What You Say

Debbie (54)

Debbie, 54 was a participant on the ‘Do Something Different (DSD) Healthy Weight / Happy Life’ programme.

“I am one of these people who are very shy, and it was a real life change for me to join the course”

“I just felt at ease with DSD. I felt comfortable with the group on the course, everything was explained well and I knew I could get on with it, I knew I could do it.”

“I used to be very much in my own shell. I never used to talk to many people, and would never have joined a club or gone out on my own. I used to have to force myself to go for a walk and could not walk to the shop without getting puffed out”

“Since the course I talk to people more. I also walk a lot further than I walked before. In fact, if I don’t go for a walk I feel that I’ve let myself down.”

“The course is the best thing I could have done for my confidence - and for my weight loss.”

Stuart (41)

“As day one was no telly, computer or game consoles we all got the crayons and paper and drew a clowns face without a nose as the Grandson wanted to play pin the nose on the clown. Smashing night”

“Around seven o’clock is my worst time. The wife has gone to work and I’m stuck indoors with the telly and the cat. The adverts come on and I’m thinking ‘time for a fag’, ‘hang on, your quitting. Ah! but not yet, so go on lets have one’. Now I know my habit starts with the adverts on telly, if the telly’s off, life doesn’t have adverts so I don’t smoke so much. Remedy - turn the b*****y telly off or just watch channels that don’t have adverts”

“Today [day four] I smoked 16 fags. Normally it would have been between 40 and 50. Grandson’s 4th birthday today so kept busy doing party stuff. I still need to find something to keep me busy when my wife is at work.

“[day six] down to 4 fags - great!”

“Reflections on week one: Overall not what I was expecting. Very relaxed and underwhelming - nice week really”

“Epilogue: after cutting the dreaded fags out for two weeks my mother who is 86 had to have an operation so I relapsed and had a few fags. It’s now five weeks into me giving up and up till now I have had four fags in that time. I truly recommend any person to contact DSD if you are trying to do things alone”

Mark (22)

“thanks for asking ronel 'but i'm back in regular work now, and things are starting to get busy thanks for all your help (im off the dope!) all the best to ya x”

Angela (60)

Dear Emma

Thankyou for your lovely email. I so enjoyed meeting you on Tuesday.

I really will give your suggestions some serious thought. I have done a few things different this week and it is so exciting.

On Friday I went to The National Gallery with another service user and we had such a laugh. We had a difficult train journey down to London as there were delays at Bishops Stortford and we arrived at Tate Modern to find a two hour queue for Gauguin so we went to the other gallery and saw some contemporary art which caused us a few laughs. I do not think we were meant to find them amusing but we were discreet and well behaved !!

Yesterday I had the house to my self so I had a lay in in my lovely bedroom most unusual for me watching rainbow prisms from a thing on my window then I cycled a long the river into the centre. Later I went for a walk with my camera and took lots of photos of the lovely flowers and the trees. I was amazing how many people stopped and spoke to me. I think there are lots of lonely folk around.

So I am really getting the DSD bug.

I have so much more time and space in my head now I have DSD indoors.

Sincerely

Angela

Emma (32)

“I am doing ok at the moment. I have not weighed myself for a while but I think my weight is stable as my clothes are very comfortable !”

“Things at home have been much better. My husband has stopped a lot of his 'bad' behaviour and I think is trying to be a bit more pleasant. I feel stronger”

“I hope you are well. I got so much from DSD with your help and encouragement”

Alan (41)

Alan, 41, weighed 17.5 stone before starting his six-week course, and he has already lost about 10lb.

"I wanted to do something different with my life and I thought it would be a challenge"

"The course showed me how to retrain my brain so I didn't sit and comfort eat. Instead of going for the biscuits it made me do something else."

"The course has really helped me. I thought I was never going to change, but I have"

"I realised there were other people out there just like me. It made me feel better, and my confidence has grown tremendously. It has been fantastic."