The Howād they do it? interview series is designed to share how members of the Alfred community lost weight and gained energy.
This week we chatted withĀ Rob Hartley, a Dad of 3 and Tech Executive about he beat yo-yo dieting and found balance.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Iām a 37-year-old, father of four amazing kids, living just outside Canberra. Iāve been married to my beautiful wife for 10 years (together for closer to 18 years). I was born in New Zealand, grew up in Perth and moved to the eastern states when I joined the Army at 18 and posted to Canberra to undertake officer training.
I met my wife in Canberra and together we posted around to Sydney, Townsville, and Melbourne (Did a stint in the UK and Afghanistanā¦without her š ). I left the Army after 12 years when it was time to forge a new career and put down roots with the growing family in Canberra! I now work in the tech sector where Iām an Executive Director at a tech services firm called The Factor. Ā
From your heaviest, how much weight have you lost?
Strangely enough, Iām currently sitting at my heaviest (at around 112kg and 197cm)! I know that doesnāt look like an amazing success story, but Iāve been guilty of yo-yo dieting in the past, and this time Iām trying to establish a healthier relationship with food rather than crashing down the weight.
When I was in the Army I wouldāve considered myself heavy when I was in the high-90s. When I left full-time service I thought my weight was remaining fairly consistent in the mid to high 90s. But after a few years, I realised my body composition was changing and gravity was dragging my chest down to my stomach.
Then just before my third child was born, I saw a photo of myself at the beach and didnāt like what I saw. I felt slow. I felt unhealthy.
So I crashed down the weight and lost about 13kg over a few months. But in hindsight, it definitely wasnāt sustainable and the weight quickly came back on (and more).
Why did you want to lose weight?
Iām actually not too phased with losing weight or what the number says on the scales ā but I do want to feel better and healthier.
Thereās definitely a bit of vanity in there, I donāt want to be one of those dads who lets themselves go. But more than that, I want to be healthy and active for as long as possible, and for me that goes hand in hand with having a good, healthy body composition.
That means less impact through my joints which means I can keep up with the kids for longer. It means Iām less prone to injury so I can keep up my weight training regularly. And it also means less stress on my heart.
Was there anything holding you back from losing weight in the past?
I think my personality is quick obsessive and extreme ā I donāt tend to do things by half measures. So when I attempted to lose weight previously Iād do it very severely, almost like a punishment. Iād basically set myself a very strict diet regimen (5000kj a day) and exercise like hell. Iād get immediate results and drop a lot of weight in a short period of time.
But that kind of hunger and fatigue isnāt sustainable, and I could never find a balance. Iād hit a target weightā¦ then bounce right back.
I also had a very negative self-image when I was motivating myself in that way. A lot of negative self-talk about why I needed to lose weight and push myself to get up and train in the morning.
In hindsight, I wasnāt losing weight for the right reasons or going about it the right way.
One of the things weāre trying to do at Alfred is to help people take control of their health. Whatās been the biggest change to your health youāve noticed from losing weight?
For me, the biggest change this time around is the link between healthy eating habits and a good mental state. Exercise, diet and sleep are the three pillars on which I build my mental health, and when I get them working well together everything starts to spiral upwards.
I train well which motivates me to eat well, then I sleep wellā¦and so Iām keen to train againā¦which makes me want to eat well, and so on.
Finding a balanced and sustainable way to eat healthy and focus on the right things means Iām not equating losing weight to punishing myself.
Whatās your favourite meal?
Homemade pizza.
How often do you have it?
About once a month. Maybe if my wife is out for dinner with friends on a Friday night, Iāll get the kids to bed, make a pizza with everything I want on it and then sit down and watch a movie that my wife would hate!
If you could go back, what would you tell yourself at the beginning of your weight loss journey?
Find balance! I was too focused on the external metrics to achieve a goal, rather than focusing on the intrinsic reasons for change and finding a happy balance that I can sustain.
That goes for far more than just weight loss and diet ā the more I go through life the more I focus on finding balance between all the priorities in my life.
Got a message for the Alfred community?
Consistency beats intensity every day of the week!
If youād like to share your story, please get in touch here.