Indiana Man Loses Over 35 Pounds with the Cooking Light Diet

Patrick Moore of Schererville, Indiana, hasn't always been a healthy eater. An avid guitar player? Sure. An aspiring Disney vacation planner when he retires? You bet. But this software developer, who thrives on solving problems—meticulously pouring over data or source code looking for answers—couldn't for the longest time figure out how to resolve his penchant for eating too much food. In fact, if you were to ask him about his dining habits back in 2015, he would describe them as eating "anything that got in my way." Moore says that he was constantly eating "like a cow," and it wasn't until a serious health scare that he decided he'd had enough. 

"On December 9th, 2015, I started having chest pains and went to the ER in an ambulance. I was told I was suffering Atrial Fibrillation. My heart rate was 177 and wouldn't come down. They put me on an IV, and I spent three days in the cardiac ward on blood thinners to avoid the high possibility of a stroke."

Upon release, Moore's cardiologist instructed him to go on a low-sodium, low-fat diet and start exercising. So Moore joined a gym, and his wife Rebecca began researching meal plans online. After a thorough search, she began prepping their meals via the Cooking Light Diet. Moore, as most of our community members are when they first join, was skeptical.

"I never thought I would be able to stay on any kind of diet for very long since most of them have you completely remove just about everything that tastes decent," Moore said. "And I've seen a lot of bad diets. I've seen people struggle and go on a bad diet and lose a bunch of weight real fast, and then be fat two weeks later."

Not so with the CLDiet, according to Moore.

"The Cooking Light Diet isn't like that at all. I don't think we have removed anything from our diet, but have instead starting combining things in a different manner, as well as changing the ratio of foods and portion sizes. I still eat steak, I still eat bacon, I still eat butter, but we do it to the portions suggested. I'm constantly asking my wife if a meal is part of the diet because most of them don't taste like 'diet food.'"

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Moore says he's learned a lot about healthy eating via the portion sizes he now consumes, and there have been other benefits beyond just not feeling like he's on a diet.

"Between the diet and the gym, I have more energy, because I don't weigh as much as I used to," Moore said. "I'm sleeping better because I'm more comfortable at night, too."

All of these positives have helped Moore conquer what he calls the highest hurdle in making a permanent change to the way he now approaches food. Although he says he's still constantly fighting himself, Moore has recognized that it's really all in his head, and he's in control.

"I think a small part of trying to lose a lot of weight—the diet is one of the smaller issues. The biggest issue is the mental aspect. You know, what am I going to do right now? Because normally at this time of day I'd sit down with a bag of potato chips. You find something else to do. You go outside, and cut the grass or go for a walk. There's a lot of aspects to a good diet, but it starts with a mindset.

Now 35 pounds lighter*, Moore sees the Cooking Light Diet as a long-term application, not a short-term solution. When asked why he would recommend it to other people looking to change their lives, his answer was a simple one.

"Because it's doable. It's one of those that if you put a little bit of effort into it, it's not hard to stay on it. It doesn't leave you wanting for anything."

So it would appear that this problem solver by trade has now solved one of the biggest problems in his life, thanks to determination, hard work, and a little help from the Cooking Light Diet. And he has no intentions of going back to the way things used to be.

"The Cooking Light Diet will always be a part of our lives, whether it's the diet or repeating recipes we've gotten from it, we'll continue eating in this manner. But I don't want to—once I get under 200 pounds I never want to go over again. The CLDiet will probably always be a part of my life."

We'll be here as long as you need us, Patrick. Thanks for sharing your story.

*Members following the Cooking Light Diet, on average, lose 1/2 lb. per week.