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Kettering Weight Loss Solutions, Kettering Health Network
For more information, call: 937-433-5957.
Miami Valley Hospital
LIFESTEPS® Weight Management Program
LIFESTEPS® is a 12-week program, led by registered dietitians, that guides participants in making gradual steps toward changing eating and exercise behaviors. Week by week, participants learn about nutrient needs, portion sizes, the benefits of physical activity and how to manage high-risk eating situations. The program is designed for individuals who are committed to taking positive steps toward better health and weight management based on sound nutrition principles. Classes are held at Miami Valley Hospital and Miami Valley Hospital South. Call Premier HeartWorks at 937-438-5483 for information on fees and class dates.
Weight Loss Surgery Information Seminars
If you are considering weight loss surgery, plan to attend this free information seminar. You will be able to meet MVH surgeons and ask questions. Seminars are offered at Miami Valley Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Atrium Medical Center, Miami Valley Hospital South and the Fairborn Holiday Inn. To register, call CareFinders at 1-866-FIND (3463) or go to mvh.org/weightloss or pmba.com.
SOURCE: Nancy Thickel, Miami Valley Hospital
People make big life changes every day. Health experts say achieving one’s weight loss goals is one important life change faced by many.
Weight loss has become an increasingly relevant issue as obesity has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Health. In fact, more than one-third — 35.7 percent — of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Ohio, 29.2 percent of adults are obese, according to the CDC.
“Obesity is rampant,” said Rich Cohen, a registered dietitian, licensed dietitian in Ohio, who works at Kettering Weight Loss Solutions within the Kettering Health Network. “And it’s very hard to treat once you have it because it seems to alter many things in the body and brain chemistry. It alters hormones. The challenges are enormous.”
To kick off our new series on making big life changes, we share the inspirational stories of those who have achieved their personal weight loss goals in a healthy way. We plan to continue to highlight your success stories — from weight loss to reinvention to making a fresh start — to help inspire others on how to make important life changes.
Amy Bielek, Jamestown
Amy Bielek, 56, lost 150 pounds since January 2011. Bielek said she weighed 309 pounds around Christmas of 2011 and now weighs 157 pounds.
Before becoming a patient at Kettering Weight Loss Solutions, Bielek took five medications: three for diabetes, one for blood pressure and one for cholesterol. She had an addiction to sugar, she said. Being overweight was holding her back from traveling and taking part in activities with her family. Her knees bothered her often.
“It was going to lead to my demise,” Bielek said of being overweight. “I knew I had to turn it around.”
For the first five months in the weight-loss program, Bielek had a protein shake for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. By the end of that five months, she had lost 80 pounds. Bielek said she was losing about three pounds a week during that time. Five months into the program, Bielek introduced other foods into her diet, including some fruits and vegetables.
“I honestly did not think I could do it when I first started,” she said. “But I was pretty desperate.”
Bielek also began to exercise. She started walking for 10 minutes three times per day, seven days a week. She walked that 10 minutes “very slowly” at first, she said. Within about six weeks, she was able to walk for 30 minutes without stopping.
Now, she’s training to run a 5K. She’s been training for six weeks and can run 10 minutes at a time.
Bielek continues to call her counselor at Kettering Weight Loss Solutions once a week and attends a weekly meeting with other patients for support.
Bielek said her official goal at the beginning of the program was to weigh less than 200 pounds. In September 2011, she lost her first 100 pounds. She met that mark on the day her granddaughter was born.
“She was my focal point that whole time,” Bielek said of her granddaughter. “I knew I wanted to hold her and be here for her.”
If she loses five more pounds, she’ll be at 50 percent of her body weight 16 months ago, which will surpass her original goal of weighing less than 200 pounds, she said.
“I’ve just gained so much in physical stamina and strength,” Bielek said. “I’m working on transforming my mind so I can trust my food decisions every day. My big goal is to be healthy until the day I die.”
Bielek said her weight-loss journey was not always a smooth one. “It was a challenge,” she said. “Battles would ensue in my head about whether I wanted to continue or whether I wanted to eat some particular food.”
Bielek said others considering a big life change should identify and use the resources available to them. She said you have to keep moving forward, even when faced with setbacks.
“It’s been a great journey,” she said of losing weight. “I’ve learned a lot.”
Sue Mortsolf, Beavercreek
Sue Mortsolf, 69, lost 115 pounds in less than a year, from 2003 to 2004, and has kept that weight off with hard work.
Mortsolf said a friend took some photographs of her at Mortfolf’s 60th birthday party. Those photographs were a catalyst that caused Mortsolf to rethink her life.
“I looked at those pictures, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh. I didn’t know I looked so terrible,” she said. “I saw those pictures and decided I had to do something.’”
Mortsolf said she owned a popcorn and candy business in Beavercreek from 1983 to 1993, which contributed to her weight gain. Her weight had been “up and down” her whole life, but when she weighed 265 pounds, she knew it was time to take action.
Mortsolf said she had high-blood pressure at the time, couldn’t run and would never wear a swimsuit in public. She was still active and walked.
She decided to become a patient of Kettering Weight Loss Solutions in April 2003. The program, she said, emphasized that losing weight was about more than starting a new diet. It focused on a whole lifestyle change, she said.
The program taught her how to plan ahead and how to commit to a program, she said. She kept a journal with records of what she ate and how many calories she was taking in each day. Mortsolf also took salad dressings with her when she went out to eat to keep her calorie count down.
When Mortsolf began participating in Kettering’s program, her daily food consisted of two entrees and two or three protein supplements provided by the program. She also consumed five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, which she purchased herself.
Physical activity also was key, Mortsolf said. She burned at least 2,000 calories each week during that first year. She bought a pedometer, which became a “great motivator.” She wouldn’t quit walking, even if it was 11:30 p.m., until she had taken her quota of steps for the day. Mortsolf said she walked about 20,000 steps, or eight miles, each day.
In addition, Mortsolf attends one group meeting each week and calls in to talk to her counselor once each week.
She remembers being frustrated during weeks when she did not lose weight. She also remembers wanting to eat a piece of candy or a fried food when she was out at a restaurant.
“Basically, you had to look inside yourself, look at what your life patterns were and change those things,” she said of losing weight. “After you lose the weight, you really have to be aware as well.”
Now, Mortsolf is focused on maintaining her current weight of about 155 pounds. She still goes to weekly meetings, eats healthy food and exercises.
Mortsolf said she’s no longer embarrassed to go shopping for clothes. When she was a size 24, finding items that would fit her could be difficult, she said. After she lost weight, she even climbed a rock wall at a mall in the Dayton area, which she never would have done before, she said. She can run now, too.
“I really feel good,” Mortsolf said. “I feel like I’m really much healthier than I was. I feel that I look good now. ... The food isn’t controlling me anymore.”
Mortsolf said she would tell others considering making a big life change related to their health to start right away.
“Don’t hesitate,” she said.
Share your success stories
Have you recently made a personal transformation, such as losing a significant amount of weight, radically changing your diet or personal spending patterns or even beginning a completely new career path? Big life changes come in many forms. Tell us how you did it and how you can offer advice to others. We would like to feature you in this new series aimed to inspire others to positive change. Contact Jacqui Boyle at Jacqueline.Boyle@coxinc.com or (937) 225-2122.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2122 or Jacqueline.Boyle@coxinc.com.
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