Success Stories
The "eat well. live well. challenge" has changed the lives of many participants. The success stories have been nothing short of amazing. Here is some of what we've heard (scroll down to read all the stories!):
I started this challenge last year with a vengeance and as I begin this year I am two pants size smaller! I practice yoga most days, bought a workout bench, body ball, weights and exercise videos. Pilates have become part of my regular routine. I know I still have a long way to reach my goal but physical activity is part of my daily life and will continue to be. It’s great to try new activities and I especially love clothes shopping now that it has become a necessity. Imagine my surprise and delight to find myself actually fitting into size eight jeans! I went ahead and donated five bags of clothes to a local church and it was such a relief to be moving on!
Discouragement is part of any significant lifestyle change and I’ve had my share. It’s not just about losing weight but gaining muscle so you’re not what they call “skinny fat.” Developing strength and muscle tone after years of a pretty sedentary lifestyle has been a big challenge for me. Reading about other success stories gives me hope and the determination to continue on this path. I know it is possible at any age. There’s plenty examples out there.
My best advice to anyone is to find something you enjoy and keep with it. I’ve had my slumps but even they have been good lessons for me. If I’m not exercising, I start to feel stiff and achy. I’ve worked too hard to turn back to that!
P. S. I ask that you use this story anonymously. I’ll give you another anonymous update next year, I promise. Perhaps I’ll write about the joy of wearing sleeveless tops after more years than I care to remember! But that’s for the future; yet another goal!
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I just wanted to share that ALREADY this challenge has improved both work and home life for me! My children and husband ask me “how many steps” I’ve completed each day during dinner, and ask to walk the dog around the block as a family if I’m short some or feel up to it after work! It’s wonderful time to chat about our day and see neighbors we often miss in the hustle and bustle of everyday life! We have also made it a goal to pick 3 new fruits or vegetables to snack on every week! This is big for my family who consider French-fries and catsup their mealtime dose of nutrients! My eldest daughter actually asked to have more strawberries for dessert instead of cake, and my husband ( who is normally the junk food king) enjoyed a bowl full of raspberries with some whipped cream atop! Meanwhile, I have some team members who will come by my office to help me be accountable by inviting me to walk the building parking lot perimeter a lap or two together. This has been very nice to get to know my co-workers a bit better, and catch a healthy dose of “vitamin-sun”, rather than sitting behind the screen most of my day. I really enjoy this “break” for my brain, and opportunity to hear people’s stories! Thank you for offering such an all-around beneficial opportunity while at work! I am grateful to be a part of a company that cares enough about their employee well-being to offer such a challenge! Not to mention, a company that keeps us employed during some difficult economic times so we can afford good fruits and vegetables, AND even provides some on Friday snack-days!
H. Cook
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I started this challenge due to the urging of my children to get more active and shortly thereafter I saw an e-mail about the challenge. I am about 3 years removed from chemotherapy and finally recovering my strength, so this was an ideal time. I have been on a vegetarian diet for quite some time until recently, so the cups part of the challenge is easy for me to accomplish. I was a runner until my health issues prevented it and getting active once again is exciting.
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My biggest feat, was I purchased a treadmill. I needed to get motivated to get up and moving, and I decided to join the "Eat Well, Live Well Challenge. With the winter being as long as it has been, in Buffalo, NY I was sedentary. Now, I am working out 30-45 minutes daily, eating more fruits and vegetables, and feeling 100% better, and with more energy.
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This has been a challenge for me,to get my self moving, but now that I have started, it has been a positive and must needed change.
C. Manney
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Hi I just wanted to share that it really does rub off on others, my daughter actually got excited the other day after I went shopping - she said wow mom you have so much good stuff to eat!! It was all fruits and vegtables and she was excited!! I have noticied if I have it cut up and ready to eat my whole family will eat more vegtables and fruits.
G. O'Hara
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I had already submitted my survey when I had my every-three-weeks allergy shot appointment. Because I have a little allergy-related asthma, at each appointment, when they check my history, they ask me to blow into a peak-flow device for a quick measurement of how my lungs are doing. I have been getting shots for a year and a half now, with no changes in medication, (or in anything, with the exception of participating in the EWLW Challenge) and my efforts always measure between 380-400 (I don't know what the units are). Last week, I suddenly came in at 450! That's a huge difference, and the nurses all wanted to know what I was doing differently, and really the only thing that accounts for it is all the walking and other exercise I've been doing. When I explained that I was doing the EWLW Challenge, they nodded knowingly and told me that a member of their office was doing it and had seen similar improvements as well. Maybe, in future surveys, when you ask about health improvements we've seen, you might add a choice about lung capacity or reduced shortness of breath. The clear improvement was a huge boost for me--Thank you so much!
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My name is Tom Staton and I'm the MEAL COACH at store #39 in Fairmount NY (and very proud to hold that position). Anyway, my story starts out like most - just to loose a few pounds and change my eating habits. This turned out to be a near life saving challange. Just a week or so into the program I went to my doctor for a check up....good thing - it turned out that in just a few weeks from now I will need open heart surgery for replacement of the aortic valuve. Don't you know that the first thing that the doctor told me was to get moving and eat better. I of course mentioned that I worked for Wegmans and had just started our "eat well live well" Challenge program -- "perfect its a great program" was his reply.
Well thats my story. Tom Staton
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I wanted to get the pedometer so I could track my steps in an average 40 hour work week as a Maintenance employee. I was surprised and pleased to discover that I walked, on average, 50 miles per 40 hour work week at 9-11 miles per 8-hour day according to the pedometer! However, my greatest accomplishment is that I quit smoking. I had lots of helpful support from co-workers, friends and family members who really wanted me to quit. I have learned about how smoking impacts my health and can only urge other smokers to gain the same awareness - that the benefits of health far outweigh the temporary satisfaction of smoking a cigarette. I may also add that it was personally helpful to me to apply my spiritual beliefs to quitting.
From a happy "eat well live well" participant!
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I wanted my family to get healthy; we really found getting to 5 cups each day a challenge even though I always thought that we ate a lot of fruits and vegetables. We have all experienced weight loss and increased energy. My daughter has gone from a size 16 plus to a size 12 and I have gone from a 20 to a 14. The tips from EWLW were a big help such as adding other fruits and vegetables to a salad or to have fruit for dessert and how to get steps in throughout the day was huge I thought we didn’t have time but parking farther away or taking the stairs or a short walk when a long one isn’t possible and other tips were very helpful to us. I would advise others that the best way to get started is with baby steps and not to beat yourself up if you falter, to chalk that one up and keep going. I have learned that it is not the end of the world to have a “cookie” and it is more what you put in your mouth next that matters.
Melanie Shiree, Interpretek
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When I first started this program, I thought what am I going to do wearing a pedometer on my belt every day. Now, it has become a lifestyle. I wear it from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. I find myself looking to walk, instead of ride. I am thinking about what I am going to eat and how healthy it will be for me. For me, it’s not the challenge against the members of my team but about my own challenge. I feel better and have more energy. Even when this is over, I will not stop with the lessons that I have learned from this. Thank you.
Gregory Sarra (Five Star Bank)
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My name is Pablo Diaz, Jr. and since starting this program I have lost 11.5 lbs!
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Last year was the first year I participated in the EWLW Challenge. After the challenge ended I started to ride my bike and do some weight training at home. I decided it was time to get healthy, so I would be around to see my children have a family of there own! I am a Diabetic; I weighed 291lbs, and had a waist line that was 46”. I continued to exercise every day. I started with 20 minutes and now I do bike, and when the weather is good, more bike riding outdoors. But the real factor was portion control. I purchased from Wegmans Food Markets, of course, 4oz food containers. All of my meals fit into them and contain the proper amount of calories for each meal. I eat what ever I want with in reason, and work out 60 minutes or more every day. The work out is a combination of weight training, riding my stationary bike. I feel I eat more now than I did before, and I am satisfied! I believe my metabolism has sped up, because I’m losing weight every week. I now weigh 242lbs, and my waist is 42”, but the most important fact is I now use less medication for my Diabetes. This did not happen over night, I have more energy, I look closely at what I eat, and I feel I have to exercise every day. It is also very encouraging when friends and family say WOW did you lose weight, you look good! This is a major life style change and I am very happy with it.
Thanks EWLW Challenge,
Matt Borrelli
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About seven months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and while I had lost 38 pounds and was walking everyday I could not get some extra pounds off. This program helped me jump start my diet again and I have lost an additional 6 pounds and I was able to come off my insulin injection because of my progress. My cholesterol went from 269 to 173, blood pressure has gone down as well and my Doctor is so happy he talks about me all the time…..so it all ties together and I hate to sound like a cliché but it really does work. I know it is difficult to achieve our desired weight goals but weight is only a small part of the overall health picture.
I would like to personally thank Wegmans for the program and giving us a chance to work with a team and get a healthy start to the summer.
G. Pillert - Xerox
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I have always been a fan of walking, hiking, gardening, moving throughout my work day. I feel proud of my family's interest in eating well and our focus on fresh fruit and vegis. We have proudly prepared home cooked meals, tablecloth, candles, flowers, and wine every night of our married life (29 years). This lifestyle has paid off for my husband, myself, and our children (21 & 27 years old). We have remained an active, healthy family love the motivation of a fitness challenge! Wearing a step counter has been a part of my life since last year's fitness challenge....I love knowing how much I move each day! My life has more "desk time" than in my younger years, but this challenge demands that I get off my rear and head up the hiking path to make steps count for myself and my team!!! Go for it everyone....it's all about feeling good.
I love wearing my step counter! I have worn this since last years fitness challenge and I think having someone to account to makes that much more fun! Thanks for this challenge!
A. & K. Wastell
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I am the school nurse and the "Company Leader" for the Eat Well Live Well program here at Allendale Columbia School. We started this program on February 22 while the Eat Well Live Well web site was still shaky.
Fifty-three faculty and staff signed up for the Challenge and it has been a huge success. It has raised the morale of the entire school and the competition among the seven teams is friendly and fierce. I want to tell you about the "Kitchen Warrior" team. This team is led by Laura, the food service manager, and her staff of three women. They have embraced this Challenge with a vengeance and they are the leading team.
When the athletic department, part of another team, stepped up their efforts, the "Kitchen Warrior" upped their steps to 20,000 a day so that they would not be surpassed. Patty has lost 2 pant sizes and is handing her pants down to Laura who has also slimmed down considerably. They are all so enthusiastic and proud of themselves that it has lifted everyone's spirits. On their break time they are seen walking from one end of the school to another, as many times as they can fit in, and they fight each other for opportunities to do chores outside of the kitchen area. All of the women seem happier and they are undoubtedly healthier too. It has been a great experience for all of us.
Faye Shea
School Nurse
Allendale Columbia School
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I am a mother of three beautiful children and as of today 3-13-09 I am 1 month and two weeks free of smoking with help. And about 30 days now I decide to start eat better. Yes I am on the over weight side and yes I am doing this to see tomorrow and many more tomorrows. The program I am starting today is with the company I Intern for, and they have opened my eyes to see that dieting and exercise can be fun and it's a plus in helping me to fight the nasty diabetes2 I have and high blood pressure. I know with what I have started and their help I can and will be free of all that is trying to stop me from seeing tomorrow. Thank you and everyone who took the time to come up with a program that will help me and many others like me succeed.