Grant Regional | aspire to live well | Spring 2018

JOURNEY TO SUCCESS Jon in 2015, before his weight-loss journey —Continued from page 1 Today, Jon weighs 219 pounds— making his current weight loss just over 100 pounds! WHY HOW His was to live a long, happy, healthy and active life. Jon’s new goal Running again and qualifying for the Boston Marathon! Jon enjoys being active and loves being outdoors—kayaking, hiking and run- ning. He knew if he didn’t change something soon, he’d have to give those up. “And so it began. My doctor highly recommended that I start nutrition consultations,” he says. “Lucky for me, I learned about a local resource close to Cassville. Tracy Ackerman, Registered Dietitian at Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster, turned out to be exactly what I needed and was a lot closer than other options given to me in Beloit.” “Jon was a very dedicated participant in our program,” Ackerman says. He took every advantage of the information shared through Healthy Transformations, an indi- vidualized, eight-week program that helps people lose weight, increase exercise and improve overall health and well-being. Jon lost 62 pounds from mid-May to mid-August during the eight visits. His weight went from 316 pounds to 254. Jon also felt so strongly about the program that he referred his wife, Jennifer, to the program and a co-worker. Motivating others Jon also got involved in his employer’s work site wellness initiative. He says his main interest was to motivate others who want to lose weight and serve as a real-life example that anyone can do it and to let them know how much better he felt physi- cally and emotionally. “It has changed my life and was well worth it,” he says with a smile. Jon motivated a retired co-worker, two sisters and three friends to lose weight just by serving as an example. “Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it,” he says. “It only took me about three months to lose the weight I had gained over 30 years. I never realized how much I was eating and how it was adversely affecting me. If I can help 100 people lose 10 pounds, that’s 1,000 pounds!” Many have asked Jon how he stayed motivated. His response: “Well, I may look like a success story; however, it was not as easy as it looks. I won’t dwell on the times I didn’t eat healthy. The impor- tant thing is, like any sports team, if you slip up don’t beat yourself up. You have to shake it off and start over at the basics. Don’t let one bad day ruin your goal. Keep your eye on the prize and only look forward! This is a lifestyle, not a diet.” “I did it! I lost 100 pounds since April 2017!” Jon reports. did he lose all that weight? 4 SPRING 2018