In an era of Ozempic and other quick-fixes, Arvy Pisarskis is living proof that a concentrated effort to change your lifestyle is a way to drop - and keep off - excess body fat.
The retired WA public servant, who now lives in Ulverstone, Tasmania, went from 180.5kg to 88-90kg over about five years. His Type 2 diabetes is in remission, he's off blood pressure tablets, can walk several kilometres instead of 50m, can better manage his diabetes, sleeps better and joins his wife June on walks and outings instead of staying at home or in the car.
Tipping the scales
Arvy's weight loss journey started in April 2017. He'd gone from a glass of wine at the end of the work week to a bottle every night in retirement and loved salty and carbohydrate-rich meals.
June, at 80kg, was watching her weight, using a calorie counter, eating more sensibly and increasing her physical activity. When Arvy stepped on the scale, they tipped at 180.5kg.
"We sat down that day and decided we had to change," he said.
Eating habits
Today, Arvy has an infrequent glass of alcohol and tracks his calories using Easy Diet Diary.
The couple uses smaller dinner plates to help manage portion sizes, eat their main meal at lunchtime - which also helps Arvy sleep better - and have cereal or porridge for breakfast and something light for dinner. When The Senior called them, they had just eaten Ryvita biscuits topped with hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Pre-packaged meals from Lite n' Easy give them a better balance of vegetables plus carbohydrates and protein, and the standardised portions make it easier to track how many calories they consume each mealtime.
The pre-packaged meals plus pre-cut vegetables from a local supermarket for soups maximise independence; Arvy's arthritis limits his cooking abilities, and June has essential tremor, a neurological condition that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking, making cutting a challenge.
The impact
Arvy achieved his first target - to get to under 100kgs - in 2021, and his current weight two years after that. The arthritis doesn't hurt as much, the diabetes is in remission, and he's more social, joining different walking groups three times a week..
He's also doing more things with June, who now weighs 70kg. On a figure-of-eight trip of Australia years ago, Arvy sat in the car while June went out exploring.
But in recent trips to Bright in Victoria's High Country, they walked six kilometres together daily.
"It used to be disappointing that we couldn't share things," June said.
"Now we can share things and it's more enjoyable," June said.
Top tips for losing - and keeping it off
Arvy's tips are to decide you're going to do it, count calories and move.
He said it is a mental issue and you have to make the choice to commit to change.
Counting calories helps you track exactly how much energy you're taking in. He likened overeating to going to a petrol station and overfilling your tank. "You don't need it (the excess fuel)".
And finally, exercise. Arvy had to work his way up to achieve the distances he can now, but it all helped.
"I see how people are opting for Ozempic and other "quick fixes" for weight loss and I want to tell them you must change from within and change your lifestyle, then the weight will stay off, as it has for us," Arvy said.
