Positive Life NSW

Robbie knew something had to change. Since starting his HIV medicines, he had gained weight around his stomach and it was starting to affect his health. Nerve damage had left him with a permanent limp and the extra weight meant he was having difficulties walking. He also had high blood pressure and his self-confidence plummeted. He decided it was time to lose weight and take control of his health.

“I wanted to lose weight and tone up. The weight was affecting my confidence and I had become very self-critical,” Robbie says. “It was getting more and more difficult to walk because of the weight gain. I was really self-conscious and withdrawing myself – I didn’t want to look at myself in the mirror.”

Robbie was doing hydrotherapy at RPA to assist with his leg, but not much exercise beyond that. “I’m not a gym person,” he says. “I look at the gym as a torture chamber. I’d rather do anything else.”

“I used to love swimming but when I put all this weight on, I stopped. If I can’t look at myself, I don’t want anyone else to look at me.”

Taking action
Robbie enrolled in Healthy Life Plus, ACON’s three-month nutrition and fitness program at the Positive Living Centre (PLC). The course provides weekly group health improvement discussions, individualised training and nutrition consultations and a free 12-week gym membership.

The gym membership and personal guided training are an important part of the program and made a big difference in Robbie’s health. “When I exercised at the gym I drank heaps more water and I always carried some fruit with me or healthy muesli bars.”

“Obviously, you don’t get results right away, but once you start to get results they start to follow after another. So, it starts to really excite you. I used to get really excited when I went to the nutritionist for my appointments and got on the scales.”

Robbie found it easier to get the gym by having a gym buddy from the group. They supported and encouraged each other.

“This gave me a routine. I knew that Monday, Wednesday and Friday, those days were booked for me to be at the gym and the other days I could do what I want.

“Towards the end, I did a lot of it myself, which I couldn’t believe. Here I was getting up and going to the gym on my own without someone pulling me along or whipping and saying you are going to go to the gym. I was doing it by myself and I felt very proud to do that.”

Robbie said he received additional support during the health improvement discussion nights each Tuesday. He explains, “We would start off in the group by going around the circle to say what we’ve achieved, what we’ve done this week, how we’re feeling so that we could check in and bounce off each other. You had plenty of people around you like the nutritionist, the gym instructor, the coordinators, the other participants … there was always someone there from the group that you could go to.”

During the course, Robbie gained valuable skills to take control of his nutrition too. “We learned some recipes and did some budget shopping with a nutritionist at Coles. It changed the way I shop and I’m now more aware of what I buy. I sort of know what I’m looking at with the labels; it’s very complicated, but I know what I have to look for, which is low GI foods.”

Robbie then went to his local bookshop and bought a book on low GI foods to help support his new diet. The key for Robbie has been taking small steps.

“I’m pretty happy because I changed my diet in small steps. I’ve done little things like going from full cream milk to skim milk, going from white bread to wholemeal bread. Of course, you have to treat yourself as well. It’s not like I’m never going to eat sweets, I can’t do that.

“Most people have one sweet tooth, but all of my teeth are sweet. I love my sweet stuff, but I do it in moderation now. I’m more aware of what I put into my body.“

Results speak for themselves
Robbie achieved a lot and people began to take notice, which further encouraged him.

“My overall health has improved. I had high blood pressure at the start of the program and that has dropped. After the program, I felt great. My self-confidence sky rocketed. I could look in the mirror at myself and people were actually telling me I looked really good, that I had lost weight. They were saying, gosh, you look brighter and happier in yourself,” Robbie enthuses.

“When you start hearing more and more people saying that, you start thinking, yeah, I have achieved a lot. It was only three months, but in that three months you learn a lot because the course covers everything. It covers nutrition, you have guest speakers once a week, you have a gym instructor as well, and it was really, really good.

“I got lots of compliments and with those compliments my confidence started to rise. I felt that I had achieved something.”

“I lost around 5 kg and my nutritionist told me I actually lost a lot of weight, but I was putting on more muscle. Even my dad said, god, you have big arms.”

“Obviously, three months isn’t enough and you want to come out looking just perfect, whatever perfect is, and there is more work to be done, obviously, but I went for the right reasons and I achieved my goals.”

“I’ve achieved weight loss, regained my confidence and I feel happier in my body.”

Sticking with it
Robbie proudly says that he is staying motivated, although the gym work is a bit hard in the hot weather. However, he’s determined to stick with it.

“I don’t want to have done all this work and then go back to where I was because I worked bloody hard during those three months. I’m keeping up the nutrition because I’m enjoying it and I feel the benefit of it. I’m not eating as much because the food I’m eating is more nutritious – it fills me up for longer.”

And, he keeps the resource folder that was filled up over the course of the 12-week program. “The folder is still in my lounge room and it’s kept at arm’s length. Towards the end, you walk away just thinking you know everything. Of course, there is much more to know, but it was a really great course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s very easy to put weight on but it’s damn hard to lose it,” Robbie says. 

“I can also still follow up with my nutritionist at Albion Street Centre and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to forget all the people I met and I’m going to still use the services.”