Monica Weets, an advertising rep for the Mille Lacs Messenger is starting a blog talking candidly about her weight-loss journey.
She has reached out to us asking Danna and Melissa for some dietitian information/articles that will be published relating to weight-loss.
Below is the first ad that will run next week. This week’s story:
Weight loss resolutions have been a part of my New Year’s vocabulary since my eldest son’s birth 28 years ago. On January 1 of each year, I was determined to drop pounds by adhering to a strict diet plan but by January 2, I had inhaled a bag of Oreos while lounging in my recliner staring at a plateful of fried chicken bones. Weight Watchers, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins, Slim-fast, low fat diets, I have tried them all and have failed miserably year after year.
Welcome 2016 and my new New Year’s resolution- ‘to get healthy’. Instead of feeding my desire to look good, middle aged aches and joint pain are screaming at me to lose weight for my wellbeing. My taste buds tell me to have that extra piece of chocolate cake but my knees say, “Do it and I’ll dropkick you back to 1988.” It’s time to change and this year, I will.
Rather than taking on this challenge in my private world, I’m going to live it out in front of the entire Messenger audience. Incentive, right? To achieve this, I am enlisting the help of FirstLight in Mora and Mille Lacs Health Systems. Their dietitians are going to help me achieve my goals and answer questions about healthy eating and cooking by writing columns on this new page as well. Not only are my eating habits changing but I’m going to begin walking and weight training at IREC with recommendations from fitness guru, Julanne. This will be a 13 week program and I will keep our readers informed of my progress by blogging on the Messenger’s website and also intermittent columns on this page.
As for a change in eating habits, I am switching to a “whole foods” meal plan which will consist of protein, fruits, vegetables, no more than 20 grams of sugar per day, no more than five ingredients on a label and no wheat. I will still include dairy products like milk and cheese but unfortunately Haagen-dazs ice cream is not part of the equation.
Ultimately my goal is to feel better and have fun doing it. If you also need to get healthy and have questions, comments or even recipes to share, you can sign up on our website to comment on my blog or feel free to email me, mweets@millelacesmessenger.com. Also, for those of you that have met your weight loss challenge, we would love to hear how you achieved your goals. ~Monica Weets, Mille Lacs Messenger
