Kyle's HNT Success Story

Kyle had thought about losing weight for years and he had been successful at losing the weight, but he never learned how to manage the weight loss so it always ended up coming back on. After years of visiting his doctor and seeing his health decline because of obesity, he knew he had to lose weight.

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The statistics given after weight loss in the first 20 weeks, 1 year, and 3 years and maintenance statistics were what caught Kyles attention about the program. That is the reason he signed up. He liked seeing results each week through weight loss, but liked that he was learning about how to keep it off. Now, Kyle has been in the program for over 21 weeks and has lost over 80 pounds.

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The biggest reward that Kyle has received since joining HNT has been his doctor taking him off of his blood pressure medications. His favorite part about HNT is learning how to maintain my weight and seeing how HNT is changing the lives of everyone I meet in the program.

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Counting every calorie and making a choice to stay away from toxic environments are two key strategies that Kyle implements daily to keep the weight off. The biggest lifestyle change that he has made is that he "is eating to live not living to eat". "HNT has given me the foundation to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

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Kyle's encouraging words for people who would like to work on their health and weight: "Wanting to start working on your health and weight management is a good first step, now all you need to do is make a commitment to yourself to work on your health and weight and HNT will be there every step of the way."

Kyle: Before HNT

Kyle: NOW!

(photos courtesy of: Kyle, please do not reproduce)

2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released

The first year that the USDA and HHS released the publication "The Dietary Guidelines for Americans" was in 1980. The guidelines reflected emerging scientific evidence about diet and health. The ultimate goal is to improve the health of our Nation's current and future generations by facilitating and promoting healthy eating and physical activity choices so that these behaviors become the norm amount all individuals. By law, the Dietary Guidelines are reviewed, updated if needed, and published every 5 years.

The most recent data indicate that 72% of men and 64% of women are overweight or obese, with about 1/3 of adults being obese. (1) Approximately 32% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are overweight or obese, with 17% of children being obese. (2)

Because of these staggering statistics found in the most recent research, the focus in 2010 is on health promotion and disease risk reduction to hit these diet-related chronic diseases: Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancer, and Osteoporosis.

'Balancing Calories to Manage Weight', 'Foods and Food Components to Reduce', 'Foods and Nutrients to Increase', 'Building Healthy Eating Patterns', 'Helping Americans Make Healthy Choices' are the chapters covered in this edition of the Dietary Guidelines. For a full report on the USDA's 2010 Dietary Guidelines click here.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) states that it supports the Dietary Guidelines "healthy balance" approach to weight management. For more on the position of ADA, click here.

(1) Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, Curtin LR. Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 199-2008. JAMA. 2010; 303(3): 235-241.

(2) Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass index in U.S. children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA. 2010; 303(3): 242-249.

Superbowl Snacks on your Mind?

Well, Snowdown & the Superbowl fall on the very same week. Have you got party plans?

Found this very interesting chart with information on calories in alcohol. Going into these events with a realistic plan (what drinks, how many, etc) will help us to have our grown-up fun yet stay within reach of our goals.

If onion rings, bean dip and chocolaty treats are on your must-have list for the Superbowl, then throw a party! These recipes, from Eating Well, involve traditional foods just cooked a little bit healthier (calorie values per portion included).

Have a well week,

Safe Food Handling

In our latest On-Going Practice classes, we have been talking about food safety. Knowing food safety guidelines and techniques can help to prevent you or your family members from getting or spreading a food borne illness. Be sure you are in the know with clean, separate, cook, chill; the motto for Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight Bac! To learn more about food safety go to this website.

Healthy vs. Processed Foods Showdown

In these economic times, it may be tempting to forego the healthy stuff for cheaper, more processed choices (To learn more about what processed foods are visit THIS WEBSITE). Believe it or not, it is absolutely possible to buy healthy, whole foods for the same amount of money.

Take just a moment to peruse through THIS ARTICLE, you'll be glad you did.

Our New Health Educator

We are excited to announce that we have a new Health Educator here in Indiana. Chelsea started the beginning of the new year and is quickly gaining experience in our Carmel, Noblesville, and Plainfield clinics. She is a great fit already and we look forward to working with her in the future.

Here is a bit about Chelsea Kingston:

She is a Registered Dietitian who received her B.S. in Dietetics from Purdue University in 2010. She recently completed her dietetic internship where she experienced rotations with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, Porter Health Systems in Valparaiso, IN, and the Appalachian Outreach Program in Lexington, KY.

Chelsea grew up in Indianapolis and is an avid runner and sports enthusiast who enjoys traveling and cooking. She is excited to join the HNT team and use her knowledge and skills to encourage people to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle and reach their health and weight management goals.

Kevin's Success Story

For about two years Kevin tried to lose weight on his own, but always struggled. Kevin's primary care physician had been encouraging him to lose weight because of health concerns. His physician started him on cholesterol medication, he was borderline hypertensive, and was also moving towards diabetes. That, with the combination of turning 50 years old this past summer was when he knew he needed some external accountability to help him manage his weight. Fast forward to today...He has been with HNT for 45 weeks now and has met his goal by losing 80 pounds!
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Initially, it was the weight loss that kept him coming back to the classes, but he liked the professionalism of the people involved and the meaningful topics presented. "I'm a 'people person' and enjoy the interactions", Kevin mentioned about the group behavior modification classes. "Through these relationships, I have learned new recipes and other notions that have helped me with my weight management strategies."
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Kevin's biggest reward from losing weight is the energy that he has recovered. Other things he mentioned were improved sleep, and feeling better overall.
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Since joining HNT he now focuses on several key strategies to help him to maintain his weight loss. Exercise is the biggest lifestyle change that he has made since the start of the program and he tries to exercise almost everyday for both physical and emotional health. He also implements meal planning because he has noted that not doing it leads to increased calorie consumption via falling back to old lifestyle habits. Finally, he "wrestles mostly with the notion of needs vs. wants. A lot of my non-healthy calories come from satisfying wants. Trying to manage them more effectively is a big part of my weight management strategies".
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For anyone out there who is trying to lose weight, Kevin encourages you to consider HNT. "It is work, undoubtedly; however it was easier to lose weight with HNT than I had anticipated", he said. "While I'm sure HNT isn't for everyone, I think a lot of people would be successful with this program if they just give it an honest try. I really don't see myself as having any more will power or discipline than most people. I know it sounds like a cliche, but if it worked for me, this program has the potential to work successfully for a lot of people! HNT has helped me realize a significant weight loss that I could only ever dream about in the past."
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Kevin Before HNT

Kevin Now! 80 pounds down!

(Photos Courtesy of Kevin. Please do not copy)

Time Management

The other day we posted a short quiz to rate your stress levels. What did you find?

Part 2 of dealing with stress in our lives explores ways to lower it. Here's a little number on tips for time management-chances are we could all use a little help with this one!

Time Management Tips

Have a well week,

Are the "Healthy" options actually Healthy?

We have all been there before: stuck in an environment that might not be our first choice, but needing to choose something to eat. These days most places offer some sort of option touted as "healthy".

This article illustrates how frequently these "healthy" choices AREN'T healthy. A great reminder! It also gives some hints and recipes on lower-calorie or healthier options.

Have a well week,

New IOM Recommendations

It's been over 10 years since the recommendations for Vitamin D came out and since then there have been many conflicting messages. After a long process, the U.S. and Canadian governments wanted clarification. They asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review current research on Vitamin D and Calcium and on November 30, 2010 the IOM came out with new DRI recommendations for Vitamin D and Calcium based on health outcomes.

To see what you should be getting each day, check out this link to the IOM Recommendations on Vitamin D & Calcium.

Click HERE to read what the American Dietetic Association thinks about the new recommendations.