‘Weigh to Go!’ helps students lose pounds

By Jenny Schuster
Staff Writer

In her own words, a junior in the School of Liberal Arts has tried every diet known to man.

Jaime, whose real name has been changed to protect her anonymity, always lost the 50 pounds she wanted to lose. It’s just that she gained them back each time.

"I felt absolutely terrible about myself," she said. "I had tried diet pills, skipping meals and eliminating fat from my diet. The results were always the same — I would lose weight with every diet and then turn around and gain back more than I lost. With each diet, I became more and more unhappy."

Then, last spring, Jaime participated in "Weigh to Go!," a weight-loss program sponsored by Purdue’s Student Wellness Office, and she credits the seven-week program with helping her to develop healthy eating habits.

Sue Abney, nutrition education coordinator for the Student Wellness Office and registered dietitian, has led the "Weigh to Go!" program once a semester for the past seven years.

"The program is a combination of support group and educational group," Abney said. "We talk about the issues that the students face, because they're all in it together."

Abney recommended that only students who are at least 10 pounds over their healthy weight participate in the program.

"Each week, we talk about different issues, such as exercise and the need to increase physical activity," she said. "Sometimes we'll bring in a professional to talk about getting started with an exercise program."

But the main focus of "Weigh to Go!" is modifying the students' eating habits to reach the goal of eating healthier more often. Abney said this could be done in many ways.

"Moderation is the key," she said. "For example, students can reduce their portion size when eating. Portion sizes, especially at fast food restaurants, have become huge. People used to go to a restaurant and eat a small hamburger, but now they would be offended if that was all that was offered."

Jaime said that during "Weigh to Go" she realized that skipping breakfast and lunch was causing her to eat snacks higher in fat and sugar later in the day.

"I also realized that I was drinking fruit juice all day every day, not realizing that it can add to weight gain," she said.

Abney said that students can lose weight by reducing fat intake or following a calorie diet. Abney uses a form to calculate how many calories a student needs each day based on her age, height and physical activity.

She said that many "fad" diets, such as the Atkin’s protein diet, may produce fast weight loss, but much of the weight lost is water or muscle weight.

"We don't recommend a 'strict' diet and believe in a non-diet approach," she said. "You can still eat your favorite foods, but maybe you should reduce your portion size. Diets set you up to fail," Abney said.

Jaime agreed. "I did the high-protein diet for several months. I lost 32 pounds, but became so fatigued that I had to quit. Of course, I gained all that weight back as quickly as I had lost it. Plus, I gained another five pounds more than I had weighed before the diet."

The "Weigh to Go!" program costs $30 for seven weekly sessions at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

"Ninety dollars is what is charged for similar programs across town. We keep the price down as a service to the student," Abney said. The program fee includes handouts, a notebook and various assorted giveaways.

"This year, we're also excited that we have pedometers for students to check out, which they can use to figure out how many steps they take in a day," she said. "The recommended amount is 10,000, so if students spend five hours in front of their computer every day, they can see that they need to build more steps into their routine, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator sometimes.

"This isn't a magic bullet — we encourage slow weight loss. But the fact that a student completes the program is a good predictor of success. Those who finish have a good chance of making permanent lifestyle changes."

The callout for "Weigh to Go!" is at 3:30 p.m. today in the multi-purpose room located next to the Urgent Care Center on the ground floor of the Purdue Student Health Center. Students with questions about the program can call Abney at 494-1716.

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