An interview with lesley on her patient health journey.

I met Lesley in March of 2021. She is a vibrant, 5 foot, 70-year-old! She first came into my office due to an unfortunate fall on an icy sidewalk. Her weight wasn’t part of the injury, but it did become part of her healing.

After an injury, extra weight on our body can make things more difficult. Every pound on our body places four pounds on a joint. There was no doubt that taking some weight off her joint would help facilitate her healing. Upon working with her I enjoyed her zest for life, dedication to helping others, and her desire to move freely. Lesley went from 151 pounds at 39% body fat to 124 pounds at 29.8% body fat – that is 108 pounds of weight off her joints! This is her #RiseAbove interview.

What do you think was the largest contributor to your weight gain over the years?

I have always had a weight problem since the age of nine.  I remember being told by my parents ‘finish what’s on your plate or there is no dessert; finish your meal as there are poor starving children in Africa etc.’  Or when feeling sad and crying about something, my grandmother would say ‘here have a cookie.’  I have been through numerous programs:  Weight Watchers, Trym Gym, Dr. Bernstein, and a few others.  I would lose weight, but then would regain it because of not being mindful of what I was consuming and why.  I was doing Weight Watchers again for about 3 years and was able to lose weight, but then the pandemic hit and suddenly I was not accountable to what my intake/outtake looked like.  I started to gain weight during the pandemic as one of my past times has been binge eating potato chips and dip, and what with the various lock downs and limited access to my community fitness programs, I really began to eat unhealthily. 

In 2018 I had a slip and fall on ice and have been dealing with pain from Sciatic Nerve damage since then. My body crashed, physically and mentally, from the agonizing pain and I began to realize I was doing more harm to my body than good. I was seeing a Pain Management Specialist for cortisone injections at Group23 during this time, and decided to also start sessions for Health & Wellness.

There are many factors to your weight loss over the year – what do you think was the largest contributor?

Weight loss is more than dieting, it entails a change in what one consumes and why!  Through a few of the weight loss programs I’d tried, tracking was part of the program, but not the inclusion of mindful eating. Nor did they show the percentage of body fat being lost, or offer one on one sessions.  With the Weight Management Program at Group 23, you are educated to plan out your meals over the weeks of the program and track what goes in, and begin to understand how your emotions can contribute to loss or gain. Meeting with Jason has been an influential aspect to my weight loss as he assesses one’s behavioural and social eating methodologies, not just counts calories.  The individual support has been a huge asset, as well as exploring the reasons behind why I eat.

What advice would you give to anyone who is starting their own lifestyle change?

Find a program that fits your needs. Be realistic and cognizant of the programs that are out there that do not educate you about an integrated healthy lifestyle: eating, weight loss, behaviours and emotions are all connected!  Be prepared to work with an certified consultant in a reliable program and understand there will be times in your life and seasonal events that can cause weight gains, and work through those times/events.  One needs to be serious about weight loss, identify the risk factors in your life and what it is that has caused your weight gain in the first place.

It is so encouraging to know you can decrease weight and body fat, but also prevent health conditions through the program.  I have been a Type II Diabetic for over 20 years and have been able to control my A1C to a stage of Pre-Diabetes, and am working with my physician to begin to reduce my medications. The work really is worth it!

What do you think will always be a struggle in keeping your weight off?

Social events and not being mindful of the food that I consume are such difficult areas for me. I am actually hungry or just bored, sad…? I believe that chips and dip will always have some gravitational pull when I go to the grocery store, so being mindful of that pull is necessary to avoid slipping back into overall unhealthy eating patterns.

My exercise program is one commitment I hold to and it is important for me to continue to recognize the benefits of my weight loss, the work that has gone into the program, and of course the monetary cost.  But the benefits outweigh those challenges!  I have had to completely donate all my old clothing as I’m 1-2 sizes smaller in tops, and 2-4 sizes smaller in pants.

The program has certainly been worth the time, money, mindfulness as my brain is beginning to understand the reasons why I ate and the type of food that I consumed, while not taking control of my lifestyle. 

Lesley has learned about herself through her weight loss journey. She understands more about her emotions, behaviours, and mindsets. The unfortunate accident has led to a stronger more intuitive person and she is a perfect demonstration that when something knocks you down, there is still an ability to #RiseAbove. She has inspired me to always look for opportunity amidst various struggles.

To book a free needs assessment, and begin your own Health and Wellness journey, click here.