By KATHLEEN GEST
After the holidays, you may have stepped on a scale and, much to your dismay, found you had gained a few extra pounds, in addition to those you gradually may have accumulated over the years. Although putting on excess weight is common in seniors, it is not a preordained fact of the aging process and could put your health at risk.
Some of the weight gain may be unavoidable because, as the body ages, body fat increases as lean muscle mass decreases, and less muscle mass translates into a slower metabolic rate.
Even so, research has found that losing just 5 to 10 percent of excess body weight can make a difference in an individual's health, and help lower high blood pressure and reduce the risk for diabetes.
So if you're trying to lose your unhealthy excess weight, finding a support network is key to being successful. It's helpful to share your challenges and triumphs with those who can relate to your goal. Beyond giving you the feeling that you're not alone in your weight loss effort, a support group also can be a source of new strategies and viewpoints.
The inspiration for Thin to Win, a weight-loss support group for both men and women at the Traverse City Senior Center, came from Lori Wells, director, and Pat Thompson, program coordinator. Wells acts as the moderator for the group.
"I started the group because I needed to be accountable," Wells confessed with a laugh. "I needed to know that I was going to have to tell someone each week what I did or didn't do toward a weight loss goal."
Thin to Win is a support group that has made health -- not appearance -- its priority. Each session lasts for a set number of weeks (usually 12 to 14) with the participants deciding for themselves how much they would like to lose. They choose a goal for just that session. Whether they want to lose two pounds or 20 pounds -- it's their choice.
At the beginning of the session, participants put $1 in the kitty for every pound they want to lose. As they lose each pound, they get their dollar back. However, if they gain weight in the week prior to the group meeting, they must put in an additional dollar for each pound gained. The money they put in is theirs to earn back, up to the end of the session. Whatever is left over becomes a donation to the Senior Center.
"It's a peer support group because we're all in the same boat together," Wells said. "We've all done dieting, trying all of the various methods to lose weight. We all know what we need to do. It's figuring out how to get the motivation and the support we need to actually do it."
Each participant weighs in at the beginning of the weekly get-together, but they are not asked how much they weigh; it's the honor system. Subsequently, if they have lost weight in the preceding week, they can help the other participants by explaining how they lost it, what was easy or hard about the program they were on and what the motivation was.
In other words, each individual in the group learns from the others' successes. The more the participants contribute and expose their failures or weaknesses, the more they will get out of the support group.
The key to weight loss motivation, one of the topics under discussion in the group recently, is knowing what you really want and why you want it. Whether it's to live to see grandchildren, stay healthy and independent or to have more confidence, the motivators are an individual choice. Nevertheless, the motivators must be considered every day in order to make them work -- to make them habits -- and not something that inspires them just for a day.
On the other hand, there can be barriers preventing someone from losing that excess weight, such as impulsive eating, procrastination, emotional eating or self-doubt.
Success with weight loss often comes down to a battle between motivators and barriers. Identifying the barriers and finding ways to overcome them can lead to a successful weight loss.
As mentioned above, emotions often enter into our eating habits. However, since there are no experts in behavioral science in Thin to Win, the participant only is asked what contributed to the negative habits. Anyone in the group with the same experiences then can give advice on how to avoid disruptive behavior while attempting to lose weight.
In the final analysis, keep things in perspective, focus on losing those extra pounds to benefit your health, have a positive attitude and really believe you can change your harmful eating behavior. Although it is definitely a personal journey to a healthy weight, a group offers its support through the successes and the challenges that everyone experiences.
For more information on Thin to Win, contact the TC Senior Center at 922-4911 or e-mail lwells@tcseniorcenter.com.
Kathleen Bellaw Gest is a local freelance writer. For more about the Traverse City Senior Center, go to www.tcseniorcenter.com.
