Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | December 2018

HEALTHY Meet Douglas. He started his journey to a healthier life when he joined the Alliance Weight Watchers Support Program in January 2016. Before joining, Douglas weighed 361.8 pounds. He was using a glucometer to check his blood sugar levels. “I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to lose weight, but would never do anything about it,” says Douglas. He made several lifestyle changes that helped him get healthier. By his second support program meeting he had already lost 13 pounds. He was consistent with the program and lost anywhere from less than an ounce to 8 pounds each week. He tells us that “after 30 years, I have the right mindset. I feel more confident about my food choices.” Before he joined the support program, Douglas’ meals were often fast food. Now his meals “vary from chicken or hamburger meat with lots of vegetables.” He also has a lot more control over his cravings as he is making better choices and loves the Weight Watchers snacks that are low in points. He also started walking every day for 30 minutes. If it is too cold or raining he will go to Costco and walk for 30 minutes or more. His next goal is to lose his last 40 pounds to hit Weight Watchers’ lifetime member status. LIVING HEALTHY is published for the members and community partners of CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH, 1600 Green Hills Road, Suite 101, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, telephone 831-430-5500 or 1-800-700-3874, ext. 5505, website www.ccah-alliance.org. Information in LIVING HEALTHY comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. 2018 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editor Erin Huang Health Programs Supervisors Desirre Herrera and Mao Moua Health Programs Manager Deborah Pineda www.ccah-alliance.org Journey to a healthy life Douglas shared some tips to motivate other members in a similar situation: ●  ● Make sure you are actually hungry when you eat. Sometimes you feel that you are hungry but what you are is thirsty. ●  ● Count the points for everything you put in your mouth. Everything counts. ●  ● Have the right mindset and know what you want so you can successfully achieve and maintain your weight- loss goals. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, as of today, Douglas has lost 135 pounds and does not have to poke his finger to check his blood sugar level or take medicine. IF YOU ARE INSPIRED by Douglas’ story and would like to learn more about the Alliance Weight Watchers Support Program, please call the Alliance’s Health Education Line at 1-800-700-3874, ext. 5580 .