Blog

B.Komplete had the opportunity to speak with Dave, who is a professional in the food industry.  Dave is happily married with two children.  Like many of us, Dave started gaining weight in his 30’s, and found himself in a state he didn’t feel great about.  And, then Dave made a change – for healthy weight loss.  Read on to learn what worked for him – which may also work for you.  

When you first decided to make changes in your life, what was the first thing you did?

• I realized I was not in the shape that I wanted to be in. It was obvious I wasn’t active enough and I knew I probably wasn’t eating the best. I wanted to start by focusing on my eating habits. To do this, I just started to keep track of what I was eating each day.  I knew my time was now, and I needed to make a change.

How did you begin the physical process of changing your life?

• At first, I thought about how I could keep track of what I was eating. I knew I could keep notes or create an excel spreadsheet. Then I thought to myself, there has to be an easier way to do this, especially with all of the new technology now a days. So, I started to look into different apps. I searched “weight loss” and found My Fitness Pal and Lose It. I chose to use Lose It because I could budget the amount of calories I was allotted each day in order to hit my goal weight.  

What goals did you set for yourself?

• I knew I wanted to lose weight. At the beginning, I was at my heaviest of 255 lbs and I wanted to get down to a healthier weight. I set a goal to get down to 215 lbs. Lose It actually helped me to hit my end goal by giving me mini goals each week. By that I mean, each week I was allotted a set number of calories in order to lose 2 lbs per week.

Were there any obstacles you faced during the process of change? How did you manage to stay healthy at work?

• One Thursday or Friday evening, I wanted to enjoy a glass of wine with my wife after work but I didn’t have enough calories left to do so. That’s when it hit me. If I did enough physical activity, I could burn off enough calories to be able to enjoy my wine. This became important to me to work out so I could enjoy things and still maintain my calorie goals. Also, it helped me to feel better about myself.
• With a long commute to work each day and a busy schedule, it’s hard to find time to fit in exercise. It helped for me to schedule it into my day and make it a priority. I started to go to the gym before work in the morning. I remember one of the first mornings my alarm went off and I said “if I don’t get up now, I’m never going to do this.” So, I got up and have been doing it ever since. On the days I have an early meeting and can’t go to the gym beforehand, I have to defend my time, meaning even if I can’t do my usual hour or so workout and only have time for 20 minutes of cardio, I do it.
• Food wise, at work I started to make substitutes in my lunches. By tracking what I ate, I saw what wasn’t good for me and what I could replace it with. For instance, I now eat Baked Lays Chips instead of regular potato chips. Also, I’m a big fan of soups. I used to eat jambalaya and seafood bisque’s which are high in fat and sodium. Now, I found one that is much healthier and still tastes great.  

 What resources did/do you use to help keep you going?

• Like I said, the app Lose It  works well for me to track what I eat. I can also use it to track my exercises. There was one saying that my previous manager used to say that has stuck with me, that was: “what gets measured, gets done.” I think of that when I track what I eat and when I exercise. It helps you see or “measure” what you are doing and it keeps me accountable to “get it done” or meet my daily calorie allowance and fit in daily exercise.
• You have to find something that works for you. When I started to get into exercising, I was never a fan of running but it is now something that I enjoy and helps me. I started running shorter distances, maybe a mile or two. Now, I have ran numerous races from 5K, 10K, to a half marathon.

Have your changes impacted your kids or family at all? if so, how?

• My children are 5 & 2 so they are in their cute years. They actually helped to inspire me to want to change. I saw a picture of myself and one of my children and it didn’t look like me next to this cute kid.
• Now that I’ve made my changes and stick to a healthy lifestyle, it sets a good example for them. They’ve come to my races and cheer me on from the sides. My older child even does “races” in the backyard where he just runs around for a little. It’s good for them to see the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. Hopefully, down the road they will understand that from watching me.

What advice would you give your kids in the future on the importance of health, physical activity, and eating healthy?

• I would say you have to make it a priority. You need to stay consistent, even if you can’t fit in a full workout one day, do what you can. You are still doing something and staying active. Also, find something you enjoy and are comfortable with. If you enjoy it, it will be easier to make it a priority in your daily life. It helps to track everything. You see what you are doing right and what you can improve on.

What are you most proud of?

• After I achieved my healthy weight loss, I went back to the doctors and my doctor noticed right away that I lost weight. Also, my bio-metrics had all improved. It was nice to see that not only on the outside I had improved, but also on the inside.

Dave’s Weight change: March 2014 – 255 pounds, November 2014 – 200 pounds.

Dave ran his first half in November 2014.

B.Educated, B.Inspired, B.Komplete

The American Cancer Society signifies June 5th as National Cancer Survivors Day.  In honor of the many individuals who have battled cancer, we feel honored to share a special story about a two-time cancer survivor.  This individual has touched the heart of many of us at B.Komplete.  We think that many of you will be able to relate to her story, and to gain inspiration.   

What inspired you to want to make healthy changes in your life?

After three years of various medical issues and limited physical activity, I was ready to start making changes for the better. I was already doing some things like eating healthy and knew I needed to increase my physical activity. I wanted to learn what else I could do to help me become as healthy as possible.

Did you have any goals you wanted to accomplish prior to starting the process of change? If so, could you elaborate on that?

I wanted to become more active. Due to limitations with physical activity, I knew I could walk so that was a focus for me. My goal was to get between 8,000-10,000 steps a day. Some days it’s easier to get my steps in, but I always aim to get somewhere between that number of steps each day.  Also, I wanted to optimize my eating habits by making little changes to help improve what I was already doing to eat healthy.

When you first began this process, what was the first thing you did to change?

After meeting with my B.Komplete Registered Dietitian, we came up with ideas on how I could achieve my goals. I started by keeping track of my steps for each day of the work week. Initially, my goal was 8,000 steps each day and eventually work my way up to 10,000 steps. My B.Komplete Registered Dietitian helped to reassure me that my eating habits were good beforehand and together we came up with ways I can improve in small ways to gain even more health benefit.

How do you manage to stay healthy at work?

At work, I started to stand up more when I need a break. I started “walking deliveries” of things that I needed to give to co-workers and I started taking walks around the office. I try to move as much as possible when I can fit it into my day. Also, I started to do the office yoga that I learned from B.Komplete. Food wise, I bring my meals and snacks. I also keep snacks at my desk.

How do you keep such a positive outlook on change after everything you have been through?

I guess I’m just really lucky. I have a great support system. My close friends and family are always there for me. Besides that, I have always been a positive person. My personal mantra is “don’t give up.” I’ve been through a lot in my life and I feel that what you do with what you are given can make you or break you. With everything I went through, I’ve become a positive, strong person.

Could you share something that helps to keep you positive and focused on changes to better your overall health?

I don’t deprive myself of things. For instance, I know I can cheat a little with what I eat every once and awhile. It helps me to think through what I should and shouldn’t have to eat. Also, I don’t think of my food choices as a “diet.”

How has B.Komplete helped you keep on track to achieve your goals and motivate you?

My B.Komplete Registered Dietitian is supportive, motivating, and gives great advice. She helped me see what I was doing right and helped me to see what I can do to improve my eating and physical activity level. Together, we came up with a plan that helped me make the changes to live a healthier life. The plan has been working for me thus far, and each time we meet, she helps me make like tweaks to keep improving. It’s obvious she practices what she preaches and I like that about B.Komplete. You know you are getting good information and advice.

Are there any resources that have helped you along the way? If so, what were they?

I have done food tracking in the past, and that helped me.  I’m not tracking what I eat at the moment because now its easy for me to know how I’m doing “diet” wise by how I feel. If you eat right and are active, you feel better. On week days I track my steps with a pedometer. A pedometer works best for me because it’s small, convenient and simple.

What are you most proud of thus far?

I’m proud that I have been able to keep the 20 lbs off since I lost it (going on 1 year). It’s not easy to keep weight off once you lose it, but I stuck with my eating habits and walking.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting out?

“Keep your mind open.”  You need to be open to new things and open to advice. Give yourself an objective and you’ll get there. Pay attention to little tweaks you can make along the way to reaching your objective. Any little tweak can make a big difference. Remember to stay positive. It helped me to think about what I was already doing right and what I can do to make that better. Drop all negative thoughts and you will get there.

B.Educated, B.Inspired, B.Komplete

Here at B.Komplete, we strive every day to make Wellness Success achievable. But what exactly is Wellness Success? Depending on your health goals, Wellness Success can mean different things to different individuals. We’ve created this guide for Maintaining – or Gaining -Your Wellness Success to help you achieve your vision of wellness, and to overcome barriers you may face along the way.

Wellness Defined: Wellness is the self-directed process in which one comes to realize his or her full potential in mental and physical well-being. Things that hold us back from achieving wellness success include stress, time constraints, hesitance of change, and fear of the unknown. For Wellness Success to be realized, we must overcome all that holds us back.

The Empowerment Zone: Think about the things in your life that you wish were different. Write them down. Determine which of those you can control. These things are in your Empowerment Zone. Develop a plan of action that includes changing these undesirable things that you have control over.

Make the Choice to Change: The only way to realize positive change in your life is by making choices. Life is full of choices! Unfortunately, we make some of these choices so often that they have become habits. Change sometimes seems scary because we are stuck in these habits. We have become accustomed to doing things a certain way, and we are scared to change. The first step to achieving and maintaining Wellness Success is to override these feelings of fear.

Dissect your Habits, and Gain Control:                                                                                                           By gaining control over your habits, you move closer to the person you want to be. There is no shortcut to mastering your habits, but there is one secret to controlling them: habits are built upon consistency. New York Times business writer, Charles Duhigg, explains the habit-building process in more detail in this NPR interview. To initiate a new behavior and turn it into a habit, you must be consistent with this behavior.

Start Small: Motivation rises and falls. To achieve better success, make changes that don’t require much motivation. Rather than eliminating sugar all day, start by eliminating it from your coffee. Instead of completely replacing your whole milk with almond milk, start by mixing half of each. After that becomes routine, introduce the new habit in another area, in another way. You’ll know when a habit becomes a routine, because it will feel automatic. As Forbes.com explains, “The most successful people take small, smart steps toward their goal.”

Plan for Success: Planning is a crucial tool in your effort to achieve Wellness Success. Some days, we are Super Versions of ourselves, and our motivation runs rampant. On other days, we just don’t feel like it. How do we make good decisions every single day? When we don’t have the time or motivation to make good decisions, we end up choosing what’s easiest. If your vision of Wellness Success involves healthier eating, try using SuperTracker to print free meal plans that meet your food group targets. If your Wellness Success involves incorporating more workouts into your weekly routine, try a free fitness app like Daily Workouts and Sworkit. By not planning ahead, we set ourselves up for failure.               

Prioritize Your Goal: Ignore interruptions and anything that can take you off track. Follow your plan; treat your goal as a priority. Schedule your priorities, don’t prioritize your schedule. Schedule your efforts as if they are appointments, and commit to them like you would anything else. Don’t blow yourself off, just like you wouldn’t blow off a friend, coworker, dentist, or physician.

Have a Buddy!: A Stanford University Study found that simply receiving a phone call every two weeks to discuss exercise progress increased the amount of exercise done by participants by 78%. After a year and a half, the participants studied were still exercising at an increased level. Another study, by Indiana University, found that half of couples who worked out separately dropped out of their workout programs over the course of a year, while those who worked out together had only an eight percent dropout rate. The take home message: Find an exercise buddy and increase your chances of sticking to your workout routine.

Focus: To reach our wellness success, we need to become experts in directing our attention toward our goals. The ability to focus has been shown to predict happiness in school, work, and life. Methods for improving our focus include goal visualization and meditation. By visualizing our goals and defining what Wellness Success looks like, we can view completion and work towards that vision. Meditation can improve attention, reduce stress, and remove distraction as we continue on our path toward wellness.

Keep Track of Things: This simple but crucial step in behavior change is backed by research showing increased performance when behaviors are tracked. In 14 studies assessing tracking in school students, students who tracked their progress improved test scores by 32%. The most powerful results occurred when students were also able to see teachers’ expected scores as presented in the chart. This combination of seeing charted progress + preset goals and expectations has the biggest effect on enhancing performance. Regardless of the tracking method you choose, make sure to map out your goals along the way, so that you can view them as you chart your progress. Invest in a goal-oriented planner, like the Passion Planner, to track your habits and to create a road-map with expected achievements as you work towards your goals.

Getting Over the Hump: Everyone reaches a plateau. Whether a weight loss plateau or a motivational plateau, this is when it’s important to take a step back and review why you started in the first place. Think about why you chose to make these changes. What have you been working so hard over the last days, months, or year to achieve? Get back to your Empowerment Zone and realize that you have been making these changes because you have the choice to do so. You decided that it was important enough for you to choose change. Roadblocks are inevitable. To get past them, ask yourself: Are you bored? Do you need to tweak your workout? Do you need more variety in your meal planning? Are you stressed? Reassess your habits. If it’s diet variety that you need, think about varying your protein choices. Consider switching up your snacks. Try a new fruit, vegetable, or other produce item that you’ve seen but never tasted. Incorporating new things could be the best way to get over your temporary progress hump. Recognizing stress is also crucial to getting past this point. When we feel like our motivation has taken a vacation, stress is often to blame. We must learn to recognize stress in order to manage it. Look for physical, mental, behavioral, and emotional signs of stress. Then, overcome your stress with diet, exercise, and rest. 

Congratulations on taking the first step toward realizing your personal Wellness Success: having the desire to change. Using this B.Komplete guide for maintaining your Wellness Success, you will be well positioned to overcome any future hurdles that you may face in your path toward optimal wellness.

B. Educated, B. Inspired, B. Komplete