UND workers lose 1,447 pounds

Tanya Butler is one of the biggest losers on the UND campus, and she’s proud of it.

She dropped 45 pounds a couple of years ago in the Weight Watchers Work Well program on campus. Keeping the pounds off is a condition of her employment as one of the leaders for a new group in the program that meets on Tuesdays on third floor of Merrifield Hall. And to reach that, in itself, is a bit of a workout.

Meetings are quick and dovetail into the end of the working day for employees at UND. There, health and physical fitness are a priority.

Last year, 1,447 pounds were dissolved by people in the Weight Watchers Work Well program. The benefits showed up in blood work and cholesterol levels.

A decade ago, being overweight probably wouldn’t create a ripple. But now, the health and fitness craze that emanates from the UND Wellness Center is well-known in offices as well as classrooms. Help with arranging the Weight Watchers classes for employees comes from Kim Ruliffson of the Wellness Center, who is coordinator of Work Well.

Alli Moreland, an executive secretary in the Housing Unit, has shrunk from 220 pounds eight years ago to her present 141 pounds. She started her health trek on her own and joined Weight Watchers in 2009.

She is now on a maintenance program that keeps her on track. She says, “It’s all in how you plan your day. It becomes a lifetime routine. You know what you can eat.” She looked around at the big turnout for spring semester Weight Watchers at Work and said, “You can tell how big health and fitness has become on this campus.”

She had a snack in a plastic bag to tide her over to dinnertime with her husband and two children. She’s 28 and wants to be around for her family. So, she has moved away from fried food, cheese, chips and lots of fast food.

Moreland looks on her weight loss as a battle she has won. She has adopted an active lifestyle, and she goes to Center Court Fitness to help her stay on track.

At first, Kathi Howe didn’t want anyone to know when she signed up for Weight Watchers. She figured if she failed, she would have to “own up” to it. Then she fast-forwards five months and said she was 36 pounds lighter. She’s still seeking her goal with her blood pressure in control and a pre-diabetic condition gone. She likes the Weight Watchers slogan, “Because it works.”

Weekly weigh-ins and paying attention to the Weight Watchers points are a way of life for people in the program. Weight Watchers is one of several programs that help people lose pounds and get fit. The interest in weight loss is strong in January and February.

There are celebrations along the way when the pounds come off. At Weight Watchers, you hear confessions: “I ate a lot of cake this week.”

It isn’t all glum. The new way of eating leads to happier, healthier people.

Cindy Spencer said she reached her goal twice but couldn’t hold to the plan. She figures the third time is a charm and is working at it.

“The hardest part,” she says, “is exercise.” She was planning to get help at Curves. Spencer is director of Residents Life and Education Housing likes the support system of co-workers, friends and family. “We help each other.”

And the good news? Well, Weight Watchers has proclaimed fruits and vegetables are free. That is, you can eat them and not count them into the daily intake of foods.

Orange or apple, anyone?

Reach Marilyn Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or by telephone at 701-772-1055.

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