There's more to lose than meets the eye when it comes to Inova's WeightNET program. Just ask Inova Fair Oaks RN Anna Kacoyanis, who not only lost more then 100 pounds over the last year in the program, but lowered her blood pressure, total cholesterol and blood sugar, plus got rid of her chest palpitations, knee pains and sleep apnea!
"I feel more empowered, more in control, and when I get stressed I don't go for food. With WeightNET, I learned better habits and I put myself as number one," says Anna. As a nurse by trade, Anna was busy taking care of everyone else - until she realized she was not taking care of herself. "My priorities have changed. It's all about making better choices. I know that exercise is essential for metabolism and I follow a low-fat diet."
Anna credits her drive and determination as the key to her weight-loss success. "I was determined to get away from morbid obesity. Now, I am trying to get away from being overweight." Though she struggled to motivate herself to participate in the program early on, she found that she never gained weight when she was enrolled in Inova WeightNET. "I believe the support from my coach and program resources helped me change my life," she explains. "This has been an awakening for me. I have more energy and stamina. I don't feel tired all the time and I can do so may more things now. "I benefit from the inspiration and support from my Inova WeightNET Coach and the accountability of reporting my weight and my progress each week. My coach helps me celebrate my milestones. And by staying in contact and really getting to know my coach, I feel like I had someone always there for me to support me, through all my ups and downs. Anna says she's not done yet. With 15 or 20 pounds more to lose, she's still working on it every day and staying active with WeightNET. "I want to maintain a healthy weight for life. It's the new-and-improved me."
October 2007 - What do you like best about Inova WeightNET?
That it's tailor made for me and is always adjustable. Also that it looks at all behavior not just what food or how many calories [are] going in my mouth.
My coach is very patient with me. She is always so encouraging and is willing to go the extra mile to give me helpful hints. I have not made a lot of progress, but it is not because she has not been there to try to help me. In fact, it is because of her steadfast encouragement that I still have the will to go on with the WeightNET lifestyle changes.
Someone to help me keep me on track, remind me what I should be doing, but don't push and nag me. I know what I need to do, just is harder to put into practice sometimes.
October 2007 - How has Inova WeightNET affected your life?
I have tried everything from diet doctors, diet pills and this was my last stop. I feel more confident then ever that this will work for me. My Coach is committed to helping me to succeed and I need that type of motivation. It is hard to do this on your own but when you feel like you have a friend out there wanting the best for you and your health it gives you the encouragement you need to go on. It is not an easy road for me I go up and down but the coach keeps cheering me on and I know I will do this for the rest of my life.
The most dramatic effect of participating in Inova WeightNET has nothing to do with my weight. While I disregarded the idea of a 'water' goal, my coach pushed me and I went ahead with it. I have suffered minor and persistent headaches my entire life, but within a few weeks of drinking water regularly, I had NONE. It was probably the most dramatic change in quality of life I have ever experienced.
As a registered nurse, I have a fair amount of knowledge about weight, healthful eating and exercise. I did, however, appreciate the very professional and supportive WeightNET Coaches and information as I embarked upon my journey of a more consistent exercise program and subsequent weight loss of 15 pounds. I am back to a very healthful BMI and have a plan for maintaining it.
June 2006
I've been working at Inova Fairfax for nearly 4 years, doing the night shift. We all know how hard it is to adjust our bodies to the night shift. We manage to stay awake at night and sleep during the day, but we sometimes have difficulties knowing when to eat and what to eat. And I have a very slow metabolism.
I love working nights, but I realized soon enough that I was putting on weight slowly but gradually. When I first started working nights, I was already struggling with my weight, at 206 lb, but at least I was able to exercise once in a while and keep the weight more or less steady. After starting nights, I became less active, wanting to catch more sleep during the day but ending up with poor quality sleep. You can imagine the results after 4 years: more stress, less energy, excessive weight gain, a rise in blood pressure, although it was still within normal limits, less sleep, more snoring, eating more trying to regain energy, and gaining even more weight!
I saw these changes in me but gave all sorts of excuses not to exercise, or make any changes in my lifestyle: I'm too tired, I need to get more sleep, nobody understands...till the day I was on InovaNET and WeightNET caught my eye. At that point, I was over 252 lb! At first, I did not believe that just talking to a coach would change anything. I started dieting on my own, lost about 8 pounds, but since I was practically starving myself, I quickly gained 4 pounds! I was desperate, at 248 lb, and wanted more than anything to lose weight.
So I registered at WeightNET, did my first assessment on March 28, 2006, I weighed 248.2 lb at the time. My Coach was there for me every week, counseling, helping me to determine what reasonable goals I wanted to attain. And when I thought I was failing and was about to give up after 3 or 4 weeks, she was there and the phone consult we had helped me get back on track.
But before I could do that, I had to start with one thing: Honesty. I had to be honest with myself more than with anyone else, for me to "see" what I was eating or doing, and then determine to make the necessary changes. With my Coach, I chose 3 goals: behavior plan, eating plan, and thinking plan. I successfully made changes on how I eat, what I eat, when I eat. I started setting those goals for 5 days a week, now I apply those goals every day, and it helped me even in goals that I hadn't set yet: I exercise at least 3 times a week, I drink more water.
Today I stand at 229 lb! And I'm enjoying life, I'm less stressed, my BP is lower, I sleep more, snore less (my husband told me so), I have so much more energy, and I'm still eating, but making better and healthier choices, and I'm still losing the weight. I lost 19 lb and my family, friends and co-workers are noticing the change. I just rewarded myself lately with a beautiful skirt that every one loved !
For anyone who wants to lose weight and make lifestyle changes but doesn't know how to start, don't hesitate, contact WeightNET.