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Shedding unwanted pounds top goal for many in 2009
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
(Editor's Note: As New Year approaches, many of us will resolve this year to lose weight. News-Sun Senior Reporter Thelma Grimes chronicles her struggles - and success - fighting the battle of the bulge.)
There is no magic pill, no crash diet that after a month leaves you at your goal weight for life, and without hard work and commitment losing weight for many of us is just something we need to do -- eventually.
It's talked about on television and in health classes, and despite the cry to fix the growing problem, America's obesity rates are growing at alarming rates.
And why shouldn't they be? There's a fast-food place on every corner, busy lives make grabbing take-out on the way home at night much easier, and let's face it, some of the tastiest foods you eat are loaded with fat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 1962 only 13 percent of the population was obese. By 1980 it was 15 percent, by 1994 23 percent and by 2000, obesity had claimed 31 percent of Americans.
The U.S. Surgeon General report has declared that obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.
The most widely disseminated CDC statistics on American obesity tell us that 63 percent of adult Americans have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25 and are therefore overweight. More than a quarter surpass 30 and are obese.
Other statistics are that 3.8 million Americans carry over 300 pounds. The average adult female weights 163 pounds, and most disturbing, an estimated 400,000 Americans, mostly men, fall into a super-massive 400-pound plus category.
And, now the increasing number of obese children is also becoming a major concern. Besides the increase of fast food, children are now playing video games and staying inside more than going outside for physical activity. Budget cuts over the years have also caused many school districts across America to cut physical fitness programs.
Agreeing there is a problem is one thing; doing something about it is a lot more challenging.
Losing weight is a very personal thing; it's hard to reach out to others, find a plan that works for you, and find success in doing it.
Doctors have said for years the crash diets are not the answer. I once went on the no-carb diet. This meant giving up the breads, potatoes and one of my most favorite things in the world, chocolate.
I stayed faithful for about a month, even making it a little easier by giving myself one cheat day a week. The weight was coming off quickly; I even lost five pounds in a week.
I really thought it was working, and for a few weeks was proud of myself, but temptation got the best of me. The limitations were too much; I missed having rice or potatoes with dinner. In going out to dinner, at Texas Roadhouse especially, I missed having the freshly-baked rolls.
Before long, the diet became a bust, and after getting off of it, the weight came back with a few extra pounds tacked on.
Because I was busy with work and my social life, I put the idea of being 29 and needing to lose weight on a back burner. Obesity had hit me to the point that I weighed more than 190 pounds. According to the BMI, my recommended weight is 137 pounds.
I remember two years ago the doctor told me I was healthy, but my weight was making me borderline diabetic. He stressed that with my family history, being overweight is something I should be concerned about even at a young age.
Family members on my mom's side are hit the hardest. My grandmother died of a heart attack at 50, my aunt of breast cancer at the same age, my uncle was diagnosed diabetic in his 30s, and much of my family is overweight in general.
Still, I kept working, going about my daily life, eating fast food, getting take out, and even though both my husband and I can cook, we were eating out up to three times a week. With no children, it's just as easy to eat out.
In doing all of this, had I only known there is a much simpler way to improve my eating habits, eat out on occasion, still have the foods I love and to my doctor's pleasure lose weight at the same time.
Several months ago a co-worker told me about the local Weight Watchers class where she joins about 20 other men and women every week to get weighed in and educated on the dos and don'ts of eating.
She had lost a lot of weight herself, so it was obvious there must be something good about it. After a few weeks of talking about it, she got me to go to a meeting. I, of course being skeptical, went to just sit in on the first meeting.
The class instructor, Shirley Williams, a success story herself, allowed me to sit in and watch for the first day. She did weigh me; it wasn't good.
I listened, and by the next week paid the $130 to become an official part of the class. It seemed like a lot of money at first, but in talking to my husband, he agreed that if it made me start taking steps to take care of myself, maybe the cost would be worth the 10-week commitment.
The first week of the class I weighed in at about 192 pounds. I was surprised, but not surprised at the same time. I knew I was letting myself go, and being irresponsible with eating. By not weighing myself ever, out of sight, out of mind worked well for me.
This program with local residents from all backgrounds around the community meets weekly for the hour-long meeting that starts with all of us getting weighed in.
Williams talks to every member of the class, encourages our activities as she weighs us in every week, and announces whether we have gained or lost. This isn't a degrading thing. She doesn't announce your weight, doesn't chastise you if you had a bad week, but what it does do is make you accountable.
Unlike the scale sitting in the bathroom in the privacy of your own home, this weigh-in is different because it's in the class, it's with others struggling to do the same thing you are. In a way, it's better.
You know you have to step on the scale, and you are not only losing weight for yourself, but you are part of a group trying to reach the same goal. There is a sense of responsibility to do that.
The first week I lost 2.4 pounds. This was a start of what has turned into about 15 weeks so far of doing a diet plan call Flex. This plan made me, at the beginning of the session, do a math problem that decided how many points I could eat a day.
To start, my magic number was 25 points per day. Points are figured into everything you put in your mouth. Using a calculator you compute how many calories, fat grams and how much fiber is in something - this gives you the number of points.
The flex plan works for me because it has a specific set of guidelines, and as long as you are only eating 25 points of food a day, you are doing what the diet requires. That means you eat anything you want, you just have to stick to that number.
By really looking at everything you eat and computing the number of points for everything, I quickly learned that portion control was one of my major downfalls, and of course snacking on what Weight-Watchers would consider high-point foods.
I have switched a lot of my habits, exchanging full-fat sour cream for non-fat, regular breads, tortillas and pasta with whole wheat and most of all watching the portion sizes of everything on my plate.
Planning has also become another major component. Instead of just winging it, grabbing a burger or some other fast food every day for lunch, I plan ahead. I know what my lunch will be every day. I plan for dinner, plan my snacks and really pay attention to everything.
My husband and I still go out to dinner, but now, I look at everything, ask if the salads have fat-free dressing, look at the amount of food on my plate, and decide if it is too much.
At one time I thought ordering a salad was me making a conscious effort to be healthy that day. In educating myself on foods and what I am putting into my body, I found that some salads with meat, dressings, croutons and full-fat cheese are just as bad point-wise as eating a hamburger at McDonald's.
This program doesn't give you meals, it doesn't tell you what to eat, but what Williams has done is provide a place for people serious about getting healthy each week to get together, become educated and support each other.
Some of those attending the class are new and just starting to succeed. Others have been there more than 10 years and stress the importance of continuing the fight and keep the weight off.
It seems small, but Williams' way of rewarding participants for every pound lost is a paper clip. They are small colorful paperclips and at the end of each session grown men and women are proud to hold up their hands and say they need one, two or more sometimes.
Currently my paperclips hang from the mirror in my car. There are 24 on the growing chain. Besides the paper clips serving as weekly bravos, the participants also receive five-pound stickers, 10-pound ribbons, key chains and other trophies set up to celebrate certain achievements.
I now have four five-pound stickers and a brass keychain that signifies I met the first goal set for you once you start the program. The first goal is set by Weight Watchers for all of us to lose 10 percent of our body weight at the beginning.
For me, it was 19.2 pounds. At first I thought there was no way I could do it. You find out quickly that getting yourself on a healthy diet plan doesn't mean the pounds fly off, and you are done in a month.
It took me 12 weeks to meet this goal. Some weeks were better than others. One week I lost three pounds, another week I lost .2 pounds and one week my weight was exactly the same as the week before.
But little by little, the pounds started coming off, my clothes started fitting loosely, my energy level went up and you find out this plan is working. It is a challenge some weeks, but well worth every penny, every minute I spend with Williams, who picks a different topic every week to further educate the participants about how to be healthy.
Another big change in my body came in my knee. Last year I had knee surgery, and was told it will never be perfect again, but it was at least fixed as best it could be.
I have not been able to run, and just walking too much would irritate it. I figured I just needed to accept that.
However, as Williams said one day, every pound lost is like seven pounds off a bad knee. My knee has not hurt in about three weeks now; I find myself running, walking and doing more, almost forgetting sometimes that I even have a bad knee.
Many doctors agree that weight can control so many things in the body. Not only does it have ramifications for diabetes, heart disease and other internal health issues, it contributes to back pain, sore muscles bad knees and ankles and many other aches and pains.
I may be 30 now (today), but I now know that losing weight is, and will continue to be, one of the best things I can do for myself.
Now that I have met my 10 percent weight loss goal, the new goal is to get to my recommended BMI, which is 137 pounds. I now weigh 168 pounds, so I know it will take time. But by continuing my good eating habits and adding exercise to my weekly activities, I do believe it is possible.
Besides being healthy, I am also looking forward to losing pant sizes. I have gone from size 12 to size 10 jeans. I wear size 8 dress pants. It feels good when people ask if I am losing weight, and tell me I am looking nice.
There are so many things that make losing weight a good thing, but as I can attest, it is hard to finally make the commitment and do it.
As this new year comes around, just like other new years, many will make the promise to get fit and lose weight, however, statistics also show that the new gym memberships and eating right usually stops within two weeks to a month.
I will also resolve to continue losing weight in the coming year, but the difference this time is going about it in a realistic way.
For all those out there wanting to lose weight, while Weight Watchers may not be the answer, find a program, get educated, remain committed and remember that the weight doesn't fall off in a week or two weeks. It takes time, but is possible.
Locally, there are several gyms and fitness classes. And you should talk to your physician, ask for ways to start eating better. Ultimately for all of us, it just means making the effort.
(Editor's Note: As New Year approaches, many of us will resolve this year to lose weight. News-Sun Senior Reporter Thelma Grimes chronicles her struggles - and success - fighting the battle of the bulge.)
There is no magic pill, no crash diet that after a month leaves you at your goal weight for life, and without hard work and commitment losing weight for many of us is just something we need to do -- eventually.
It's talked about on television and in health classes, and despite the cry to fix the growing problem, America's obesity rates are growing at alarming rates.
And why shouldn't they be? There's a fast-food place on every corner, busy lives make grabbing take-out on the way home at night much easier, and let's face it, some of the tastiest foods you eat are loaded with fat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 1962 only 13 percent of the population was obese. By 1980 it was 15 percent, by 1994 23 percent and by 2000, obesity had claimed 31 percent of Americans.
The U.S. Surgeon General report has declared that obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.
The most widely disseminated CDC statistics on American obesity tell us that 63 percent of adult Americans have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25 and are therefore overweight. More than a quarter surpass 30 and are obese.
Other statistics are that 3.8 million Americans carry over 300 pounds. The average adult female weights 163 pounds, and most disturbing, an estimated 400,000 Americans, mostly men, fall into a super-massive 400-pound plus category.
And, now the increasing number of obese children is also becoming a major concern. Besides the increase of fast food, children are now playing video games and staying inside more than going outside for physical activity. Budget cuts over the years have also caused many school districts across America to cut physical fitness programs.
Agreeing there is a problem is one thing; doing something about it is a lot more challenging.
Losing weight is a very personal thing; it's hard to reach out to others, find a plan that works for you, and find success in doing it.
Doctors have said for years the crash diets are not the answer. I once went on the no-carb diet. This meant giving up the breads, potatoes and one of my most favorite things in the world, chocolate.
I stayed faithful for about a month, even making it a little easier by giving myself one cheat day a week. The weight was coming off quickly; I even lost five pounds in a week.
I really thought it was working, and for a few weeks was proud of myself, but temptation got the best of me. The limitations were too much; I missed having rice or potatoes with dinner. In going out to dinner, at Texas Roadhouse especially, I missed having the freshly-baked rolls.
Before long, the diet became a bust, and after getting off of it, the weight came back with a few extra pounds tacked on.
Because I was busy with work and my social life, I put the idea of being 29 and needing to lose weight on a back burner. Obesity had hit me to the point that I weighed more than 190 pounds. According to the BMI, my recommended weight is 137 pounds.
I remember two years ago the doctor told me I was healthy, but my weight was making me borderline diabetic. He stressed that with my family history, being overweight is something I should be concerned about even at a young age.
Family members on my mom's side are hit the hardest. My grandmother died of a heart attack at 50, my aunt of breast cancer at the same age, my uncle was diagnosed diabetic in his 30s, and much of my family is overweight in general.
Still, I kept working, going about my daily life, eating fast food, getting take out, and even though both my husband and I can cook, we were eating out up to three times a week. With no children, it's just as easy to eat out.
In doing all of this, had I only known there is a much simpler way to improve my eating habits, eat out on occasion, still have the foods I love and to my doctor's pleasure lose weight at the same time.
Several months ago a co-worker told me about the local Weight Watchers class where she joins about 20 other men and women every week to get weighed in and educated on the dos and don'ts of eating.
She had lost a lot of weight herself, so it was obvious there must be something good about it. After a few weeks of talking about it, she got me to go to a meeting. I, of course being skeptical, went to just sit in on the first meeting.
The class instructor, Shirley Williams, a success story herself, allowed me to sit in and watch for the first day. She did weigh me; it wasn't good.
I listened, and by the next week paid the $130 to become an official part of the class. It seemed like a lot of money at first, but in talking to my husband, he agreed that if it made me start taking steps to take care of myself, maybe the cost would be worth the 10-week commitment.
The first week of the class I weighed in at about 192 pounds. I was surprised, but not surprised at the same time. I knew I was letting myself go, and being irresponsible with eating. By not weighing myself ever, out of sight, out of mind worked well for me.
This program with local residents from all backgrounds around the community meets weekly for the hour-long meeting that starts with all of us getting weighed in.
Williams talks to every member of the class, encourages our activities as she weighs us in every week, and announces whether we have gained or lost. This isn't a degrading thing. She doesn't announce your weight, doesn't chastise you if you had a bad week, but what it does do is make you accountable.
Unlike the scale sitting in the bathroom in the privacy of your own home, this weigh-in is different because it's in the class, it's with others struggling to do the same thing you are. In a way, it's better.
You know you have to step on the scale, and you are not only losing weight for yourself, but you are part of a group trying to reach the same goal. There is a sense of responsibility to do that.
The first week I lost 2.4 pounds. This was a start of what has turned into about 15 weeks so far of doing a diet plan call Flex. This plan made me, at the beginning of the session, do a math problem that decided how many points I could eat a day.
To start, my magic number was 25 points per day. Points are figured into everything you put in your mouth. Using a calculator you compute how many calories, fat grams and how much fiber is in something - this gives you the number of points.
The flex plan works for me because it has a specific set of guidelines, and as long as you are only eating 25 points of food a day, you are doing what the diet requires. That means you eat anything you want, you just have to stick to that number.
By really looking at everything you eat and computing the number of points for everything, I quickly learned that portion control was one of my major downfalls, and of course snacking on what Weight-Watchers would consider high-point foods.
I have switched a lot of my habits, exchanging full-fat sour cream for non-fat, regular breads, tortillas and pasta with whole wheat and most of all watching the portion sizes of everything on my plate.
Planning has also become another major component. Instead of just winging it, grabbing a burger or some other fast food every day for lunch, I plan ahead. I know what my lunch will be every day. I plan for dinner, plan my snacks and really pay attention to everything.
My husband and I still go out to dinner, but now, I look at everything, ask if the salads have fat-free dressing, look at the amount of food on my plate, and decide if it is too much.
At one time I thought ordering a salad was me making a conscious effort to be healthy that day. In educating myself on foods and what I am putting into my body, I found that some salads with meat, dressings, croutons and full-fat cheese are just as bad point-wise as eating a hamburger at McDonald's.
This program doesn't give you meals, it doesn't tell you what to eat, but what Williams has done is provide a place for people serious about getting healthy each week to get together, become educated and support each other.
Some of those attending the class are new and just starting to succeed. Others have been there more than 10 years and stress the importance of continuing the fight and keep the weight off.
It seems small, but Williams' way of rewarding participants for every pound lost is a paper clip. They are small colorful paperclips and at the end of each session grown men and women are proud to hold up their hands and say they need one, two or more sometimes.
Currently my paperclips hang from the mirror in my car. There are 24 on the growing chain. Besides the paper clips serving as weekly bravos, the participants also receive five-pound stickers, 10-pound ribbons, key chains and other trophies set up to celebrate certain achievements.
I now have four five-pound stickers and a brass keychain that signifies I met the first goal set for you once you start the program. The first goal is set by Weight Watchers for all of us to lose 10 percent of our body weight at the beginning.
For me, it was 19.2 pounds. At first I thought there was no way I could do it. You find out quickly that getting yourself on a healthy diet plan doesn't mean the pounds fly off, and you are done in a month.
It took me 12 weeks to meet this goal. Some weeks were better than others. One week I lost three pounds, another week I lost .2 pounds and one week my weight was exactly the same as the week before.
But little by little, the pounds started coming off, my clothes started fitting loosely, my energy level went up and you find out this plan is working. It is a challenge some weeks, but well worth every penny, every minute I spend with Williams, who picks a different topic every week to further educate the participants about how to be healthy.
Another big change in my body came in my knee. Last year I had knee surgery, and was told it will never be perfect again, but it was at least fixed as best it could be.
I have not been able to run, and just walking too much would irritate it. I figured I just needed to accept that.
However, as Williams said one day, every pound lost is like seven pounds off a bad knee. My knee has not hurt in about three weeks now; I find myself running, walking and doing more, almost forgetting sometimes that I even have a bad knee.
Many doctors agree that weight can control so many things in the body. Not only does it have ramifications for diabetes, heart disease and other internal health issues, it contributes to back pain, sore muscles bad knees and ankles and many other aches and pains.
I may be 30 now (today), but I now know that losing weight is, and will continue to be, one of the best things I can do for myself.
Now that I have met my 10 percent weight loss goal, the new goal is to get to my recommended BMI, which is 137 pounds. I now weigh 168 pounds, so I know it will take time. But by continuing my good eating habits and adding exercise to my weekly activities, I do believe it is possible.
Besides being healthy, I am also looking forward to losing pant sizes. I have gone from size 12 to size 10 jeans. I wear size 8 dress pants. It feels good when people ask if I am losing weight, and tell me I am looking nice.
There are so many things that make losing weight a good thing, but as I can attest, it is hard to finally make the commitment and do it.
As this new year comes around, just like other new years, many will make the promise to get fit and lose weight, however, statistics also show that the new gym memberships and eating right usually stops within two weeks to a month.
I will also resolve to continue losing weight in the coming year, but the difference this time is going about it in a realistic way.
For all those out there wanting to lose weight, while Weight Watchers may not be the answer, find a program, get educated, remain committed and remember that the weight doesn't fall off in a week or two weeks. It takes time, but is possible.
Locally, there are several gyms and fitness classes. And you should talk to your physician, ask for ways to start eating better. Ultimately for all of us, it just means making the effort.
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L7MOM wrote on Jan 1, 2009 7:08 AM: