Together Mark and Jesslyn Weaver of Ancestry.com have lost 120 pounds, and for the first time in several years they are both at a healthy BMI. Change began for this couple shortly after their initial Apple Health AssessmentSM in 2010 (right before their twin girls turned one). Their scores prompted them to take action on their health for the benefit of their children. Exercise and eating habits soon began to evolve, and they’ve since had tremendous success in their health, not only in dropping pounds but also in lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels!
They started with small steps, but soon those steps turned into habits, and habits became a lifestyle. They took their first step forward by using equipment they already had access to by putting their home gym to use, which they had set up but had neglected before their twins were born. They note, “Tracking our goals each week in the Apple Portal really helped develop these small steps (such as exercising regularly and eating smarter portions) into a new lifestyle. Our Apple Health CoachesSM were also a help! Checking in with them monthly helped us keep our goals in focus. It’s so easy to forget the big picture, get tired, or frustrated, but they were great cheerleaders when we needed them.”
They attribute many of their changes to The Apple Program®. Mark comments, “Setting realistic goals, tracking them regularly, and discussing them with our coach was a huge key to our success. Our weight loss program was the other piece missing all these years. We almost never drank soda and rarely ate junk food but we now know we were not eating a healthy diet. We ate sporadically, rarely included enough vegetables, and our portions were completely distorted. Now we eat six small, healthy meals a day. We understand proper portion control and have learned that incorporating the right food is easy.”
Jesslyn states, “It’s very likely we would still be struggling had this program not been available to help us turn our desires into actions. It definitely came at the right time. Many years of struggling without success proved something was missing. We have both battled obesity since high school. Losing weight hasn’t simply been a goal; it’s been a heavy burden weighing on our shoulders for many years. It was the main cause of our health problems and was the biggest change we wanted to make in 2010. At the beginning of the summer we started exploring options to make our weight loss happen faster and were blessed to discover an easy eating program; it helped us solidify our goal of healthy eating and we both lost 50 pounds before Christmas! ”
Their future goals are to maintain their weight loss and help others achieve their goals. Jesslyn plans to start Latin dance classes again; Mark wants to finish a marathon before he’s 40; and they both want to complete a mini triathlon. Mark says, “If you had told us a year ago that next year we’d be at healthy BMI’s and helping others achieve their goals, we would’ve had a good laugh.” They’re now living the life they’ve dreamed of for so long! Mark adds, “We hope our girls never remember us as overweight and out of shape; instead, we want to be great examples to them of living an active, healthy life. It will greatly increase the chance of them never struggling with weight like we did.”
They remind others that, “Reaching your goals doesn’t happen by being perfect; it happens by being persistent. Some days were easy, some days weren’t. Track your small goals and before you know it you’ll have reached your big goals!”
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