Wondering about Weight Loss For Men?
What better ambassador for a successful weight loss method could there be, other than Martin Shirran, co-founder of the Gastric Mind Band Therapy? He put himself forward as a guinea-pig, testing the method out on himself and writing his own Gastric mind Band Diary in the process….Weight Loss For Men.
All of the Gastric Mind Band® (GMB) client testimonials on this site are the clients own words and opinions. The GMB treatment is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.Read our full disclaimer here.
“Martin why don’t you undertake a trial. We can take regular photos of you, and you can keep an ongoing diary covering your experiences.” Great, I thought, fat photos of me all across the News of the World! But how could I refuse? Over the past twelve months I like others had been trying out the various individual components of the treatment, but never the combined treatment plan as a whole.
My first session took place on the Monday afternoon, 19th May 2008. Using the standard case conceptualisation forms and documentation as used with all our clients, the session lasted around five hours. My starting weight was recorded at 108 kilos (238 lbs)
As my friends, relatives and medical records will confirm, I personally have fought a battle with my weight for the best part of twenty five years. In the recent past, my weight has been as high as, dare I say it, 117 kilos: that’s an incredible 18 stone 3lbs. So the people whose opinion I trust the most came up with a suggestion.
The second session took place on Friday 23rd May: it consisted of CBT and hypnotherapy. As with all clients we covered a number of issues around nutrition, in particular the part played by the two hormones most important to those wishing to lose weight, Ghrelin and Leptin. The session lasted close to four hours and covered many elements, and concluded with a Hypnotherapy session. During the Hypnotherapy I was introduced to the idea that my stomach was shrinking, that I wanted to eat smaller portions and to eat less often, also interestingly to the idea that the taste of alcohol was no longer quite as appealing as in the past.
At the end of the session I underwent a standard ‘Metabolic Fingerprinting’ procedure, which enabled us to confirm my exact RMR, resting metabolic rate: mine was 1,710.
During the sessions I was continually told to imagine my stomach was shrinking, always getting smaller. As happens with every client, I spent the second session holding a 1lb jar of simulated medical human fat, not a pleasant sight or memory. During another, I alternated between holding a melon, (quite heavy), and a golf ball in my hand: I was told to visualise the heavy melon as my large existing stomach and the little golf ball as my new miniature replacement.
The final session I had the Gastric mind Band fitted. As expected, I continue eating portions as if my stomach is the size of a golf ball. Each client is given a personalised GMB golf ball, to place on the table next to their plate every time they eat, even if it is in a restaurant. When you sit in a restaurant with a menu and a golf ball in front of you, it tends to really focus your mind.
What of the weight loss? I was weighed and photographed, in the same suit on Monday 21st July, nine weeks after my first session. My weight had dropped from 108 kilos to 96 kilos, a weight loss of 12 kilos, just over 26 lbs, which equals an average reduction of 2.8 lbs per week..
However, when talking to a doctor friend regarding my dieting success he suggested that instead of stopping, or indeed being satisfied at 94 kilos, why not carry on until I reach 88.5 kilos, as this would place by BMI within the NICE recommended guidelines (it would be the first time I had achieved this in my entire adult life).
Monday 22nd September. Today’s weight was recorded at 88.3 kilos. Wow! That is a personal best. I have decided to carry on a little longer with the trial, because even though I am no longer obese, the charts say I am still overweight. I cannot see it myself but still.
Weight Loss For Men, was the title for this page, it just does not get enough coverage, every day in the media we read about the many female weight loss stories, I know that the issue is just as important to guys as it is to women, they just do not seem to talk about it, not sure why !!!
Wednesday 22nd October. My weight today is down to an incredible 85.5 kilos. I have dropped nearly 3 kilos in 4 weeks, and like so many other people I talk to who are undergoing GMB therapy, it really does seem nearly effortless. Since starting the treatment my total weight loss to date is close to 50lb. This week I tried to lift a 50lb bag of potatoes; I couldn’t do it. How frightening is that?
I have decided to carry on with the trial and take my weight down to 79.5 kilos. According to the standard BMI charts, at 1m74 I will still be a little overweight, but I have decided to call it a day when I reach my new, but final, target.
