Client Success Story with Cheryl

Transcript:

TERESA: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. My name is Teresa Wagner. I am a registered dietitian who is proud to work for this company, a company that educates, strategizes, and collaborates with people to help them reach their health goals through real food nutrition.

And for many people, weight loss is a health goal they are working toward, not just for a number on the scale, but for the benefits that come along for the ride with a healthy approach to weight loss, where the focus is on nourishing the body so it can function at its best.

Today, I am excited to be talking with Cheryl Bloomer about something that so many people long to do, and she's successfully done it: weight loss. Cheryl has been through our Nutrition for Weight Loss Foundations program. She followed up that class by enrolling and participating in our Ongoing Support & Education groups, and has taken several of the cooking classes we offer with our chef, Marianne.

For much of this journey, I have had the privilege of walking alongside her as her nutrition counselor. Cheryl is married to her husband, Glenn. She has three children and five grandchildren. Since starting with Nutritional Weight & Wellness, she has retired, but she keeps busy with crafts, reading, biking, and gardening. She's a self-described recovering sugar addict, couch potato turned exercise enthusiast.

She enjoys time with grandkids and going to their various activities. She has loved her time volunteering at church and her children's schools and enjoys social activities with friends. With all of this, do you ever wonder, Cheryl, how you had time to work?

CHERYL: I do wonder how I had time to work. It's a very busy life in retirement, but it's one that I'm enjoying immensely.

TERESA: Cheryl, you have achieved significant weight loss. Not only lost weight, but you have maintained that loss. We are a society obsessed with before and after pictures, instant gratification, and fad diets. So, as a living and breathing after photo, I'm sure one of the first questions you get is, how'd you do it? At our last nutrition appointment, as we were catching up, you told me about a recent trip you had taken with your husband and grandkids.

CHERYL: Thank you for having me on the show.

TERESA: You're welcome.

CHERYL: I'm excited to be here and talk about how by making some transformational changes, I was able to go from feeling powerless over my situation, tired and overwhelmed, to feeling like I got my life back. Now I wake up happy because I have found peace with food. I found the answer of how to eat in order to feel good and lose weight. Not only that, but it is a way of eating that is delicious, and I can see myself doing it for the rest of my life.

TERESA: And that's the key, I think, right? That's so fantastic that you figured it out, because if it's something that we're just trying to white knuckle our way through, we're not going to be able to keep with it. And that's exactly what you've been able to do, is keep with it.

At the time of this recording, we are squarely in fall. The trees leaves have changed colors and mostly fallen off their branches. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. In Minnesota, it's somewhat of a tradition to head up to the north shore of Duluth during peak color to take in the beauty of this time of year. But you beat the crowds and took a trip before school started.

CHERYL: Yes, my husband and I took our grandkids on a three-day trip to Duluth this past summer. We went to the Alpine Slide, which is a coaster like ride down Spirit Mountain. We had been to this slide in previous years and everyone in our group rode it except me because I was afraid I wouldn't fit in it and would not be able to get up and out because it was so low to the ground.

TERESA: And when you say low to the ground, I just want to explain how this is for somebody who's not been on an Alpine Slide. You are legitimately sitting basically sitting on the ground. There's probably an inch between your bottom and the ground, right? So you really do get down very low.

CHERYL: The car sits on rails, and so you have to get into this very low riding car that's on a rail. And I just thought, I'm not going to be able to get out of this thing, or will I even fit?

TERESA: Yeah, getting in is one thing, getting out…

CHERYL: I would have needed help to get out, or rolled out, something like that. But last summer when we were there, I knew, I looked at it, and I knew I could get in and out easily. So I thought, I'm going to ride it. And it was such a great feeling of accomplishment and so much fun. We also rented bikes with the kids to ride along the Duluth Lake walk. Prior to this, I hadn't been on a bike for over 10 years, at least, because I was afraid I would get hurt with being so overweight. And we did it. It was so fun to ride with our grandkids.

TERESA: Yes, to have a more involved experience with your grandkids, a participant, rather than an observer, it just warms my heart. And my guess is it's especially memorable because of how far you've come. Thinking back to 2022, you enrolled in the Nutrition for Weight Loss Foundation's program. If you heard someone telling the same story, would you have thought that this would be you?

CHERYL: Definitely not. It would have seemed impossible two and a half years ago because I had so much weight to lose and I had tried to lose weight in the past without much success.

TERESA: After we were talking about the alpine slides in Duluth, you shared another story with me about going to the Mall of America with your grandkids years prior. It's not a happy story like the Duluth story. In fact, it's a bit painful to think about, but I think it's a really wonderful illustration of how far you've come and also a story that may resonate with others.

CHERYL: Okay, so we were on an outing with our grandkids at the Mall of America. There was a Ninja Turtle ride that I thought I could ride. It wasn't too wild. But, there was an overhead bar that swung down over your lap. And, I got in the seat, and the ride tech tried to swing the bar over my lap and it wouldn't close because it was too big. So I had to get off the ride.

Talk about embarrassing. There's another ride story from Como Town with the grandkids again. Some of them weren't old enough to drive the bumper cars, so an adult had to ride with them. I was too big to fit in the car, so my husband took turns riding with them while I watched enviously from the sidelines.

We went to Como Town again last summer with our five-year-old granddaughter, and for the first time ever, I fit in the bumper car and rode with her and had so much fun.

TERESA: Yay, I love that. Two and a half years ago, the number on your scale was almost 100 more pounds than it is today. Life felt a lot different at that time. You had some very real, both personal, like the stories you had shared, and physical challenges. You enrolled in the Nutrition for Weight Loss program at that time.

CHERYL: Yes, I was working part time. I had recently gone through the tragic loss of a son, and I had an aging father who had health and physical care needs. I had tried several other weight loss programs in the past without much success, but I was motivated to try again because I had some serious health concerns. I started researching programs that offered both support and a sensible plan, and I found Nutritional Weight & Wellness. Physically, I was experiencing low energy levels. Many days I needed a nap in the afternoon.

It was hard to keep up with my grandkids, and I was craving carbs and sugar all the time. Health wise, I was prediabetic. I had high blood pressure, a borderline being put on medication. I had knee pain, and I was on long term use of acid blockers for heartburn and reflux. Also, I was not able to wear fun clothes. I envied people that could wear those fun fashions. I was in plus size clothes, and I absolutely hated to shop.

TERESA: Something that we feel like we all can resonate with, but it's different, right?

CHERYL: Different when you're as overweight as I was. Even going to a pool with a swimsuit that you hope is covering enough of your body so that people won't look at you and think, wow, is she, what is she doing here in a swimsuit?

TERESA: Yeah. It's a really, really tough situation, and I think that so often we're so worried about what everybody's thinking about us that we don't realize that everyone else is so worried thinking about themselves.

CHERYL: That's true. Very true.

TERESA: However, it is a very challenging thing, and, I'm happy that that's not the situation for you anymore.

CHERYL: It isn't, and it feels great.

TERESA: The first time we had met, you had been applying the principles from the Nutrition for Weight Loss class for about six months. And you had lost 25 pounds. But you were disappointed that it wasn't coming off faster. Can you tell me how it all got started? You, if I'm remembering this right, you were a bit of a doubter.

CHERYL: I was for sure, but I took the leap and signed up for Nutrition for Weight Loss 12 week classes. It was a lot of new information, and I was a bit overwhelmed at first, and I was skeptical about some new ideas. Like eating healthy fat to lose fat, like butter is okay, really?

Some information like eating more vegetables and protein I was familiar with. So, rather than being overwhelmed, I decided to make small changes one at a time: baby steps for me. The first change I made was going from eating cereal and toast for breakfast to eating protein at breakfast. I discovered that doing that kept me satisfied and energized until lunch time.

Implementing healthy habits

TERESA: When you say protein at breakfast, what does that look like? And how much are you eating or trying to get at that time?

CHERYL: So my goal is to eat four to five ounces of protein at breakfast. I make a large batch of what I call breakfast hash with ground turkey and herbs and then sauté sweet potatoes, riced cauliflower, some onion. And then freeze that in individual serving sizes.

Egg bake is another easy make ahead option that can be frozen. Another favorite of mine for breakfast is a protein shake with fruit, almond milk, protein powder, and a healthy fat. All of these meals are very satisfying. And then when it comes time for lunch, I'm hungry, but comfortably hungry; not shaky or hangry. I'll just heat up a soup I've made earlier in the week or make a salad.

TERESA: And that's what you're having for lunch, is soups and salads. It sounds like a typical low calorie diet, right? Low calorie diets have soups and salads. Tell me how the lunches you're making are different.

CHERYL: Well, I learned at classes that lunches can be a hearty meal. I have all four components that the class talks about included adequate protein, lots of veggies, a bit of starch to pop up blood sugar, but not too high. And some healthy fats to help it all come together. It tastes great and keeps me full.

A typical salad is mixed greens, other vegetables that I have on hand: four ounces of cooked protein, a half a cup of starchy veggie or grain like sweet potato, squash, rice, beans, peas, nuts and seeds as a healthy fat. And the dressing is olive oil or avocado oil based.

And my salads are big. I make them on a dinner plate. When I make soup, it's chili or broth based soup with rice or lentils, chicken and a variety of vegetables. It's a full meal. I don't like to spend all day in the kitchen. I like to have breakfasts and lunches pre-made and really just cook at dinner time. Lunches like these were new for me. Previously, I was eating a lot of frozen packaged meals for lunch; always low in protein, hardly any vegetables.

TERESA: Hardly any food. Those are so small. I used to eat those too and I was always starving very shortly later or craving some sort of "carby" pick me up, you know, like a handful of pretzels or, you know, whatever. Whatever's easy, right?

CHERYL: Sounds familiar.

TERESA: So when you went from eating cereal and toast for breakfast and those tiny frozen packaged meals for lunches, that's not a lot of food. This is what is so mystifying for so many. Why am I overweight? Why is my blood sugar so high? Why am I so moody?

CHERYL: Exactly.

TERESA: In the Nutrition for Weight Loss class, people are always surprised at how much food we want you to eat, and are really surprised by how much healthy fat you can have in addition to the protein and vegetables we encourage. It's more fat that's been typically allowed on diet plans. So when you started this program, I remember you being a bit of a skeptic about some of the ideas from the class.

CHERYL: First of all, I found it refreshing that there is no calorie counting in the program. Just eat the recommended amounts and call it good. It's very freeing. I can eat when I'm hungry, just keeping it balanced. When I eat in balance, I don't feel the need to eat all the time, or snack all the time. I'm satisfied, and the food noise was silenced. One of the ideas that I was a skeptic about was fat. A new concept for me was eat fat to lose fat, and that there are healthy fats versus unhealthy fats. I learned that 80 percent of cholesterol is made by your liver, not from the foods that are high in cholesterol.

TERESA: Right, and I think that's a common misconception. High cholesterol is maybe more likely the body responding to something else going on inside. It could be because of inflammation, maybe from sugar, or maybe there's some stress, or something with hormones going on.

CHERYL: Or there could be some genetic factors at play.

Overviewing the Nutrition for Weight Loss Foundations course

TERESA: Absolutely. The Nutrition for Weight Loss Foundations class is more than just a weight loss program. Our mission is real health by eating real food. So we spend time in class going into detail about how foods nourish the body down to the cellular level. We talk about what roles the various nutrients have. And I've got to say here, you know, while this sounds very detailed and physiology or biology class, we do it in an interesting, fun and informational way.

CHERYL: I would agree with that.

TERESA: Yeah, we try to keep it light and fun and interesting. This is not science class.

CHERYL: Right.

TERESA: This is a nutrition class, but we want it to be interesting enough for you to be like, yes, that's why I want to do it.

CHERYL: And a great part of that is that there are other participants in the class who have comments and questions that you might be thinking and that’s part of what makes the class great, too.

TERESA: Yes, and we encourage that. It makes the class better. We want people to participate. This is, instructor, yes, but the participants are clients and we get very close. Twelve weeks is a long time. We really get to know each other. So, going back to that idea of those foods that nourish our body, when we eat these whole, natural forms of these foods in balance, we tend to feel good.

We have great moods. We maintain our health and a healthy weight. But, when we start to rely on processed foods and eat more along the lines of the standard American diet, high in sugar, processed, hyperpalatable, refined carbohydrate and damaged man-made fats, the body, well it responds by starting to malfunction.

Cheryl's story of overcoming heartburn

And then we see chronic diseases and conditions start to manifest. Many people have high cholesterol and think it's because it's the eggs and the red meat. In our classes, we discuss why that's not true and what changes actually work to lower cholesterol. Many people in the U.S. to the tune of 15 or more million suffer, and I mean suffer with heartburn, acid reflux, GERD, and are taking acid lowering medications because they've been told that they have too much stomach acid. Sound familiar, Cheryl?

CHERYL: Yes, it does, for sure. I learned through the classes that heartburn isn't always caused by too much stomach acid, which was a new concept for me. I had been taking an acid blocking medication for over 20 years. But I discovered through working with my dietitian that dairy was a big contributor to my heartburn. I was able to wean off my heavy duty acid blocker with the help of a dietitian, and I no longer have acid reflux, and I can eat those foods that I love, and it's okay.

TERESA: Yeah, it's amazing. And you know, what's interesting is, by the time you had weaned off that acid blocker, you had been off sugar for a while. Which, we also talk about sugar being a trigger for heartburn. So I wonder how much that may have contributed to your heartburn.

We have been taught that it's the tomatoes, the coffee, the spicy foods, the chocolate. And yes, those could be causing heartburn, but maybe not. We have found that when people change the way they eat, heartburn goes away. They can have tomatoes. They can have a square or two of dark chocolate and they are just fine. Just like you were saying.

CHERYL: And that's very true for me. Spaghetti and dark chocolate are two things that I can enjoy and I don't have reflux after eating those things.

TERESA: It's freeing, but it's also freeing to know that what the triggers are, right? So then you can make decisions around those foods. We have many resources on our websites from articles to other podcasts about natural solutions for heartburn. So if anyone listening is interested in learning more on that, we do have resources available.

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Welcome back. Today on Dishing Up Nutrition, I am talking with Cheryl Bloomer about her weight loss success and how she did it. Okay, Cheryl, I'd love to hear about some of the other changes you have made or maybe some of the ideas from the class that have been new for you. Where my mind is going right now and what I'm thinking about is your thoughts at the time about snacking and how that may have evolved.

Overcoming the processed carbs & sugar addiction

CHERYL: My snacks consisted mainly of carbs, and I knew that carbs and sugar weren't the best choices for snacks, but that is what I craved. When I did snack, it felt like cheating, so I didn't make the best choices. Even before the class, I knew that going through fast food drive through and splitting a bag of chocolate chip cookies with my husband wasn't a healthy choice.

TERESA: Right, right. You don't need a class to tell you that.

CHERYL: No, the problem was I felt like I was addicted to sugar. The second change I made after prioritizing protein at breakfast was to stop eating sugar. In order to stop eating sugar, I had to stop dieting, stop saving calories, stop skipping meals and start eating planned meals and snacks.

Sounds very sensible. When I started really nourishing my body, balancing my blood sugar, and that was huge, it put me in a position to be strong enough to say no to sugar. Once sugar was out of my system, after about two weeks, I no longer craved it. I learned the importance of snacks to avoid a low dip in blood sugar and that starving feeling that you get.

Many times at work or even running errands, I would skip lunch or an afternoon snack. Then I'd get home famished and all willpower went out the window. I would eat the first easiest thing I could find.

TERESA: I love this. So many feel that same pull to sugar. They know they're not supposed to eat it, or at least not eat so much, but just feel like it's impossible to stop. You give people hope that it can happen.

CHERYL: If I can do it, anyone can do it.

TERESA: How about your husband? Does he still want to go get the chocolate chip cookies?

CHERYL: My husband still has a sweet tooth and he loves to bake chocolate chip cookies. But my strategy to avoid indulging in those sweet treats is to not have cookies and candy where I can see it.

TERESA: Well, speaking of candy, it was just Halloween. Did you indulge?

CHERYL: Not this year, but in the past, I would buy Halloween candy early and would open the bag with the intention of just having one piece. But you know how that story goes. Before you know it, I was back at the store buying more, so we'd have enough candy for the trick or treaters.

TERESA: I mean, don't you think that's why the stores buy more? put the candy out the first week of October or even earlier, it's because they know if you buy it early when it's on sale, that's not the trick or treater candy, that is you candy.

CHERYL: Right. It was a different time then. I knew I was throwing caution to the wind and I knew it was causing health problems. I even avoided seeing the doctor for that reason. I know what sugar does to me and how it makes me feel. I don't want the feeling of wanting more.

TERESA: You know, I know that feeling of wanting well. It's never enough. When people say, well that hit the spot, I'm always thinking to myself, what spot? I don't, I don't think I have that spot.

CHERYL: I've said that too.

TERESA: So what do you think would happen if you started eating sugar again?

CHERYL: I feel that it would be a slippery slope for me. I'd start craving it more and more. That's not to say I never eat sugar. For example, I'm planning to eat a piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and enjoy it and give the rest away; not having it staring at me every time I open the refrigerator.

TERESA: Right. And I agree with you. Never say never. Sugar is a fun part of life and it should be something that we can enjoy. But for some of us, we need to be careful and just know our own vulnerabilities.

CHERYL: Yes, exactly I know just what you're talking about. Because I felt addicted to sugar I know that's an area that I have to be careful with in order to maintain this new healthy weight and lifestyle, and I can honestly say I don't crave sugar anymore.

TERESA: That's such a wonderful thing. It's this thing that I think that for people who are addicted to sugar or feel like they're addicted to sugar or you know maybe addiction isn't the word that they use but just feel like they can't stop eating it. I hear this over and over again. I can understand that that's true for other people, but that's not true for me, right? That's not true for me.

CHERYL: I heard the same things. Moderation and everything works for me. Why doesn't that work for you? And in my case, it's a trigger for me. That sugar just wants me to eat more and more and more.

TERESA: Yeah, it isn't that that stopping point just doesn't really exist. The stopping point is when the bag is gone, right? Or the pan is empty or, it's just, it's a very, very difficult thing. And when we think about all of the people who say, well, life just isn't worth living if I can't have sugar, I would be, how can you do that? I would be so sad. And the thing is, and I don't know if you agree with this, Cheryl, but, are you happier without it?

CHERYL: I am, because I feel like I'm free from that burden of always craving it and not being able to stop. That was the problem. I'm not one of those people that could just have a piece of candy out of the Halloween bag. I would keep eating it until half the bag was gone.

TERESA: Yeah.

CHERYL: Not a healthy person. situation.

TERESA: Yeah. And for the people that can do that where they're like, you know what, I'll have that one piece that felt really good. I'm happy that I had it and then move on. Well, that's wonderful. That's wonderful. And that's, you know, what we're talking about here was having that one piece of pie.

That's not going to throw you off. You have a plan. You might get a little sugar cravings after it, but you just get right back on track. And those cravings are just a fleeting thing. So by the time the show airs, Christmas will be in the past, but the holiday goodies may be lingering. They may still be on the counters, or in the pantry, or in the freezer. For those who are struggling like you did only a short time ago, what would be your post holiday advice?

CHERYL: Get rid or give away anything that you don't want yourself to eat.

TERESA: Great advice.

CHERYL: Really commit to yourself to nourish your body and put yourself at the top of the to do list. Don't wait. Just think about how far you can go if you start and be consistent. Consider signing up for the Nutrition for Weight Loss Foundations program if you feel like you need support or if you are confused by all the information out there.

There's so much contradicting information. Most of the time we just go in circles with all that information. And going in circles will not get you to your destination. I knew I needed help, and being in the class, I had weekly support for 12 weeks. I did that to start, and then I continued with various other forms of support. It's very key to my success.

TERESA: Yeah, I love all those ideas. And going back to your original idea of getting rid of anything you don't want yourself to eat, it speaks to one of the things that we talk about in the class, is to protect yourself from being vulnerable. In the class, we talk about setting up an environment to be conducive to success. So getting those things out that are tempting to you. You know, if you have to leave your home to go get the sugar, you may not leave your house. It's not as easy as just walking into the kitchen.

Planning is important for success

Planning is also such an important part of the process. As the saying goes, fail to plan. Plan to fail. And I hear this over and over again in talking with clients. They stop planning and that's when things start to go sideways. How do you make this work in your life? Meal planning is so difficult for many, and you have become a master at this skill. How did you overcome this challenge? And do you have any tips for those who struggle with this?

CHERYL: Well, I don't write out a meal plan for the week, but before I go grocery shopping and I go once a week, I think about what I want to eat and cook for the week. I look up the recipes I plan to make, and then I add those ingredients to my grocery list. And, by the way, there are many great recipes in the Nutritional Weight & Wellness Cookbook, which you receive in class.

TERESA: And we have one that you can purchase on our website. And our website has a ton of just free to access recipes.

CHERYL: Very true. I double recipes for dinner, so there's enough food for a second meal. Leftovers for lunch. I plan for what I'll be eating for breakfast and lunch each day, and I make sure to have frozen soups, and breakfast hash, and plenty of salad ingredients on hand, or some other meal that I've made in a batch and just frozen, so I don't have to spend time cooking breakfast and lunch; it's there, it's ready for me.

TERESA: Right, because it's not conducive to real life to be cooking each meal. I mean, unless you love to cook.

CHERYL: Unless you're a chef.

TERESA: But for a lot of us, even if it is the way we like spending our time, we just don't have that amount of time to do that. So having a plan is so important. And finding the right planning process to fit within your life is key. Some people need very specific plans for what and when they will eat in order for them to stay on track.

When is a good day for me to plan, to shop, to prep, and actually, Cheryl, when I say that, I know you do this. Is there a day I could batch cook? Which you do. And, you know, one of those hearty soups or those meals that you can freeze. We have many resources for this, too. Free resources to help with this skill.

Brandy recently did a podcast, “Fresh Ideas for Healthy Meal Prep”. I did a Dishing Up Nutrition podcast with Chef Marianne titled, “Kitchen Shortcuts” in December of 2020, and Amy has a wonderful article titled “Tips for Meal Planning and Prep” on our website, and there are other sources out there too.

For those that this is a big obstacle to overcome, the Nutrition for Weight Loss class spends a lot of time on the topic and offers many suggestions for meals and snacks.

CHERYL: I like that you call it a skill. That really helps to explain how this is a process, and it was for me too. Skills are developed. On day one, I didn't know how I was going to do this. I just took it step by step and kept trying new foods, recipes, and prepping processes to refine this into something I can do every day. It's truly a skill I had to develop, and I wasn't always perfect.

When I wasn't perfect, though, I didn't quit. I just learned from the experience and moved on. I often use frozen or precut veggies in recipes to save time. I do batch cooking, though, so there's enough for several meals.

TERESA: But, man dinner: it can be a challenge. It's the meal that we often have with other people. So there are more mouths to please.

CHERYL: My husband loves to have meat and potatoes for dinner. And I like more variety in my meals. So I use more variety at breakfast and lunchtime. Besides soups and salads, I have slow cooker recipes, an egg roll in a bowl, for example, that I freeze for lunches. We both like sheet pan meals that are quick and easy for dinner. I use a variety of chopped veggies, seasonings, and uncooked protein, all tossed with a little avocado oil that cooks and bakes in 30 minutes. You can be eating in 45 minutes. Simple and easy.

TERESA: Yeah. Yep. Just, and there's a time for making really culinary meals, but for the most part, we really have to have those simple, easy options because as we were talking about earlier, we don't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen. Sometimes we just need food.

Implementing exercise: another healthy habit change

There is another major change you made that was very important to your success. And on a personal note, even though I'm a dietitian, food is my passion and is what is within my scope of practice. I love this change so much. When did exercise come into the picture?

CHERYL: I joined a gym and started doing cardio exercise about four months after starting the Nutritional Weight & Wellness program.

TERESA: And I just want to note that this was four months after. And so it wasn't as if you started all these things day one. You really worked at getting the food piece in order: four months.

CHERYL: Yeah, it was a process for me. Like I said, I'm not a person who can make a lot of drastic changes all at once. It's too stressful. So for me, it was taking baby steps in one habit change at a time. And after doing cardio for six months, it was helpful. And so six months after that, I started strength training because I didn't want to lose muscle while losing fat weight.

To stay motivated, I started working with a trainer at Anytime Fitness, and now I train with him at Lifetime Fitness. He was a key support person in my weight loss journey, encouraging and supporting me with strength training and exercise. I also had knee pain from osteoarthritis and a torn meniscus. So all I could do at first was stationary biking. I wanted to improve my mobility, and learned that that could happen with weight training and cardio.

And also early on I learned that exercise was so helpful for me as a mood booster. I didn't do it for the calorie burn. It has been an extremely important part of the weight loss equation. But not in the idea of calories in, calories out. Not in the way of punishment for foods eaten. I didn't go to the gym to work off the food I ate. I did it because it felt good to work hard and know that I was improving my overall health.

TERESA: Ah, exercise. It's a celebration of what the body can do. As many of my clients and people who have taken classes I have led know, I am a huge fan of James Clear and his book, Atomic Habits. I'm on his distribution list. So every Thursday, I get a little James Clear inspiration via email.

And I recently received this nugget of inspiration that reminded me of you instantly: “Two years, not two months. The visible progress you're hoping for usually comes slower than you'd like. Even with consistent effort, it can take a long time before progress feels significant.

It might be a year of writing and editing before the book really starts to come together. You may need two years of recovery from a major injury before you notice just how far you've come. It may take two years of yoga before you realize how flexible you've become. Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine.” And Cheryl, that's exactly what you've done.

CHERYL: Thank you. I like that quote. Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine. And I heard that from Teresa, from you, when we meet, and I heard that from my trainer too, just trust the process, stay consistent, and you will get results.

But, I would get frustrated by how it was a slow process, just a one pound loss week after week. I remember talking to you in January, about seven months after starting the program, I was down about 30 pounds. And was thinking about an upcoming wedding five months in the future and you excitedly told me just think if you continue on this consistent one pound per week path, you'll be down another 20 pounds by the wedding. And I thought that's it? I'd still be 45 pounds away from where I want to be.

TERESA: That's funny. The idea of being down 50 pounds and being disappointed. So here we are. You are down 95 pounds. Yes, folks, you heard that right. Down 95 pounds. Cheryl, you've lost fat mass and maintained your muscle mass, which we know because you've done body scans with your trainer.

You are nearly 70 years old and you are in the optimal range for muscle mass. This didn't happen by accident. You eat adequate protein. You continue to work those muscles. You've put in the time and effort. All while real life was happening around you. We were all living in a very recent post pandemic time.

You helped take care of, and then grieve the loss of your father. You had knee injury and then surgery. You had health concerns amongst all the other needs and joys of life. All of which you could have used as a reason to put off making that phone call to sign up for class.

CHERYL: I can say it wasn't about willpower for me. It was really about keeping my blood sugar balanced by eating real food and getting enough protein. And those were things that I learned in my sessions with Teresa, my dietitian, and also through classes, I can say that I did not go hungry. I made a conscious decision to stay consistent with the new eating habits and to keep exercising.

TERESA: When I'm talking about this with clients, about the deeper meaning for why they want to lose weight, when we really get down to the real reasons for weight loss, while it's true that people want to look good, it's really more about feeling good, mentally and physically.

It's about being comfortable in your own body. It's about having the ability and the energy to do the activities we love. It's about independence into our older years. It's about being a participant in your own life. You've made all these great changes. You've been consistent over the last two and a half years. How do you stay on track?

Tips for staying on track

CHERYL: Well, I weigh myself weekly so that I can stay within a few pounds of the range that I want to be in. So I know where I'm at there. Having support is key for me. I listen to the Dishing Up Nutrition podcasts, which have so much information, and they're not boring to listen to.

They're really interesting, and I learn new things when I listen. I've been to online cooking classes. Same thing there. I've learned cooking tips and gotten extra recipes and Marianne is really fun to watch.

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And I continue to meet with my dietitian, Teresa.

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I'm sticking to the new lifestyle plan. I continue to exercise and now I'm even going to the doctor to keep up with my pads. I no longer have prediabetes. I'm off heartburn medications. My knee and body are pain free and my cholesterol is managed. And I feel confident that I can maintain this lifestyle. I would like to thank Teresa and Nutritional Weight & Wellness for inviting me to share my story.

I am forever grateful because this program changed my life. I encourage listeners who struggle with weight, as I did, to enroll in a Nutrition for Weight Loss class series and see how it can change your life, too.

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TERESA: I think that's great advice, Cheryl. I may be a little biased. This has been so much fun. Thank you so much for being willing to be on this show with me today and to share your inspiring story with our Dishing Up Nutrition listeners.

Our goal at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. It's a simple yet powerful message. Eating real food is life-changing. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.