After becoming really unwell last year and being rushed to hospital, Nathan Whittaker made the decision to revamp his life: starting with his weight. Over the course of a year, Whittaker lost a total of 110 kilograms – and is now unrecognisable.
Weighing in at 225 kilograms at his heaviest, he knew that working in the hospitality industry wasn’t helping his yoyo weight. Now, he’s running in the City to Surf come August. Read his full story below.
My lifestyle before my weight loss journey consisted of drinking alcohol daily, eating fast food and takeaway for almost every meal. I only left the house for work and even at work I was unable to do simple tasks, so I spent a lot of my day just sitting. Life was very miserable and repetitive, and I was unable to do anything new due to the restrictions of my body.
I ate as much as I was able to eat basically. I did zero exercise besides walking around at work when I could. I tried to do exercise but even walking just 50m proved to be too hard, so I didn’t try again.
The turning point for me was I became very ill and required emergency surgery. I should have recovered in 6 weeks, but I had multiple complications due to my weight, and recovery took 6 months. I became depressed and my relationships and friendships began to break down. I knew I had to do something before it was too late.
My diet was strictly the Lite n’ Easy 1500 calorie per day meal plan. I did not vary from this plan at all. A day on a plate would be:
Breakfast – 2 egg veggie omelette with 2 slices toast
Snack – piece of fruit
Lunch – chicken and veggie salad
Snack – fruit cup and cheese and crackers
Dinner – spaghetti bolognaise
I did not do any exercise to begin with. The weight was falling off by simply sticking to the Lite n’ Easy meal plan. It wasn’t until I had lost around 50 kilos that I began going for a 30-minute walk daily. I have continued to keep up this exercise regime today! I also include longer walks of up to 14km once a week.
I started Lite n’ Easy in September 2021 and today (3rd August 22) I am just shy of the one-year mark I have lost a total of 110kg!
Today, I feel amazing. There aren’t enough words to describe how great I feel. I feel so happy and positive all the time, things that used to put me in a bad mood don’t seem to affect me any longer. I feel so excited for the future and always look for as many activities that I can be a part of to embrace my new active lifestyle. I am even running in the City to Surf this August!
