Together Steve and BJ Nebeker of Young Automotive have lost over 120 pounds since joining The Apple Program just eight months ago. With the help and direction of their health coaches, Steve and BJ have learned the skills necessary to build a healthy eating regimen and routine exercise program. Their lifestyle is now completely different. Not only have their physiques changed, but their lipid profiles and other health scores have improved and are completely different than they were at the end of last summer.
Exactly what’s different in their lifestyle? First of all, the two of them never used to eat breakfast. A normal day once consisted of consuming a big lunch and dinner, coming home from work, and being sedentary in front of the television for a few hours before going to bed, then repeating the same actions the next day. Now both Steve and BJ eat a balanced breakfast, complete with fiber and lean protein. They eat often throughout the day now by having more than just the main meals. Steve eats six times per day, for example, snacking on a bag of fruit he’s brought to work that day. BJ also states, “I’ve eaten more fruit and vegetables in the past eight months than I have in the first 50 years of my life!” BJ never used to eat asparagus or spinach, but now she can’t get enough of them! The Nebekers have also cut out certain foods such as deep fried products and have also cut back on diet soda. BJ was drinking four liters of diet soda on a typical day before joining the program; now she uses moderation and has only a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle per day.
Not only are their eating habits completely different, but both of their exercise routines have changed as well. “I walk between seven and eight miles a day, at least four times a week,” states BJ. “When the weather is nice I walk my dogs, but in the winter I use my treadmill.” She adds, “Anyone can do this too! Start small and keep working at it. Begin with 10 minutes, and then try to increase it to 12 the next day. When I first started I couldn’t even do five miles in two hours, and now I can easily do 8.5 miles in two hours.” BJ is grateful that she has proved those wrong who say it’s impossible to lose weight over the age of 40. She states, “I proved that wrong because I’m 51, and I did it! You just can’t think of the process as a diet, because everyone is on a diet whether it’s good or bad. Just choose to make it a diet with good food, moderation, and exercise, because you have to move it too in order to lose it! And remember if one week you don’t lose weight, you need to adjust something with the diet and exercise.”
Steve and BJ’s changes have not only led them to tossing out their old clothes, but Steve has been able to throw out the old medication he was forced to be on. He states, “I’ve known for some time that I had a cholesterol problem. I’d been to my doctor, and he put me on medication. I had been on it for two years, and my levels continued to remain high. I’ve come to learn that you can’t rely solely on the medication. You have to make changes in your eating habits to do any good. I’m now off the medication and my doctor has said, ‘Whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it!’”
Not only has Steve improved his cholesterol, but he and BJ have both improved their triglycerides, blood pressure, and glucose. Steve and BJ both admit, “Without The Apple program we definitely wouldn’t have made these changes. It opened our eyes and we’re both grateful for it.” Steve states, “Although BJ wanted us to join the program to save money on our insurance, in the long run I don’t think we’ve saved money because we’ve been forced to buy a new wardrobe! But it’s been a fun process!” BJ further states, “I can now wear high heels for the first time in my life, and I can now buy cute women’s clothing too!”
Although BJ had lost weight in the past, she admits, “I did it the wrong way. I would starve myself or use diet pills and then slowly put it back on. My Health Coach has taught me though how to lose weight the right way. We’ve changed our whole lifestyle and now have the skills necessary to keep the weight off now and down the road. I want to be an involved grandmother when the time comes. I want to be around for my grandkids and be a fun grandma to them, the one who can play with them, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve done this on my own. Steve being by my side, helping me along the way, was a huge help. Instead of us coming home and being in front of the TV for hours before going to bed, we now come home, exercise, have dinner, and then sit down and still have time to relax.”
BJ and Steve both look forward to the future. Steve is excited to get back into cycling this spring and summer and plans to take off his final 10 pounds. BJ is looking forward to maintaining her goal weight and is glad that she’s no longer afraid of scales. “I hadn’t weighed myself for five years before The Apple Program came along,” BJ comments, “but now I know where I am, and I’m confident that I can stay there!”
