Imagine a job surrounded by food all day. The sights, the smells, the flavors calling you, and yet you still lose weight! Is this a new supplement, diet plan or drink? No, it isn’t anything new. Yet, employees of Food and Nutrition have done this, losing a cumulative total of 231lbs (maintaining weight loss in the range of 30 – 80lbs per person).
Motivation is Key
The staff provided insights into their motivation. For some, maintaining good health was the reason for change, though this alone isn’t always the best or only motivator. It is true that staff members wanted to be healthier. BUT they did this because they had things in life they didn’t want to miss. Motivators ranged from wanting to see children grow up and to enjoy grandchildren, to keeping clothing sizes stable (or smaller), to wanting to climb a mountain. Yes, there can also be wake up calls such as rising blood sugar or feeling out of breath.
Working at OMH, the staff can see some of the worst that happens with excess body weight, such as repeat hospitalizations, problems with mobility, heart disease, difficulty breathing, and diabetes. While passing trays, Becky states interacting with patients has made her stop and think, “Is this the future for me? What can I do now to prevent this from happening to me?”
What Helps with Weight Loss?
Not one person said losing weight or keeping it off was easy. You have to keep working at it. Cutting portion sizes and decreasing how often foods high in sugar are eaten were common steps taken. Pop and sweets were 2 items cut out, put on hold, or eaten less often. Staff cut back energy (calorie) intake in different ways. For instance, if Becky eats a large meal, she will adjust and eat less the next meal. Mary no longer feels the need to clean her plate. And all agree that it’s better to start with smaller amounts of food. Dealing with cravings? Becky replies, “A small bit of a treat may be all I need, then I move on.“ If your problem is that once you start, you don’t quit, Cindy found she did best not taking that first bite and keeping junk food out of the house. All staff appreciate the need for increased activity. Other successful strategies used? Pay attention to what you eat and how much. Think of the benefits – more energy, less painful joints and feet and, just maybe, less need for medication to treat high cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar.
Recommendations From the Staff
Mary asks herself; “Is this food worth the calories?” And advises, “Don’t make big goals… if you don’t meet your goal, don’t beat yourself up…just keep going.” Cindy uses supportive self- talk. When tempted, she reminds herself, “These are the foods that make me sick.” Mary and Cindy agree that making small steps help. To lose weight and maintain that loss, Heidi and Tammy are very up front and direct, “This isn’t easy.” Tammy adds, “There isn’t a single thing that is easy about changing lifestyle.” Heidi concludes, “Make sure you have your mind made up to get healthy” Becky keeps advice even simpler: “Find your portions!”
Activity (movement)
To burn calories staff does what works best for them and this varies by person . Some use exercise equipment and track minutes exercised. Others uses the stairs at work whenever she can. Another dances in the house (usually when no one else is around). Advice? Take advantage of living in Northern Michigan. Enjoy the outdoors try taking the kids for walks, snowshoeing or hiking.
Bottom line advice. It was hard to select from all the input from the staff, but Heidi captured it in one statement:
“Make sure you have your mind made up to get healthy. It should be a lifelong journey.”