Weight Loss Weigh In

According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) Americans spend an estimated $30 billion per year on diet programs and products, including diet foods and drinks. However, we know that the formula for weight loss is simple and we’ve heard it a million times: diet and exercise, calories in/calories out. Or do we? As a fitness leader of 25 years, I have repeatedly paid homage to this axiom. I’ve stood by it as the gold standard truism of weight loss. Recently, however, career woman, wife, mother and dieter, Suzanne Hallam opened my eyes to the possibility that weight loss may be more complex than just “diet and exercise.”

Suzanne started a diet in January, 14 weeks ago, with a goal to lose weight, lower her blood pressure and have more energy. “Everyone says it’s simple; you just need to diet and exercise, but for me that doesn’t work,” says Suzanne. “It’s more difficult than that,” she says.  Suzanne was diagnosed with a thyroid condition at age 19 and has high blood pressure. “Everyone is so individual,” says Suzanne.

 In a candid interview, Suzanne shared the multiple challenges that she faces in her quest for a healthy weight, including her health condition, work stress, family pressures, her dislike of exercise and her emotional trials. What I learned from our conversation is that the road to weight loss may not be so straight and narrow as just “diet and exercise”. So, if you have had limited success with weight loss and are looking for a fresh perspective, read on. Suzanne will share her “real-life” approach to reaching her goals with you, what roadblocks she has encountered and overcome, as well as the weight loss program that consistently works for her!

When Suzanne was 19, she was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Her condition developed after a bout of mono and lead to a slow, gradual weight gain over several years. It affected her energy level and her metabolism and meant that she would need to take medication to control her symptoms. She decided to take action. It was one year before her wedding and like many brides-to-be, she was motivated to get into her dress. This was the first of three times in the last 15 years that Suzanne has committed to a plan of diet and exercise to lose weight and get healthy. More recently, Suzanne hit the wall again when she noticed that it became hard to do up her shoes.

Another challenge that Suzanne faces is high blood pressure. She is quick to retain fluid, so she has to be very careful of her salt intake, challenging for a girl who loves salty food! Her answer is to drink plenty of water to flush out her system. “I drink three glasses of water before I leave the house in the morning,” says Suzanne. “I used to drink two cans of pop per day, juice and milk, all which I have replaced with water.”

Being a career mom also presents challenges to her weight loss goals. After working all day and arriving home at 6:30pm, Suzanne finds it difficult to cook nutritious meals. Not only that, the pressures of work add to her overall anxiety making it easier for her to reach for food to relieve her stress. Her solution is to use exercise instead of munching to control her stress. She also shops for the family groceries on the weekend and chops up veggies to have them ready for an easy access snack. For another quick, healthy, easy to grab snack, she bakes homemade muffins, usually on the weekend. One of her goals going forward is to look at more ways that she can keep work stress in check.

In addition to work pressures, family obligations present an obstacle to her weight loss goals. Like many mothers, Suzanne is a “soccer mom” running around playing chauffeur to her son for his programs. It is also difficult she says to get “buy in” from her husband and son to adjust their diet and eat healthier. Luckily her husband loves to cook. He is typically a “meat and potatoes” guy though, so if he cooks, Suzanne uses portion control to keep her caloric intake in check.

One of Suzanne’s biggest challenges to her weight loss goals is the constant diligence that is needed to stay on course. “Being diligent all the time is hard work,” Suzanne admits. “I often feel like I’m around people who are eating what they want and I’m the outsider,” she says. It’s like she feels she cannot join the party. Sometimes she just wants to be free of the structure of dieting. Suzanne says she flip-flops between being really diligent and between wanting to block it out and relax and eat what she wants. What keeps her motivated are the results. She knows that she feels better when she sticks to the program. “It’s also positive reinforcement when people start to notice that you have lost weight,” says Suzanne. As further motivation, if she drops a dress size, Suzanne will treat herself to new clothes.

You are probably wondering what diet Suzanne attributes to her successful weight loss. Is it the popular Barry Sear’s no carbs “Zone” diet, Jennifer Aniston’s Baby Food Diet, South Beach Diet, the latest and greatest Acai Berry Diet or the Master Cleanse diet popularized by Beyonce? No, it's none of these. Her approach to weight loss is a little more old-fashioned. It’s been around for 45 years and has had proven success. It focuses on long-term results, lifestyle change, incorporating exercise into your routine and offers community support. You guessed it: Weight Watcher’s. Why Suzanne thinks the Weight Watcher’s program is different from other programs is that it allows her to use common sense and eat the foods she loves, instead of following a strict regimen. “I can work the program into the family unit,” says Suzanne. “Weight Watchers teaches portion control and recommends that you lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week,” she says.

Weight Watchers uses a “Points Plus Program”, a system that attributes a point value to everything that you eat. On the Weight Watcher’s plan, you are encouraged to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Weight Watchers also promotes healthy habits, a supportive environment, and exercise, in addition to teaching smarter food choices. Instead of a crash diet promising quick results, Weight Watchers works because it is about lasting lifestyle change.

The Weight Watchers program maintains that activity is an important part of weight loss, a key component that is missing from most fad diets. As a fitness instructor, I often assume that everyone is like me and loves to exercise; that it’s fun and gives you energy in addition to providing social interaction. For Suzanne, like many others though, nothing could be further from the truth. Forty-eight per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over — or about 12.7 million people — are inactive, getting the equivalent of less than a half-hour of walking each day, according to research from Statistics Canada.

 “When exercise is labeled “exercise”, it’s not enjoyable,” says Suzanne. “I’d rather go swimming with my son,” she says. However, Suzanne is sold on the health benefits of exercise, so when she found a Gazelle exercise machine at a garage sale for $20, she picked it up and now jumps on it for twenty minutes three times per week. She also does some resistance training to tone her upper body.

“Exercise used to be my last priority,” says Suzanne. When exercise is more about lifestyle and active living however, Suzanne is totally on-board. Another way Suzanne stays motivated to get moving is by walking her dog. “We bought a dog six years ago that needed exercise,” Suzanne admits. She deliberately chose a breed that needed a lot of exercise, so that she would need to go out rain or shine.

Suzanne has seen a lot of positive changes from her current diet and exercise regime, namely she  declares she has more energy, has less water retention, lower blood pressure, and has lost twelve pounds. Diet and exercise has helped her work towards her ultimate goals, however the road to get there has been marred with many roadblocks from dealing with work and family stress, finding exercise that she likes, coping with her health concerns and emotional trials. So, if anyone tells her it’s really easy to lose weight; that it’s just "diet and exercise", she may just sucker punch you with her newly defined biceps!

Suzanne does agree though that weight loss is achievable with dedication and a dose of reality. Being aware of your personal roadblocks and coming up with ways to overcome them are key. When asked what one of the biggest changes is that she has made to her routine since she started her diet, Suzanne answers, “making the time.” As women, we are notoriously guilty of putting others needs before our own. Recognizing this and taking the time for ourselves, makes us healthier, happier, and a better role model for our family and friends. Happiness comes first from within and radiates outward…and you should see Suzanne shine!