Yes, Megan, we know you're doing Weight Watchers. We know, we know. You haven't shut up about it.
It's hard not to make a very public display about it when you write a cooking columnthat is known for its unabashed use of butter and red meat, and it suddenly goes all diet-y. So, yeah, since my cooking changed, my column changed, and I didn't think I'd be able to pull off the switch without a little disclosure.
So, it's out there. At last weigh-in I'd lost 12 pounds, and Superbowl Sunday notwithstanding, I expect to have lost maybe four or five more by Friday. Pretty exciting stuff.
I've tried various routes to weight loss and fitness over the last few years. I've packed on some pounds over the last five years or so, due to a number of things - like pregnancy, the onset of hypothyroidism, and, probably worst of all, the cafeteria at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where I work. You see, my office is about ten steps from that cafeteria. And the food? It is good. There are healthy choices, but I struggled to make them in the face of an amazing taco bar and an ice cream freezer and a breakfast with options like pancakes, bacon, french toast, and burritos.
So, I loaded on - ahem - a few pounds. I tried to get them off. When Johnny was a wee little baby, I joined a gym. And while I was working part time on maternity leave, I went. And then I went back to work full time, and I stopped.
I went to a personal training class, thinking that if I did that one night a week I'd be motivated to get moving a few other nights. But I hated it. I resented the time it took away from my family, and I didn't think I got much out of it seeing as I only did it the one night and nary a workout the rest of the week. Then I joined a circuit training class with the city, and it was good, but again, the evening schedule just didn't work for my family - especially my baby who I only see a few scant hours before his early bedtime every night anyway.
Nothing was working. I just felt I didn't have time to focus on it, and because I'm so into food and cooking and writing about cooking, I didn't really see how I could go carb-free or adjust my meals in any dramatic fashion. Plus, I hate salad.
Frustrated, tired, overwhelmed, I sort of gave up.
But then LMH opened its new-and-improved kitchen/cafeteria, with healthier options, and then, one day, I got an email. On a Friday, I got an email asking for any last minute people who might be interested in Weight Watchers at Work to join a meeting in the conference room - NOW. So, I got up from my chair, and ran over there, just to see. "Why not," I thought. "I'll check it out. I probably won't do it. I don't want to spend money on a diet plan, when I know it is just about eating right. But I'll see what they have to offer."
Ten minutes later I was whipping out my credit card and stepping on a -OMG- scale. It was ugly. It was scary. It was time to do something, and if that meant throwing a bit of money at the problem, SO BE IT. The reason I agreed to this program, the ENTIRE REASON, is because the meetings are at my work. I learned from my previous gym efforts that night time classes and meetings just do not work for me and my family.
This, my friends, was a genius move on the parts of Weight Watchers and LMH. Weight Watchers gets a captive audience of sales, and hopefully LMH gets a healthier bunch of employees out of the deal, and I get a convenient support system for some much-needed weight loss. Win-win-win. WINNING!
Wellness at Work is a huge deal, folks. It is the wave of the future, and I hope more and more employers will get on board. I do not have time to hang around a gym all day. I do not have the flexibility to pop out for a run or a workout between the hours of 5 am (when my husband leaves for work and leaves me with a sleeping baby) and 5 pm when I get home from work. And I don't have time to go out for workouts in the evenings when my child is only up until 7:30. I need to spend that time with him, making dinner and reading and bathing and playing dress up. So I need to find a way to work these things into my day. A walk around the campus over my lunch hour, a Weight Watchers meeting on Fridays at noon, a quick yoga class during a break.
This is how health insurance and health care get less expensive. This is how we become better employees with loyalty to our companies. This is how we become better parents, partners, and community members. This is how we all win.
I'll be writing more and more about Wellness at Work over the coming months, and yes, you'll probably be hearing way more than you ever wanted about my Weight Watchers journey. Maybe I'll even take a picture of myself in a swimsuit when I meet my goal. Or not.
Comments
AllHeart (Michelle Derusseau) says…
Great job Megan! Keep up the good work. Kudos to LMH for making this program available to their employees at work.
LilySiebert (Lily Siebert) says…
This is great! I totally agree that workplace wellness is the wave of the future. It also creates a cultural shift with your coworkers. I've found that having fellow runners at work and talking about fitness throughout the day helps maintain dedication. We hope to continue the workplace wellness initiative with our first subscription vegetable service and farmers market for employees at the Community Health Building!
Marilyn_Hull (Marilyn Hull) says…
Megan:
Congrats on finding something that works for you. This is a very encouraging story!
I agree with Lily that creating a cultural shift with your coworkers is the key.
P.S. Active play with kids is a great way to burn a few calories without feeling like you are cheating someone. Giving kids horsey rides, chasing them around the house or yard, dancing, playing with a ball...you get the idea.
kbritt (Karrey Britt) says…
Yay Megan! So, glad that LMH is offering this choice for its employees and that it's working for you. I'm looking forward to reading more about your adventures with wellness at work.
ayanders (Aynsley Anderson) says…
Way to go, Megan! I know your writing about this has encouraged many people. Much as we would like to think otherwise, wellness programs and opportunities do need to be made convenient and accessible since so many people do have busy lives with little time leftover at the end of the day for themselves. LMH is really stepping up to make wellness opportunities available for their associates.
ldchealth (Lisa Horn) says…
How exciting!
Since we spend so much of our lives working and, in most families, both parents work outside the home, how is there any time left to exercise and be healthy?
Workplace wellness makes so much sense for these and many other reasons.
CarolynCrawford (Carolyn Crawford) says…
Wellness at Work is a WIN WIN WIN!!! A Win for the Employer, A Win for the Employee and a Win for the Family. Thank you, Megan, for sharing your struggles, frustrations, and solutions! LMH is one of the team leaders for WorkWell Lawrence. Go Team!!
lcomstock (Laurie Comstock) says…
Congratulations, Megan! You are right--workplace wellness is where it's at. We've had a Weight Watchers at Work program at KU Endowment for almost two years and employees have lost more than 1,200 pounds. We may become a victim of our own success, however, as 13 of our employees are now life members. It's getting harder to get the required number of participants! But that's a good problem. Keep up the good work!
mkinley (Meghan Spreer) says…
This is amazing and you are so right!!! Nice work, keep it up, and your words are motivating:)