by Caitlin H,
November 13, 2023
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Name: David Rockwell
age:56
Profession: Healthcare Administration
eating plan: Balance-Diabetes
favorite meal: Breakfast: Whole wheat waffles with blueberry cream cheese; Lunch: Lemongrass Chicken; Dinner: Parmesan Cheese Chicken
start date: May 2023
Starting weight: 247
high:5’11”
Lose pounds:45
activity level: Walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes (about 2 miles) every day
My go-to technique when I have a craving is: 100-calorie snacks like pretzels and nuts
My favorite weight loss tracking app is: My fitness partner
When 56-year-old health care administrator David Rockwell went to the doctor in May for his annual checkup, he knew he might not get good news when he walked in.
“I was very aware that I had high blood pressure and all the other obesity-related conditions,” David said.
Sure enough, his blood work showed he was facing a number of health issues, including high cholesterol and blood sugar. His doctor immediately talked about prescribing him several medications.
“I knew I didn’t want to live like that,” David said. “I knew what I had to do, so I committed to doing it. Then I called my doctor and said, ‘Hey, give me a few months. I’m going to make a concerted effort to completely change my lifestyle.”
After some prayer, personal reflection, and googling, David found Diet-to-Go’s Balanced Diabetes Meal Plan and placed his order.
“I was kind of scared, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this diabetic meal plan and it’s going to taste super bland,’ but I was wrong,” David said. “Everything was well seasoned, fresh, and absolutely delicious.”
In three months, David, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall, lost 45 pounds, weighing 202 pounds.
Face (and overcome!) challenges along the way
David began his weight loss journey in May, at the beginning of summer, and the time was not without its challenges.
“One of the challenges of trying to eat healthily and stay on track to lose weight is time with family,” David said, adding that he took two vacations with his family over the summer. “There are a lot of things out there that are really delicious but are also really bad for you, or just not the best when you’re trying to get back in shape.”
But during his annual family vacation to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, David said eating to-go meals was a lifesaver.
“We rented a house and I brought them over and put them in the refrigerator so that while everyone was eating greasy burgers, I was eating a healthy meal,” he said.
Things got a little trickier during an August trip to Disney World, when David couldn’t bring meals and was faced with “a mecca of wonderful, super delicious food that’s also super bad for you.”
“I knew going into it, I was trying to make better choices,” David said. “I can only imagine the days when I didn’t care at all. I do try to make smart choices, but it’s hard when there really aren’t any healthy options.”
David added 9 pounds to the 25 pounds he lost during the week-long trip, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.
“I worked so hard, and I was like, ‘I’m never going to give up,'” he said.
He also said his weight-loss journey began during the summer, when he, like most Philly locals, enjoyed eating ice cream and it was a difficult time.
“Starting a weight loss program in the summer is kind of a killer,” he said. “The thing is, I’ve had a small ice cream cone a few times and it didn’t kill me. I do believe you can do everything in moderation.
“Incredibly satisfying” meals with a fitness twist
When David started dieting, he worried that he wouldn’t feel full and satisfied. He had tried another meal delivery weight loss program in the past, but it only lasted a few days due to the poor quality of the food.
“I must emphasize that the meals served at DTG are very satisfying,” David said. “I’ve never been in a situation where I’m like, ‘I’m so hungry, I could eat five meals.'” Every now and then, I do like to have a snack. But they are all within the calorie count for the day. I learned some new positive habits. “
He was also worried that they would taste like “diet foods” and that he wouldn’t be able to stick to them long term.
“I’m the kind of person who goes to Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Taco Bell, and fast food restaurants in general. You won’t find me eating broccoli,” David said. “Now, I sit back and think, ‘Wow, I love this.'” It opened my eyes to all kinds of new meals. My taste buds have completely changed.
David also joined a local fitness club and incorporated a 30-minute walk on the treadmill into his daily routine. He uses myFitnesspal to log his calorie burn and diet meals, and the data is loaded into the app’s library.
“You burn a certain number of calories [myFitnesspal] Integrate that into it,” David said. “It does allow me to eat a little more…like, I can eat 1,600 or 1,700 instead of 1,500.”
David also completely cut out sugary drinks like soda and lemonade from his diet.
“I changed my lifestyle and drank only water, unsweetened iced tea and unsweetened coffee,” he said. “Wow, sugary drinks are so bad for you. That in itself is a huge change, and it’s a really simple thing you can do.”
A support system and some serious motivation
David’s family and friends reinforced his commitment every step of the way, even while they were on vacation.
“When I brought the food, no one said anything,” David said. “I said to my brothers and sisters, ‘You’re going to think I’m weird,’ and they said, ‘No! No, we’re proud of you.”
For David, a more powerful motivator was praise.
“When I walked in, my mom, my sister, and everyone else who was there was like, ‘Oh my gosh, David, wow! I can tell you, you lost weight! You look great!'” My close friends and My family keeps calling me Skinny Dave! That’s a motivator. If I feel better when I lose 10 pounds, I know I’ll feel even better when I lose 20 pounds!”
His renewed energy was also a big factor in his success.
“I have so much energy now, to the point where it’s annoying sometimes, like, ‘Ah! I just wanted to sleep in on Saturday, but I can’t!” David laughs.
Bottom line: it’s all about the food
David says his favorite thing about the Ready-to-Eat Diet is that it’s not a fad or a flimsy way of eating, but something you can stick with and learn to make lasting lifestyle changes.
“‘Oh, I’m eating diet food,’ it’s not weird. It’s normal food,” David said. “A lot of these entrees, if they’re on a nice platter, you’d never know the difference. These are delicious dishes, well seasoned, well presented, portion size, everything.”
David added that Eat and Go taught him about proper portion sizes and nutrition.
“People tend to only think about calories, but you also have to look at what you’re putting in your body,” says David. “Do you want to get all your calories by eating food? [burger] And big fries? Or do you want three truly delicious, healthy meals a day packed with protein, vitamins and minerals? “
David said he plans to take the lessons he learned from Eat and Go into his own life forever, making better choices at restaurants and meals in general.
“I just can’t recommend it [Diet-to-Go] enough. It’s a fact,” David said.
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Author: Caitlin H
Food community manager
Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about connecting with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key and that people will have the greatest weight loss success if they practice common-sense healthy eating and fitness.