Bonnie Roebbeke

The New Norm: Taking Charge and Tracking for Weight Loss! Bonnie Roebbeke Shares her Success

 
As 2011 winds down, Bonnie Roebbeke of New Ulm will look back and remember it as the year she took charge of her heart health. In fact, she remembers the exact day when she began taking charge – Jan. 5, 2011. By July 5, she’d lost 36 pounds and is excited to start 2012 on a lighter — and healthier — footing.
 
Although she knew she was overweight, Bonnie was surprised when she got a phone call inviting her to participate in the Heart of New Ulm (HONU) Project’s HeartBeat Connections program for those identified at high risk for a heart attack.
 
She’d lost about 35 pounds a decade ago, but had gained it all back. She felt it would only be harder to lose the weight the older she got. But when she got the call, she thought, “Well, I’m going to give it a shot. I’ve got grandkids and I want to be around. When somebody calls you and tells you that you’re borderline for heart disease, you think, ‘I’m going to be 60 years old. I need to take care of this.’”
 
Through the program, she received regular, personalized free telephone health coaching sessions from a HONU registered dietitian.
 
Bonnie explained, “I started keeping track of everything I ate, and it didn’t take me but the first day to realize that I was way over my recommended daily calorie intake and that I wasn’t eating the right foods.”
 
One area where she definitely needed to improve was in eating more fruits and vegetables. Now, she enjoys the convenience of microwaving frozen vegetables, since they’re easy for her to take along to her job at 3M, and also easy to prepare at home.
 
Although she was already regularly going to the Vogel Rec Center, she usually only worked out for about a half hour — just long enough to get the fitness membership discount offered by her insurance carrier. She’s now increased her workouts to between 60 and 75 minutes at least five days a week.
 
“After I started watching what I was eating and working out more, I could just feel the weight fall off,” she said. “It was actually easier than what I thought it would be.”
 
Indeed, Bonnie’s success is due to several tried-and-true weight loss strategies. She 1) tracks what she eats, 2) has increased her physical activity, 3) weighs herself regularly, 4) eats more fruits and vegetables, and 5) eats regular meals and snacks. She has successfully maintained her weight within a couple pounds.
 
She has about three to four more pounds to lose to achieve her goal weight, and with her daughter getting married in October, she has a little extra motivation to lose it and maintain it. “The longer you do it, the easier it is.”
 
Ask your doctor if you may be a candidate for the HeartBeat Connections program.