Meauli Seuala is the first to admit he loves Pacific Island foods, high in salt and sugar, but has changed his diet in the past eight years.
Meauli Seuala is the first to admit he loves Pacific Island foods, high in salt and sugar, but has changed his diet in the past eight years.
Last October the Herald teamed up with fitness guru Lee-Anne Wann to help four men lose weight in the Men’s Health: Small Change, Big Gain campaign. As we celebrate Men’s Health week, we revisit them to see how their progress has been.
Just over seven months ago, SkyCity's big boss relied on luxurious pastas, bacon delights and sugary treats to get him through the day.
Today, the big boss - chief executive Nigel Morrison - is a little smaller thanks to a few lifestyle changes.
"The sugar's gone and the bad carbs are gone. I've even got a breakfast named after me at one of the restaurants," he laughs.
Gusto at the Grand now offers The Nigel - a breakfast of two poached eggs, avocado, spinach, a long black coffee with cream and a glass of water with a shot of apple cider vinegar.
"The change in diet - rather than relying on sugar and getting the spikes and then the slack - it's so much more even energy throughout the day."
Mr Morrison is one of four men who took part in a men's health campaign launched by the Herald and fitness guru Lee-Anne Wann last October.
Dubbed Men's Health: Small Change, Big Gain, the initiative was aimed at encouraging Kiwi men to get serious about their health.
Mr Morrison, The Hits radio content director Jason Winstanley, the Herald's morning editor Chris Reed and the newspaper's travel editor, Winston Aldworth, all signed up for the cause.
Mr Winstanley, who lost 7kg in the six-week challenge, admits he has fallen off the exercise cycle. However, a focus on healthy eating has ensured he has not put the weight back on.
"The exercise regime is very limited, but what I have done with the eating and the food plan that Lee-Anne and I worked on has really made a big difference.
"I'm still making sure that if I'm drinking, then I'm not eating carbs as well, because you can't drink your carbs and eat them too.
"Ensuring high protein for breakfast and plenty of water is a critical one for me. I still go to the toilet a number of times a day at work."
Where he can, he buys free-range, in a bid to cut out unnecessary chemicals going into his body, he said.
He still had "a few burgers" occasionally, but being more aware about his health had been a good change to his life.
"Even for a bloke - and especially if you're a bigger bloke - weight is something that plays on your mind. It's been really rewarding to keep it off."
For the Herald's travel editor, Mr Aldworth, losing weight has brought on a new lease on life, as well as new insights.
"On my favourite belt, I dropped three holes. I now need to hammer a new hole in my belt - unheard of territory. Apparently there's a guy in Pt Chev who will do this for you and that's information I never thought I'd need."
Before the challenge, evening meals consisted of pastas and noodles and there was a lot of rice in his diet as well. All that has been heavily reduced if not removed from his diet entirely.
"Essentially, in those six weeks working with Lee-Anne, I reckon we rebooted the system. It took some commitment for the six weeks of the programme, but it's been fairly straightforward to keep up with since then."
Mr Reed has maintained solid boxing sessions with well-known trainer Gus Lam, who has worked with the likes of boxing champ David Tua.
The sparring sessions were something Mr Reed enjoyed last time around and it was therefore something he was keen to continue.
"Still training with boxing guru Gus Lam once a week and I'm eating well overall."
He did admit, however, slipping back into an irregular eating pattern - something he was working on.
"Busy work and home life have made it hard to keep doing everything right, which can be frustrating because I know it makes me feel good. But I should be positive overall. I'm much healthier and happier than I was at the start of the challenge. It's been a fantastic experience."
Ms Wann, the nutritionist for the Warriors, said she was happy to hear that all four men had kept up at least part of what they had learned last year.
In the challenge, she designed an eating plan and exercise regime for each of the four, to work around their schedules.
Sparring sessions with a boxing coach, weights at home, cycling around the neighbourhood after work and even walking up and down the office stairs were all included.
"I'm really proud because it's more challenging than people think - being in a corporate environment and travelling. So to always constantly be vigilant about your own health and well-being, you do have to prioritise it. It's the sustainability. It's changing the lives and not just about a moment in time."
Health campaigners blast 'appalling' diabetes rates
Diabetes affects hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders and is a condition that is rapidly growing in the population.
Figures from last year show there were 258,000 people with diabetes.
The Ministry of Health is yet to publish more detailed information based on that number.
To coincide with Men's Health week, the Herald will examine a condition that affects many Kiwi men over the next few weeks.
Type 2 diabetes is the first topic in the series and will be followed by a look at stress and chronic cortisol exposure - and what that does to the body - next week. The prostate gland and excess oestrogen production will follow in later weeks.
Diabetes NZ national president Chris Baty said the latest figure was awful and showed there was a big need to push not only men, but all Kiwis to make changes in their lives.
"It's a huge health issue here in New Zealand and not especially so much for men than women. The numbers are appalling and the rate of growth is worrying."
Last year's statistics showed the prevalence of diabetes in New Zealand had been rising at a mean rate of 7.2 per cent each year, compounded over the past eight years.
More than 60 per cent of sufferers were of European or other descent, 14 per cent Maori and 12 per cent Pasifika.
Between 2012 and 2013, the highest increase in diabetes was in people aged 25 to 34 (at 10.3 per cent) followed by those in the 65- to 74-year bracket.
Most diabetics have the the form of the disease called type 2, when the body does not make enough insulin to keep blood glucose, or sugar, levels in the normal range.
Mrs Baty said a worrying trend over the past few years was that more people were developing the disease earlier in life, particularly Maori and Pasifika.
"But that's the real worry - seeing people in their 20s and 30s getting it. That's scary. Even getting it in your 40s is too early."
Fight the Obesity Epidemic campaigner Dr Robyn Toomath said one of the key factors which led to diabetes was being overweight - something many men struggled to control.
"Being active throughout the day is important especially if you're sitting at a desk all day. Get up and walk around the office or do something active after work."
Dr Toomath said although it was easy to tell people - in this case, men - that they needed to stop eating bad foods, society needed to change too.
"Improving the food environment is one of the best things that people can do.
"Talk to your employer and make sure that there are healthy foods in the cafeteria and the vending machine gets taken out. We shouldn't have to choose pies over fruit."
Meauli Seuala is the first to tell you he loves his meat, taro and the notoriously fatty Pacific Island delicacy that is corned beef.
Meauli Seuala is the first to admit he loves Pacific Island foods, high in salt and sugar, but has changed his diet in the past eight years.
But the past eight years have seen a dramatic change in the 42-year-old's life. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. When he ignored that - and continued to eat sugary, salty foods - he suffered chest pains and was hospitalised after an angina attack.
That was the wake-up call he needed.
"My sugar readings were in the high 30s. I knew I really needed to make some life changes for myself."
Mr Seuala, a father of six from Manurewa, called on his children and wife Margaret to help him. That has led to healthier foods on the table and less sugary choices.
"Changing the diet hasn't been easy. I love my meat and being a Pacific Island man, I love my Pacific foods - taro, corned beef and pork. But I've had to change the way I eat and make a few sacrifices. Coke is now Coke Zero."
He acknowledged many men tended to feel defeated when given bad health news. But he encouraged them to fight back. "You owe it to yourself," he said.
Mr Seuala, a youth mentor, said a driving force behind his will to eat better and exercise regularly was his example to his children.
Also he just wants to see them grow up and have their own families. "The biggest and scariest thing for me is that if I don't make the effort at maintaining my diabetes, I could possibly miss out on watching my kids grow.
"I don't want that. So it's in me to push myself as well as help others to realise the importance of checking themselves and living a better life."
5 Tips from Lee anne Wann
1 Focus on your sleep
Insulin sensitivity can be reduced after just one night's poor sleep because our stress hormone becomes elevated. This can trigger processed carbohydrate cravings, which are the foods we want to avoid when trying to improve insulin sensitivity.
2 Perform strength and high intensity exercise as your first choice
Exercise is imperative for helping to improve insulin sensitivity. Research tells us that lifting weights, doing body weight exercises or sprint work are the most effective. Keep it short but make sure to sweat.
3 Minimise sugar
This is not only the obvious sugars in lollies and other treats but the hidden sugars in cereals, sauces, fruit juices, crackers and other processed foods. A quick trick to help with eliminating these foods is to increase your natural fats to help curb cravings. Avocado, nuts, chia seeds and coconut oil are great.
4 Add vinegar, lemons and limes to your foods
These acidic foods can increase insulin sensitivity and improve the body's ability to store the carbohydrates you eat as muscle glycogen (fuel) instead of fat.
This applies even for gym-goers. Sitting for long periods can reduce insulin sensitivity, so every step counts. Walk around every hour or so for 1-2 minutes.
Escalating problem
Type 1 diabetes: Body attacks insulin-making cells, little or no insulin produced. Mostly children. Symptoms: Thirst, passing more urine, weight loss, mood changes, abdominal pain, extreme hunger. Type 2 diabetes: Low insulin production causing high blood glucose levels. 90 per cent of diabetics, occurs mostly in adulthood. Symptoms: Tiredness, bad vision, frequent urination/infections. Source: Diabetes NZ.
The stats
258,000 people have diabetes in NZ 68 per cent are European/other 14 per cent Maori 12 per cent Pasifika 6 per cent Indo/Asian.
