Paul Stokes with Clyde Companies Inc.

Paul Stokes of Clyde Companies Inc. has lost 35 pounds over the past year by altering his eating habits and exercise routine. His determination to get back to the physical shape he was in years ago led him to his path to change. By participating in The Apple Program®, Paul notes that he became more aware of his health habits and gained the education needed to improve his lifestyle.

He started by cutting back on sugar and limiting his snacks. Paul also started to gradually incorporate exercise, and notes that each month, “My coach helped challenge me to add a new goal to continue my progression and take me to the next level. I have now lost the weight I wanted to and have not gained it back.”

Losing weight is something Paul has wanted for a long time in his life. He knew that he needed to get his health in track, so he could avoid the risk of developing heart disease in addition to improving his overall heart health. Paul states, “The wellness program has helped me learn how to be a better eater and more active person. I understand why it is important to exercise regularly and eat healthy. I have made the decision to change my eating habits and to exercise. The combination of these things has helped me maintain my weight loss. I attribute my success to the Apple Program and to my wife. Working together as a family has made it a lot easier to change the way I treat myself.”

Paul plans to maintain his progress by focusing on eating healthy and exercising regularly. He hopes to run a triathlon sprint next year with his brother-in-law. He also adds, “I don’t think I will do anything crazy like run a marathon, but who knows? Maybe I will get in good enough shape that I will feel like doing that someday!”

Paul is grateful that the changes he’s made have given him more confidence and enabled him to be a better example to his children and family. “I want all of us to live a healthy life, and I feel that these steps I’ve taken will help.”

Paul concludes, “My advice to others is, find a way to take little steps to becoming healthier. If you don’t like to exercise, make small goals to walk longer each day. Little by little, you will find that you like to exercise. Also, enjoy the outdoors. It is great to go outside, breathe fresh air and enjoy the beautiful scenery. My last piece of advice is simple, eat less sugar and starches and consume more veggies.”

Gail Duarte with South Shore Medical Center

Gail Duarte of South Shore Medical Center has made tremendous changes in her health and lifestyle in the past two and half a years. Her path to a better wellbeing began when she turned 50 and had an annual physical with her doctor at South Shore. Her results came back, and she discovered she weighed almost 270 pounds, was borderline diabetic, and had cholesterol and blood pressure levels through the roof. Her desire to change came that day when her physician took her by the hand and brought her down to see Laura, a physician assistant specializing in diabetes. This was just the beginning of her journey.

A year later Gail found herself 80 pounds lighter! She was still fearful, however, because she had lost weight like this in the past but then would put it back on. She knew it is one thing to take the weight off, another to keep it off. “I’ve since learned that to be successful with managing weight loss, you have to make a lifestyle change and be an overall healthy being; until you learn that and live by that day to day, you won’t achieve your goals,” says Gail. “I was able to maintain my weight for a full year, and then The Apple Program® came in. I needed a coach only because of BMI, as my ideal weight for my height is 140. I’m nearly 10 pounds away from my ultimate goal weight and plan to reach that by my next Apple Health Assessment™ in December!”

At Gail’s most recent annual exam with her doctor her scores came back better than ever with a blood pressure of 118 over 70, an A1C reading down from 10 to 5.0, triglycerides at 117, glucose reading of 89 down from 113 only six months ago, and a total cholesterol of 131 with HDL’s at 40 and LDL’s at just 69!

Gail has picked up several tips over the past three years that have led to this success. She reports that cutting back on carbs and doing little things like chewing on sugar free gum, contemplating her food choices before each meal, or simply getting a breath of fresh air have all helped. “I try to stay away from any white foods except cauliflower! I’ve cut out a lot of potatoes and breads and have substituted it with things like soup, lettuce wraps, or vegetables. If I do have carbs I try to eat them earlier in the day (for breakfast or sometimes lunch), so I can burn it off; even when I do eat carbs, it’s complex carbs such as brown rice, low cal whole wheat breads, or whole wheat pasta.” Gail has also found exercises that she loves including Zumba classes and brisk walks. “I try to do 70 minutes of cardio, three times per week,” says Gail.

Gail would like to thank all those who have attributed to her success. “The Coaches at The Apple Program are all great. I’m also appreciative to those at my medical center who have helped me get me fit. We’re asking others to be healthy, so we have to be healthy ourselves, which is why our company took on The Apple Program®. It’s been a full circle, and I couldn’t have done this alone. My husband of 34 years has been a great support, as he’s altered his cooking to help us both be healthy.”

For more tips, Gail suggests reading Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. Her advice to others is, “To change our lives, we must first change our minds. You have to make a lifestyle change; you can’t lose weight and think you’re done.”

Rhonda Sanchez with Harmons

Rhonda Sanchez of Harmons has made tremendous lifestyle improvements since joining the Apple Program®. Not only has she implemented changes in her eating habits by reading nutrition labels on foods, but she’s also quit smoking and has implemented an exercise routine in hopes of improving her long-term health including her cholesterol levels.

“In the beginning,” Rhonda admits, “I joined the Apple Program® because of the financial incentive. As time has gone on, however, I’ve realized I need to make changes in my health. I am a proud single parent of a beautiful, amazing, 13 year old daughter, and it became apparent that if I didn’t make changes, I may not be around to watch her become a successful adult.” With the support of the Apple Program, including an Apple Health Coach™, Rhonda received the tools needed to get her health on track. “There’s no way I would have ever been this successful without the program. I’ve had a tremendous amount of support.”

Rhonda began focusing on making small changes with her health in order to combat smoking. “My coach gave me tips on quitting. For instance, we talked about how I could go a whole day at work without smoking, and how I could refrain from smoking on my days off. One helpful thing was locking my cigarettes in the trunk of my car, so if I wanted one I would have to go down three flights of stairs and unlock the trunk to get one. That helped because it made me assess whether or not I really wanted one.”

Rhonda now feels like she has the support and tools to make healthy choices for the rest of her life. She’s grateful for the encouragement offered by her daughter as well as her Apple Health Coach, and for the opportunity to be in the Apple Program. She’s especially delighted that her daughter has a healthy example and will no longer be exposed to the effects of secondhand smoke. She reminds others to, “Take it one day at a time and never give up. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re all a work in progress.”