CENTER for
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| Healthy Delawareans |
Weight Management
Sally Anne Dougherty Sally Anne Dougherty is a 43 year-old native Delawarean who has worked in the Specialty Fraud Department at Bank of America for 20 years. Sally first struggled with weight gain in college. Over time, with her desk job requiring little activity, Sally noticed that her weight was slowly creeping up. The added stress of becoming the care-giver for her elderly mother prompted her to use food for comfort. Realizing that her mother's declining health was due in large part to her obesity, Sally knew that she needed to change her ways. In January 2009, she joined the “Be Healthy Delaware: Ten Ton Challenge” created by the Delaware Center for Health Promotion and printed in The News Journal. This program and the camaraderie of a weight loss partner helped to keep Sally motivated and focused on her goal of “getting healthy”. Having a buddy made it easier for Sally to stick with small, daily changes in diet and physical activity. Tracking her progress and logging her weight changes weekly provided additional encouragement. She began to understand that the small steps were slowly adding up to a healthier, happier life. From January 2009 through September 2009, Sally has lost an amazing thirty pounds! She attributes her success to making better nutritional and activity choices rather than following a strict, regimented diet plan. She has also benefited from using the Wii’s “My Fitness Coach” to add variety to her fitness routine. Sally’s top 3 tips for successful weight management: 1. Set realistic, attainable goals. Don't set yourself up for failure - set yourself up for success. Slow and steady progress is the best way. 2. Recognize your weaknesses and devise strategies to overcome these. 3. Consciously make the effort to make healthy choices. Small healthy changes add up to big health rewards.
Charles Klase Charles is a Maintenance Technician at the Red Lion DuPont site. Over the last twenty years, Charles gradually picked up weight, gaining on average about four pounds per year. He stated, “I just became less active and celebrated everything with food.” At 100 pounds overweight, he was finding it difficult to complete his job-related responsibilities. He felt that weight loss would help, and was within his circle of control. In January 2009, Charles joined the “Be Healthy Delaware: Ten Ton Challenge,” created by the Delaware Center for Health Promotion and printed in The News Journal. Initially, he joined the 10-week weight loss challenge in hopes of winning one of the great prizes. However, he soon found that logging his weight and tracking his progress helped him to stay focused. From December 2008 through July 2009, Charles lost an incredible eighty pounds! He follows a good eating and exercise plan, and his weight loss success keeps him motivated. One of his biggest challenges was avoiding the urge to overeat due to boredom. Charles’ top 3 weight loss tips:
Brenda Sclavos Brenda is an administrative assistant for the School of Nursing at the University of Delaware. Over the last couple of years, she reveals that stress contributed to an increase in her weight. Then one day, she came across an email from DelaWELL, the state’s employee wellness program, for a free 13-week voucher to Weight Watchers. Determined to lose the extra weight, Brenda signed up. Thirteen weeks later Brenda is 30 pounds lighter, and plans to continue her membership with Weight Watchers! Brenda believes that having the support of the Weight Watchers group was vital in staying focused and determined to drop the weight. Additionally, once her coworkers learned of her weight-loss aspirations, they were by her side for motivation. Brenda said, “One of the most helpful things for me was the weekly weigh-ins on Thursdays at Weight Watchers. It kind of forces you to stay on top of your game.” When asked about her greatest challenges while trying to lose weight, Brenda replied portion control, fighting temptation, and learning how to cook for herself separate from her family. “The toughest thing was making sure I was cooking my own meals properly, while also feeding the rest of the family. Even my son started enjoying my food, which is so great to be able to encourage those eating habits while he’s still young” said Brenda. So what’s next? Brenda just bought a new bike and is getting ready to start working on increasing her physical activity and becoming a happier, healthier individual. Brenda’s top two weight loss tips:
Ann Thomas Ann is a retired teacher/school administrator who lives in Newark. Her weight problem started as a child, and over many years she tried numerous diets – losing and then regaining lots of weight. When she realized she was moving into a caregiver role with her husband, she recognized the need to take steps to become healthier. In late 2005, she set forth on her goal, and with the help of friends, family, and health professionals, Ann has lost 85 pounds and most importantly, has kept it off. What does it take to remain focused and motivated while trying to accomplish such a feat? According to Ann, “The most important thing is to set goals, both short and long-term, as well as become personally committed to your goal.” One of the most helpful tools Ann utilized was working individually with a registered dietitian. To lose the weight, Ann focused on controlling portions, eating more fruits and vegetables, and incorporating physical activity into her daily schedule. Ann said, “I didn’t want to get bored with my workouts, so I found different things to do such as golf, water aerobics, jazzercise, and walking. The daily variety contributed to her success. Ann is officially enrolled as a member of the National Weight Control Registry study (www.nwcr.org). This research project studies individuals who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, and releases data on characteristics of “successful losers.” Ann’s top three weight loss tips:
Carol A. Wells Carol is a 69 year old retired social worker. Over the last six years, she has had multiple operations to her left ankle due to an arthritic condition. This past February, Carol made the decision to get into better physical condition and lose weight to put less stress on her ankle. She started the deep water conditioning exercise program at the YMCA in Rehoboth Beach. Since joining, she has been going regularly four to five times a week. In addition to increasing her physical activity, she has also modified her eating habits by eating smaller portions, cutting out red meat, eating more fruits and vegetables, and snacking less. As a result of these changes, Carol is 50 pounds lighter with an abundance of energy. Her advice to others interested in adopting healthy habits:
Cheryl McClea In Cheryl’s early twenties she was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Although PCOS has a host of symptoms, one of the main issues is weight gain. At age 28, Cheryl found herself overweight suffering with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and pre-diabetes. Cheryl said, “I needed to make a big change to turn around my health.” In January of 2007 she decided to hire a personal trainer. “Having the support of someone like a personal trainer really kept me motivated and focused on my goals,” said Cheryl. She realizes that ultimately we are responsible for our own health, but the benefits of having someone else to help you makes a huge difference. Cheryl found her biggest struggles came with changing old habits, especially eating behaviors. She struggled with the concept of ‘missing out’ when she couldn’t eat something she really wanted. Then one day, it clicked that it was just mind over matter. She realized its okay to have something you enjoy in moderation. After years of wrestling with numerous diets and workout plans that produced short-term results, Cheryl finally came across something that worked. Currently her weight is down 65 pounds, her blood pressure is lowered, and her cholesterol is back to normal. In addition, she no longer needs her medicine for her insulin resistance, and many of the PCOS symptoms have subsided.
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