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SASD Wellness
When/why did you decide that you needed to make some changes?
September/October 2014, after I realized I was in a rut - feeling tired and uncomfortable. Also, both of my parents were
going through a variety of health concerns in their late 60s.
How did you get started with making better choices with your eating?
I downloaded the free MyFitnessPal app and began logging my daily food intake on Oct. 6, 2014. I’ve logged my daily
meals/snacks/exercise for more than 600 days in a row. I use my smart phone, laptop or Kindle, depending on where I
am and what is convenient. In addition, I began working out at Planet Fitness in Sheboygan - some days on my own and
some days with a personal trainer. I complete cardio and strength training on all of my workouts. I work out 5 or 6 days
a week for at least 1 hour per day.
Which came first—the healthy eating or fitting in regular exercise?
I’ve always done varying degrees of cardio exercise, even while I was heavier. After finally focusing on strength training
AND cardio, the healthy lifestyle AND weight loss really started to “click” for me. The food logging on MyFitnessPal has
really been the turning point in keeping myself accountable about what I eat, when I eat it, how much I eat and
sometimes even WHY I eat it.
Are you on a special diet? Why or why not?
My doctor supports a sensible diet which is calorie-count based. Although I don’t necessarily limit what types of food
I get my daily calories from, a majority of my calories are from fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. I do allow
myself a very limited indulgence most days (i.e. dark chocolate ... a very small, measured serving or popcorn or
pretzels, etc.)
How did you get started with a regular exercise routine? I was doing an hour of cardio a day and feeling very good,
but I knew there were health benefits I was missing out on by not weight training. I made an appointment with the
personal trainer at Planet Fitness and asked him to DRAG me over to the weight benches and get me started on a new
regime: One of the best decisions I’ve ever made! When I’m weight training, I feel like I’m challenging myself and
constantly trying to improve on the previous day’s workout.
How do you manage to fit exercise & healthy eating into your everyday work schedule?
I put “gym time” on my phone’s daily calendar. Every night from 6:30-7:30 pm is gym time, Sunday through Thursday. I
also go to the gym Friday mornings. Saturday is my “off day,” where I just try to stay active in general. I’m fairly set in
my ways now, so most evenings I’m at the gym. I avoid most other extra evening activities/events which would interfere with my fitness time.
Is your family also leading a healthy lifestyle?
My 15-year-old daughter (who has lost 25 pounds herself) has been working out with me for more than a year. She’s
also become more aware of appropriate portion sizes. The men in my household (husband and son) are a little slower
to the game, but they willingly eat the healthier foods I prepare.
Are you still losing weight? I am currently maintaining a 65-pound weight loss. This summer, I plan to jump start my
plan again and proceed with losing a little more weight.
What is your long term goal?
My long-term goal is to continue a healthy routine of fitness and consuming quality food that fuels my body.
What advice would you give to those who are still struggling with their weight? Start something. ANYTHING. Walk
around the block. Lift some dumbbells. Look at food labels and understand serving sizes and ingredients. Talk to the
Jeri D., your doctor or nurse practitioner, or a health coach. Set small, attainable goals. No matter what you do…..
do SOMETHING!
When/Why did you decide that you needed to make some changes?
About 5 years ago in September of 2011, I experienced a personal and devastating loss of a child midway thru the
pregnancy. I decided that I needed to focus on something that would challenge me, and improve my overall health
and lifestyle. I had already had 3 healthy pregnancies and deliveries, and with each of those pregnancies a few
extra pounds were never lost.
What is your long term goal?
My long term goal is keep the weight from coming back. I would like to lose another 10-15 pounds, and I know that
with staying aware and keeping exercise a huge part of my life, that is an achievable goal.
How did you get started with making better choices with your eating?
Early in my weight loss journey I decided that I wasn’t going to starve or deny myself to lose lots of weight, only to fail
afterwards and gain it back. I chose a slow and gradual process of cutting some unhealthy things out of my diet every
few months. For example, my first year of the challenge, I cut soda almost completely out of my diet, and then I
worked towards cutting down on eating processed foods. My first year I lost over 30 pounds by June of 2012, I was so
excited. When I became pregnant in July, it was a great pregnancy! I did not gain a lot of extra weight either, and I
think that being slimmer going into the pregnancy helped so much in losing the baby pounds after we had our daughter
in April of 2013. The following year, I immediately signed up for the fitness challenge again, and was rewarded with
even more loss.
Which came first—the healthy eating or fitting in regular exercise?
Honestly, the exercise was way easier for me, so I exercised a lot and worried about the healthy eating at a slower
rate. Eventually, I found a balance between eating healthy and exercising equally. At times it was very difficult to eat
healthy while caring for 3 kids in school and an infant. However, I quickly realized that I didn’t want to go backwards,
just because I had another baby.
How do you manage to fit exercise & healthy eating into your everyday work schedule?
That is almost the most difficult part of working out for me. I have 4 children, and 3 of them are in school and
participate in year round athletics. My husband coaches all year round as well, so I have limited times that I can
exercise with my 3 year old at home yet. The key is taking your moment, even its late or early in the day. Now that
my little one is older, she can come with me in the stroller.
Is your family also leading a healthy lifestyle?
Yes, that was a great side benefit to beginning my own challenges, is that the junk food that I bought and brought into
the house was almost immediately changed. I honestly still buy things that I don’t eat, but my kids eat. My goal was
always teaching good choices and moderation. I can’t eliminate all the bad things from my kids, they have to know how
to make a healthy choice too. After all, in the future I won’t always be there to say no, or to suggest alternatives for
them. In my house, the drink of choice is almost always water, and I couldn’t be more proud of my kiddo’s for that
choice. They see me drinking water all the time, so it’s a natural thing for them to get a glass of water as well.
Are you still losing weight? Yes, I am still losing each year, Since my first weight loss challenge with the district I have
lost over 50 pounds. Each year that I sign up, I concentrate on different ways to lose the weight, for example this year,
I have really tried to do more strength training. In the past, I have avoided doing any kind of weights or machines
because they seem so intimidating. Again, I have just tackled that slowly and steadily. Trying new things at the gym
each time, doing more reps or increasing the weight by small increments.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? I think its important to realize that I am so not perfect or an absolute role
model of losing weight. I am a real mom of 4 kids, work a busy full time job, and have a crazy busy life of sports, sports
and more sports with the kids. My husband has been the one who helps make it possible for me to workout 5-6 times
a week. He encourages me to go, while he’s home with the kids doing homework and bedtime. Do I cheat on the
diet? Yep! I am human, so sometimes I have coffee creamer in my coffee, or I eat a cheeseburger at the ballpark.
What’s important is I remember that if I cheat, I follow up with extra minutes of exercise to help equal it all out. My
husband reminds me all the time that weight loss is not about dress size. However, it sure does help when that
number goes in the down direction. Currently, I have gone from a 16-17 down to a 8.
Cherish Yesterday,
Dream Tomorrow,
Live Today
How did you get started with making better choices with your eating?
I start with a go-to food, something that I can eat when ever I was hungry or bored. My choice was
celery. I started to measure my food and count my calorie intake. After a while I learned that the more
veggies I ate the fuller I would be and less likely to eat unhealthy things.
How did you get started with a regular exercise routine?
I gained some of the weight back, to much vacation food, and decided that the way to help lose it again
would be to combine exercise and calorie count. It has helped take 6 of the pounds back off. (I’m not
going to tell how many I gained back.)
How do you manage to fit exercise & healthy eating into your everyday work schedule?
My exercise at this point it walking, I pack my work clothes in a bag the night before and dress in
work-out clothes and walk on North’s track. Pack my lunch the night before. Veggie are prepped in
advance so they are grab and go.
Is your family also leading a healthy lifestyle?
My children have always eaten healthier then me and they are teaching my granddaughter to eat health.
My husband has always been thin, and can eat what he wants and stay within 2-3 lbs of his regular weight.
Cherish Yesterday,
Dream Tomorrow,
I would like to get a little bit more off, my greatest weakness is when people tell me I am thin, and
Livethat
Today
“everybody knows that thin people can eat what they want”
is a old body image tale that I am still
Are you still losing weight?
trying/working on to get rid of…
What is your secret to maintaining weight loss?
Raw VEGGIES! It took me One year and 4 months to take the weight off. Once I thought about it, it was
not a diet anymore but a new way of life. Portion control has been the problem, to solve that I do count
calories and Measuring serving sizes.
How often do you work out now?
5 days a week I walk and I am try to do sit-ups (right now I am up to 50 a day, but my goal is 100 a day)
What is your long term goal?
To be an active grama – play all weekend long. This June the ton of weight will be off for a year. I would
like to lose a couple more and then continue to maintain my weight for another year.
What advice would you give to those who are still struggling with their weight?
Find a go-to food, and that you didn’t gain it over night it will not go away over night……there is no magic
pill! You will need to search for an eating life style that works for you, keep trying till you find it.
When/Why did you decide that you needed to make some changes?
In the winter of 2010, I was having a lot of difficulty walking, due to knee pain. The doctor made it clear that I was
looking at knee replacement surgery and that there was only one way to delay the inevitable surgery. The answer
was to get weight off my knee. After watching many overweight siblings suffer with health complications, including
knee replacement surgery, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart surgery, and digestive problems, I knew it was only a
matter of time before my weight would produce these same complications in me. It was time to act. I researched
and interviewed doctors and decided to have a laparoscopic surgery called sleeve gastrectomy in Fall of 2011.
Basically they took my stomach and changed it from the size of a football to the size of a banana, therefore restricting
food intake and producing weight loss. This was the beginning of my dedication to taking my life back and creating a
healthy body and mind.
How did you get started with making better choices with your eating?
Part of the surgery process is to meet with nutritionists and learn about healthy food choices, but I had begun that
process a few years before that. My first move was to move towards cleaner foods (organic) and to cut down on
unhealthy carbohydrates. I cut way down on eating at restaurants including fast foods. I stopped drinking soda. I joined
a CSA and visited the farmers market for much of the produce that I ate. I am an avid cook and subscribed to many
healthy eating/living magazines and watched healthy cooking shows. Over time, I kept trying new things or making
changes in small ways. After surgery, this knowledge helped a great deal because with limited food meant healthy
foods choices became even more important for my health. From the nutritionist, I also learned more about what my
body specifically needed to heal and to maintain health. Today, I continue to eat as clean as possible with limited
refined sugars and carbohydrates. I do not completely cut out anything, but look more for the balance of a good
quality of life.
How did you get started with a regular exercise routine?
I was already a member of the YMCA and swam regularly to strengthen my knee. I joined a yoga studio and have been
practicing yoga for about 10+ years. I surrounded myself with friends who exercised regularly and joined a spinning
class! I loved it so I continued to sign up for classes. Eventually, I signed up for the free “commit to be fit” program at
the YMCA and implemented a routine of biking (indoor and outdoor), swimming and the fitness machines on the
recommendation of the trainers. Currently, I have gotten into weight training and train seriously at least 3 days a
week. I ride bike for about 2-3 days a week (indoor and outdoor) or walk to fulfill cardio goals. I continue yoga at least
3 times a week also. Wearing my Fitbit has been a lot of fun to challenge my friends and family and to keep the cardio
workouts fun.
How do you manage to fit exercise & healthy eating into your everyday work schedule?
Food: I do a lot of food shopping and prep on weekends. There are always fresh fruits and vegetables available for
me to eat. There are always easy sources of lean protein to grab in a hurry. I pack lunches for a few days at a time and
include my loved ones in my healthy eating habits and style. I do not prepare different food for different members. I
find recipes that we all can love.
Exercise: I use the weekends for my longer and harder workouts. During the week, I needed to learn to put myself
first and to workout. I always give myself a 30-60 minute quiet break after work and then begin my workout. I do these
workouts on a very routine schedule. I use small moments during school to get cardio workouts in. I will take the long
way to dropping or picking up kids from specials. I will continually walk while on recess duty and when I have a little
extra time at prep, I’ll walk the halls. I join my students during yoga time on many mornings. I practice yoga movements and stretches throughout the day as my body needs it. Most workouts begin or end with yoga stretching. In other words, find a moment and use it to help your body and mind feel better.
Are you still losing weight?
Yes. After taking off the initial 80 pounds, I work to maintain (had some ups and downs) and work continually lose a bit
more. I set small goals (5 pounds at a time) and work on them until I achieve it. My main goal is to maintain, but my
ultimate goal is to reach a 100 pound weight loss. I am currently at a 90 pound weight loss.
What is your long-term goal?
My long term goal is to live life to its fullest. I do not want to ever be limited by my physical health to be able to do
anything I want to do or try! I want to maintain a balanced physically and mentally healthy lifestyle.