The Alabama Baptist’s Scale Back Alabama team won’t know whether it won any cash prizes until April 1.
But team members do know this: They met their goal and they have no intention of stopping now.
Janice, Wanda, Julie and Haley lost a total of 56 pounds during the 10-week Scale Back Alabama initiative, which ended March 14. Each member of the team, called TABescence — which means "dwindling away" — lost at least 10 pounds, making the team eligible for a drawing for $1,000 per member. But all of them said it’s their new healthy lifestyle that’s most important.
"[T]his is just the beginning. It is a lifestyle change for the rest of my life," Wanda said. She’s exercised more since starting Scale Back Alabama, and she’s been eating a healthier diet.
"My attitude about food and health has changed for the better. I try to ‘eat to live’ now and not ‘live to eat,’" Wanda said. "I have more energy now, (too)."
Julie agreed. "I look and feel better than I have in years. … I feel like I could handle much more than I could as a heavier person. My energy level is higher, my confidence level is higher (and) my productivity level is higher."
And Janice said she plans to make her success last.
"I think for the first time in my life, I do feel that this is a life-changing attitude for me," she said. "I can remember dieting before but always with the thought in my mind that as soon as I lost the weight, I would then be able to go back to eating as before."
But now Janice is on a roll, as is Haley, who also is set to continue. "The Scale Back Alabama campaign has been helpful for me because it has given me a real reason not to cheat on my diet," she said. "I had three other people counting on me to lose my weight, so I was less likely to cheat. And I plan on staying with my diet."
All four agreed they couldn’t have done it without the team effort.
"We have encouraged, teased, cajoled and chided each other during these 10 weeks, and it is assuredly a help to have this kind of support," Janice said.
Julie added that having a friend on board makes the journey more bearable and the success sweeter.
"I have found that my success has been dramatically influenced through accountability to someone else," she said.
TABescence isn’t the only team of Baptists that’s seen success come from the Scale Back Alabama team effort, which involved 40,000 people statewide. At Judson College in Marion, 69 students, faculty and staff members and their spouses lost 460 pounds, competing on campus for a three-night trip to St. Simons Island, Ga. And Baptist Health System in Birmingham also had more than 200 teams participate, with weight loss totals still coming in.
So as pounds have dropped across the state, at issue is the matter of continuing to lose weight and live healthier. It’s all too easy to give in to that "yo-yo" cycle that often happens after the end of a specific weight-loss program.
But Rondie Wilks, a certified personal trainer and member of NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, in Birmingham Baptist Association, said don’t stop — and don’t make excuses. "Ask God to give you strength and to help you have discipline," she said. "You can stay motivated. You can be healthy body, mind and spirit by remembering He is your strength and you are not alone."
And make a new plan, Wilks said. "To fail to plan is to plan to fail. To succeed, you must have a plan. … (But) keep it simple."
NutritionMD.org suggests keeping goals in short-term increments. "Focus on one to two weeks at a time or, if necessary, one day at a time."
Enlist a new accountability partner if your current one chooses not to continue the disciplines you’ve established. And renew the three goals you started with in the first place:
– Keep eating healthy.
– Keep behavior healthy. Don’t fall back into those old habits of eating junk food for comfort or eating in front of the TV. But be aware that setbacks happen, says psychologist John M. Grohol on eatbetteramerica.com. Often we take two steps forward and one step back. "The key is to move forward despite setbacks and to know that you’re human, not superhuman," he said.
– Keep exercising. Make a contract with yourself about how often and how much you’ll exercise and make it specific and realistic, suggests AHealthyMe.com. And mix it up — don’t get bored from doing the same activity and quit. Try biking, swimming or another new activity. Cross-training not only keeps it interesting but also builds different muscle groups, the site says. (TAB)
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