe. My daughter looked at me one day and said, ’you know you can’t wear that suit anymore’. I had three dinner jackets of various sizes and I went out to dinner in last week in my oldest and smallest of the three. That’s quite a nice gain. I feel much, much fitter. Also, people are very complementary.
Fitbug: Did you find it difficult?
Rob: You know I haven’t. It really hasn’t been difficult - if you do it and do it sensibly. I’ve almost found it hard to eat my 2,300 calories some days. My target kept going up and I kept wanting to meet it.
I wish I would have done Fitbug 15 years ago! Everything I’ve tried up till now has been hard work. What’s nice is I have an idea what the maintenance will be. I won’t go back to the old stuff. I know that’s very easy to do.
About 3 or 4 months ago I was out with my wife and somebody said to her ’where’s your husband?’ and even she had a job recognising me across a room. People keep saying ’you must have been on a diet’, but it’s that I’m focussed on what I’m eating, but I’m not dieting. I play golf that’s a good five miles of walking.
Fitbug: What’s the weight loss been like?
Rob: The first three stone were coming off about two pounds a week. Now more like about four pounds a month. But I’m on track to be done by the first of August, so I’m right on schedule.
Fitbug: Who/what was most helpful?
Rob: The doctor at the start who recognised that I’d benefit from Fitbug, really just someone to say just try this. The other thing is there are several people around the forum. I’m not a huge contributor, but I read it. And when I was doing Charlies Angel’s weight loss challenge, I would send her my weight loss for the week, and she’d send back a private note, and I don’t know her from Adam, but people send notes - someone out there is bothered enough to send you something. Even though you’re doing this on your own, you’re not...there are people who give a little time help you. You make of it what you will, but those little things help - and if somebody reads this and thinks that a nice story, that helps too.
Fitbug: What are you most proud of?
Rob: I finally got this far.
Fitbug: What’s your advice to other FB members?
Rob:One bad day isn’t the end of the world. Occasionally, I have a bad day; I don’t cheat, so if I have a bad day I still put everything in. Even when you have a bad day but you just walk a bit more. Or go to the gym the next day and log all that. One bad day doesn’t alter the dial that much. You’re still on the right track.
Before...
Fitbug: How did you first hear about Fitbug?
Rob: It was recommended by a doctor during my check up. I wasn’t particularly surprised by what he had to say, but one thing he said to me really stuck. When we were talking about diet and exercise and the balance between energy in and energy out, he gave me an interesting statistic: he told me that the average man today walks the distance of a marathon less a week than just 25 years ago. That’s 26 miles a week less than we used to.
He told me to put the marathon distance back in, it wasn’t so much what I was eating, but that I had a very sedentary lifestyle. He said I didn’t need to diet, but to get more activity.
He also told me he’s recommended Fitbug to many people. Mostly because of the pedometer aspect and the support mechanism, and it just kind of appealed to me with the information he gave me on my own health. It’s all very visual, and I’m a visual person, so the charts and dials appeal to me.
Fitbug: When did you start?
Rob: Just before Christmas, I didn’t tell anyone in family for a week. What was interesting was between Christmas and New Year, I lost 3 pounds, and while I didn’t drink a lot, I didn’t really diet.
Fitbug: What did/do you hope to accomplish?
Rob: I had several goals: to get my blood pressure down, get my cholesterol to a normal level and to lose weight. I focussed on losing weight, because if you lose weight blood pressure and cholesterol will come down, unless of course you’ve got a family history of problems. I started Fitbug at 16 stone 12. I set myself a goal of 13 stone. In terms of BMI, I want to be in the normal range of less than 25. I’m now at 13 stone 4. My blood pressure is well down and my cholesterol is not quite normal, but way down, just above normal (in May). I’ve lost a bit more since then, so hopefully it’s all down. My BMI is 25.3, so I’m almost there.
Fitbug: What inspired your goals?
Rob: When the doctor presented all the data, he showed me visually where I was against 100 47-year old men. He said ’this is how many men are worse of you than you...’ There were only 6! I was 93 out of 100. He told me to come back in a years, time, so I have set myself that date. Hopefully I’ll look much, much better on that chart.
Fitbug: What have you gained?
Rob: A new wardrobe. My daughter looked at me one day and said, ’you know you can’t wear that suit anymore’. I had three dinner jackets of various sizes and I went out to dinner in last week in my oldest and smallest of the three. That’s quite a nice gain. I feel much, much fitter. Also, people are very complementary.
Fitbug: Did you find it difficult?
Rob: You know I haven’t. It really hasn’t been difficult - if you do it and do it sensibly. I’ve almost found it hard to eat my 2,300 calories some days. My target kept going up and I kept wanting to meet it.
I wish I would have done Fitbug 15 years ago! Everything I’ve tried up till now has been hard work. What’s nice is I have an idea what the maintenance will be. I won’t go back to the old stuff. I know that’s very easy to do.
About 3 or 4 months ago I was out with my wife and somebody said to her ’where’s your husband?’ and even she had a job recognising me across a room. People keep saying ’you must have been on a diet’, but it’s that I’m focussed on what I’m eating, but I’m not dieting. I play golf that’s a good five miles of walking.
Fitbug: What’s the weight loss been like?
Rob: The first three stone were coming off about two pounds a week. Now more like about four pounds a month. But I’m on track to be done by the first of August, so I’m right on schedule.
Fitbug: Who/what was most helpful?
Rob: The doctor at the start who recognised that I’d benefit from Fitbug, really just someone to say just try this. The other thing is there are several people around the forum. I’m not a huge contributor, but I read it. And when I was doing Charlies Angel’s weight loss challenge, I would send her my weight loss for the week, and she’d send back a private note, and I don’t know her from Adam, but people send notes - someone out there is bothered enough to send you something. Even though you’re doing this on your own, you’re not...there are people who give a little time help you. You make of it what you will, but those little things help - and if somebody reads this and thinks that a nice story, that helps too.
Fitbug: What are you most proud of?
Rob: I finally got this far.
Fitbug: What’s your advice to other FB members?
Rob:One bad day isn’t the end of the world. Occasionally, I have a bad day; I don’t cheat, so if I have a bad day I still put everything in. Even when you have a bad day but you just walk a bit more. Or go to the gym the next day and log all that. One bad day doesn’t alter the dial that much. You’re still on the right track.
After!
As this month's star member Rob receives a gorgeous Molton Brown gift set. If you'd like to feature as our member of the month - or if you know someone that deserves to -
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