Sitting in the doctor’s office, Tony Reynolds knew he needed to make a change. At 158kg, he was battling type 2 diabetes and finding it more and more difficult to manage his weight.
“At the time I was injecting up to 90 units of fast-acting insulin three times a day as well as 30 units of slow insulin twice a day,” says Tony.
His weight put such a strain on his knees he was struggling to walk and climb stairs.
“My doctor told me that if I didn’t lose weight, I wouldn’t be around in six to 12 months.”
Margaret and Tony had to lose weight for their health.
(Image: Supplied)Tony and his wife Margaret, who was 128kg, made the life-saving decision to change their lifestyle.
Motivated to be around to see their grandkids, Michelle, 12, and Susan, nine, grow up, the Queensland couple signed up to Lite n’ Easy after finding no success with a host of other plans and diets.
“I started out on the recommended 1800-calorie plan and Margaret on 1500 calories. As we lost weight, we dropped to the 1500 and 1200-calorie plans,” explains Tony, 66, who started losing weight “from the get-go”.
“Previously, we were eating four to five times what we needed to maintain our bodies just because it was there, and we’d cooked that much!” he says.
They’re thrilled with their healthy lifestyle.
(Image: Supplied/LitenEasy)Margaret says, “We have two grandchildren, both with special needs, who will need our help and support, so losing the weight and being here for them is important.”
Margaret, 74, and Tony also started incorporating exercise into their daily routine, even taking up lawn bowls.
“We researched workouts online and started doing 20 to 30 minutes three times a day,” explains Margaret.
“We do walking around our dining room and kitchen for 10 minutes, squats, hamstring curls, shoulder presses, calf raises… I’m so much fitter and love being able to wear size 18 dresses instead of size 26!”
Now, 18 months on, the couple have lost 115kg between them – more than the combined weight of their granddaughters!
Susan and Michelle are the couple’s inspiration.
(Image: Supplied)“As my weight dropped, I noticed that my body was relying less and less on injected insulin…” says Tony.
“My GP has been reducing my dosage correspondingly, to a point where I have now stopped injecting altogether. I’ve also been able to stop a couple of my other medications,” he smiles.
“When we catch with friends we haven’t seen for a while they’re amazed at how much weight we’ve lost.
“We’ve dropped many, many clothing sizes, but most importantly we’ve regained our health.”
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