Thursday, April 27, 2006

Some Real Results!

After helping getting people started, I like to check in with them once in awhile to see how they’re doing.

One couple in their early 50’s started their program last January 2nd. It’s been just over three months, and they’ve had great results, so I thought you might like to hear some of their secrets!

She’s 51 and he’ll be 51 in about a month. They’d been pretty inactive prior to starting their program, but both work pretty hard—she cleans houses all day, and he’s on his feet all day.

In 13 weeks, she’s lost 31 pounds and a significant amount of body fat, and he’s lost 43 pounds. This isn’t unusual, because it’s a little easier for men to lose weight than women. Still, for her, she’s averaged more than 2 pounds a week—and that’s about the best that anybody can ever expect. His results are actually pretty amazing!

I know they exercise on a regular basis, because I see them at least four days a week with the weights or cardio. She told me she’d always thought she was pretty active with her job but after starting a focused exercise program, realized it was a lot different.

She said when she first started exercising, she could only do about 2-3 minutes on the elliptical. Now she’s up to 20 minutes, plus walking. Before, she was “draggy, with no energy.” Now she just “feels so much better now.” And he said people are “trying to keep up with him” when walking through the plant, “instead of the other way around.”

When I asked them how they were eating, they said they cut out the fried foods and cut out the pop. Now, they’re eating more balanced meals (Protein, Starch, Fruits & Greens). They don’t eat as much bread anymore, and when they do, it’s whole grain.

When they eat out, they avoid fast foods, and try to focus on salads, chicken, and fish. If they have deserts, they make them small ones, but they don’t eat many of those anymore, either. He also quit spending money in the vending machine at work.

The other day, he read the label of a snack from the vending machine that was 150 calories/serving. It had 4 servings—and he used to eat the whole thing! Now, he thinks about what he’s eating because he knows what it represents in the gym.

Feeling a little like Larry King at this point, I asked them what they’d like to tell people who’ve been trying to lose weight. “You really can do it” she said, “but you just can’t give up—you’ve got to keep at it.”

He said it hasn’t been that hard. “You just have to make a commitment.” “Of course, it’s getting expensive,” they went on. “We need new Sunday clothes now.” And he laughed, “I let go of my pants the other day, and down they went!” Now that’s cool!

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