Paul's Story, August 2007

On the day before my 51st birthday, I was on a snowmobiling trip with a friend who mentioned he had lost about 30 pounds through a challenge at work. I asked how he had done it, and his explanation was very simple: he was limiting himself to about 1500 calories a day, and he was running about 3.5 miles five times a week.

Paul

My weight has always been the biggest negative aspect in Healthy Utah testing sessions, and I decided to try this diet and exercise regime. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought, but I can’t say I was never hungry. My wife gave a great deal of support by cooking meals that were delicious and packed as many nutrients as possible in the calories I ate.

For Easter, she gave me a book with calorie counts of just about everything. I ate a completely balanced diet with an emphasis on five fruits and vegetables a day. She also found good low calorie desserts. A serving of strawberry shortcake with a low fat topping, for example, only has about one hundred calories. Many of the recipes came from links on the Healthy Utah web site and in the Healthy Utah newsletter.

While I’ve been a jogger for many years, I became much more consistent. As I started to lose weight, running became easier and more enjoyable.

Over about five months, I went from 206 to 161 pounds. I haven’t been this weight in 25 years, and it feels great. I’ve established eating and exercise habits that I expect to stay with me all my life. This experience has had a positive effect on my family. My wife had started a diet program before me, and she has now lost about 20 pounds. My children are also more conscious of their diet and exercise.