What changed her eating habits—and her life? A program called integrative weight loss at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA. The program is based on a powerful new understanding: To be successful over the long term, a program has to be about more than counting calories and crunches. It has to engage a dieter at the emotional level too, because willpower is only partially a function of rational “will.” To put “power” behind it, you need ways of combating the cycle of emotional and stress eating, which can sabotage the best intentions. Across the country, from Florida to California, cutting-edge centers are practicing their own versions of this approach, because it simply works. Think of it this way: Diet and exercise are crucial—particularly, a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber that can nourish the body and keep you feeling satisfied for longer. But alone, diet and exercise are like a two-legged stool—ready to topple at the first snack attack. To steady the stool, you need a third leg—a stash of mind-body techniques to help combat cravings and get in touch with your body’s true needs. Here are four women who’ve tried it—and turned their lives around.[pagebreak] Name: Sherri De Jesus From: Houston, TX Program: Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa Job: Hospital program director Status: Divorced, no kids Age: 36 Pounds lost: 72 Sherri’s weight loss success story: As Sherri De Jesus waltzes across the dance floor in one of her flowing gowns, its seven-layered skirt swirls about her. Its sparkling bodice, which she helped design herself, is trimmed in more than 200 Swarovski crystals and adds to the glow of confidence she now feels. Five years ago, she could not have imagined taking up competitive dancing as a hobby. But here she is, dancing 4 nights a week and competing in ballroom, Latin, and swing. It never would have happened without a childhood enchantment with Fred Astaire, a lifelong desire to become a dancer—and the weight loss tips she received at the Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa. Lesson learned: Savor your food Before going to Pritikin, De Jesus was in the early stages of a divorce–depressed, bored, and overeating. “Some people smoke to relieve stress,” she says. “My thing was eating—chocolate cake, M&M’s, candy bars. Sometimes I was so busy, I barely even noticed what I was chewing. There was no enjoyment in it.” All that has changed. Now she puts aside her work during meals and snacks and focuses instead on the flavors, textures, and aromas of her food—a practice known as “mindful eating.” The dual payoff is that she enjoys her food more and doesn’t need as much of it to feel satisfied. At a party, if she indulges in a cookie, she’ll take small bites and chew slowly. “Usually I don’t actually finish the cookie, because it’s really sweet,” she says. “Once you get in the habit of eating mindfully, a few bites goes a long way.” Lesson learned: Stand tall De Jesus not only talks the talk, she now walks the walk—literally. At work, she sits up straight at her desk and strides elegantly down halls. “I didn’t know that if I held myself differently, my entire outlook on health would change,” she says. It’s a trick she learned at Pritikin in a class called Posture for Success. “By lengthening your spine and pulling back your shoulders, you instantly look better, as if you’ve taken weight off,” she says. “You feel better about yourself, so people respond to you differently. They see you as someone who is sure of yourself and sure of the message you’re presenting, which helps boost your self confidence”–and along with it, the ability to resist cravings. Lesson learned: Follow your passion It’s not just good advice for life but great for weight loss too. If you’re engaged in activities you love, you’re happier and less likely to need food for comfort. And if your hobby involves physical movement, such as a rhumba or two-step, that’s even better. “Experts warn you about the terrible things that will happen if you don’t lose weight,” De Jesus says. “But that fear lasts only so long before you go back to your normal way of living. On the other hand, if you find a positive goal that motivates you, you can stick with it. This isn’t about dieting but creating a lifestyle.” About the Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa Location: Miami, FL The program: At Pritikin, the emphasis is on a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss just happens to be the result. A week at Pritikin’s resortlike campus includes 40 hours of classes, one-third of them focused on emotional eating and stress busters like yoga. There is even a field trip to a restaurant, where participants learn to avoid stealth fats, sugars, and sodium. The success of the Pritikin method—which is known for its heart health—has been documented through more than 100 studies in major medical journals, showing not only weight loss (an average of 11 pounds in 3 weeks, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine) but also improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. The cost: $4,200 and up (for a minimum of 1 week’s stay)[pagebreak] Name: Amy Stevens North Adams, MA Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health IT manager and college instructor in women’s studies Married, two kids 41 80 From:Program:Job:Status:Age:Pounds lost: Amy’s weight loss success story Changing her diet wasn’t easy for Amy Stevens. Remember her grandma’s chocolate drop cookies? Now she doesn’t even think about them while training for—and competing in—triathlons. In mid-September, she finished her second one of the year—a team event in which she had to kayak 5 miles. “Two and a half miles into the kayaking, I was dying,” she says. Then she looked up and saw Kripalu. (She was on the lake below it.) “From that moment on, I knew I could finish the race. It was one paddle in front of the other and making the right choice with every move,” she says. “That’s what Kripalu taught me.” Lesson learned: Make a special space for meals Too often we eat from a dining room table that’s cluttered with newspapers and mail—if we sit down at the table at all. “I used to eat breakfast in the car out of a bag,” says Stevens. Now she gets up early to eat in peace before the rest of the family rouses. She brings out her grandmother’s good bone china plate and teacup. She gazes out her window over the peaceful Berkshire mountains while slicing apples and brewing tea. “It’s about as sacred a moment as I can create,” she says. In such a mood, mindful eating comes much more naturally. And the serenity of the early morning sets the tone for a happier day, in which Stevens is more resilient against stress Lesson learned: Fight fat by…breathing? At Kripalu, Stevens learned to quell cravings with deep breaths and meditation. “By the time I’ve focused on my breath for one to five minutes, food is the last thing on my mind,” she says. “Usually I realize it’s not a real need.” And when her resolve does weaken, she no longer berates herself. She just tries to learn from her mistakes, so she doesn’t repeat them. “At Kripalu, healthy living and eating are practice,” says Stevens. “If you’re only practicing, you can’t fail.” Lesson learned: Find a chorus of affirming voices One of them for Stevens is the owner of a local restaurant called Stone Soup. The owner began creating special dishes for her that fit her post-Kripalu diet and were tasty, healthy, and inexpensive too. (Stevens is a regular there.) These dishes proved so popular with other patrons that they’re now on the menu. But family support has also been crucial for Stevens. “My husband has adapted with such grace and loving support, at times it takes my breath away,” she says. He’s read up on nutrition for her and searched out healthy recipes, both online and in used bookstores. He even helps cook, “and he makes sure I have fresh, local apples in my bowl every morning,” she says. Even her 7-and 9-year-old children have gone along, without too much griping. “My daughter now claims brussels sprouts with tofu is her favorite dish, and my son likes hummus,” says Stevens. “Now when the kids are bad, I threaten to take them to McDonald’s.” About the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health Location: Stockbridge, MA The program: Kripalu coined the term integrative weight loss to refer to its holistic approach to slimming, yet the words weight loss are rarely mentioned during the 1-week session. Instead, the focus is on transforming your relationship with food and your body through mindfulness, fitness walks, nutrition lectures, a share circle, yoga, yoga dance, deep breathing, and nutrition counseling, not to mention three meals a day of superhealthy fare. It’s like an immersion course in healthy living. The cost: $890 and up for the week[pagebreak] Name: Holly Snyder From: Durham, NC Program: Duke Integrative Medicine Job: IT specialist Status: Single, no kids Age: 45 Pounds lost: 25 Holly’s weight loss success story In 2010, Holly Snyder’s life was transformed—by paprika, along with cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and what she calls a “serenade” of herbs, spices, and fresh foods that she’d never known how to use until she attended a weight loss program at Duke Integrative Medicine in January. “In my house growing up, salt, pepper, and ketchup were vegetables,” she says. But in spring, she began jazzing up salads with chickpeas, almond slivers, raisins, cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Summer brought sugar snap peas, vine-ripened tomatoes from a friend’s garden, locally grown strawberries, and juicy peaches at the farmer’s market. “Lord, they’re good,” she says. “My mouth is watering just thinking about them.” When she looks back on the food desert that constituted her diet just a year ago, she says, “I feel so much more alive now.” And so much healthier. “I’ve gone from barely making it once around a flat track to walking 5-K in less than an hour, going up and down hills,” she says. “If I can hike that trail on a 97-degree day, I can do anything I put my mind to.” Lesson learned: Weigh your values Now when Snyder is tempted by Ben & Jerry’s (“It’s got to be a flavor with chocolate—I was born and raised in Hershey, PA”), she pauses to think about what she truly values in life—namely, her family, her friends, and her health. This simple act helps break the normal flow from craving to snacking and gives her time to reflect on whether the temporary gratification is really what she wants for herself in the long run. (After all, it hasn’t helped in the past.) “This technique doesn’t always work,” Snyder says. “But I’ve succeeded so many times that I’ve begun to realize I can do it. I have a new catch phrase for myself whenever I succeed—‘Yay, me!’ " Lesson learned: Recognize what true hunger feels like For 3 days, Duke asks participants to rate their hunger before, during, and after meals and snacks using a 7-point scale, where 1 is very hungry and 7 is very full. Simple, right? Snyder found the exercise almost impossible at first. “In my perception, I was either full or starving,” she says. But once she learned to separate sudden cravings from the creeping onset of hunger, she became better at resisting the urges. Equally impressive, she learned to recognize subtle physical cues that she was filling up, which enabled her to start saying no to seconds (and thirds). “Once you can consciously say you’re not actually hungry anymore, you have less reason to keep eating,” she says. “It blows my mind now how little food I really need to be satisfied.” Lesson learned: The pen is mightier than the cookie Journaling “felt stupid” to Snyder at first. But writing down exactly what she was eating—in addition to how she felt before and after each meal or snack—made her aware of just how much she was packing away every day. Soon she began cutting back. “I would think, Shoot, if I eat this, I’ll have to write it in that damned journal,” she says. Suddenly her beloved Ben & Jerry’s was not something that eased stress but caused it. “It’s neat to look at it from a different perspective,” she says. “It’s as if you’re directing your own inner cinema and finding a script that’s more in line with your goals.” Lesson learned: Silence your inner critic People with serious weight issues tend to judge themselves harshly, and Snyder was no exception. “Society looks at you differently when you’re fat than when you’re thin,” she says. “You start looking at yourself that way too. But at Duke, we did this exercise of trying to be still and forgive ourselves—for being fat, for making all these wrong choices, for the self-loathing that results.” Most astonishing, she says, “I learned that I was worthy of good food and good health. That seems like a small thing, but for me it was life changing. Now eating is a choice, and I can trust myself to make the right decision. If I make mistakes, I forgive myself and start again.” Clearly, it’s working. “I lost 10 pounds in the first month without even consciously trying,” she says. “Instead I just concentrate on how I feel—energy-wise and healthwise—and the rest will fall into place. Experience is a powerful teacher, because it stays with you and touches that inner wisdom we all have.” About Duke Integrative Medicine Location: Durham, NC The program: To those of us with pounds to shed, weight seems like the source of our troubles. At Duke, it’s seen as a symptom of underlying issues, such as low self-esteem. Duke offers two programs—a 3-day weekend class called Tip the Scales in Your Favor and an 8-week class at 90 minutes per week called Changing from Within. In both, mindful eating is a key to success. Extensive research at Duke has found that those who practice mindful eating not only feel more in control of their diet–they also improve their insulin sensitivity! The cost: $270 and up (programs do not include lodging) [pagebreak] Name: Beverly Nichols From: Dallas, TX Program: Golden Door Job: Interior designer Status: Married, with four stepchildren Age: 52 Pounds lost: 10 Beverly’s weight loss success story When Beverly Nichols goes to bed at night, she doesn’t obsess over the day’s stresses or the bad news on TV. Instead, she lies down and visualizes four angels—one at each of her hands and feet. “I’ve had nightmares for a long time,” she says. But at the Golden Door, she learned how to drift into sleep by letting her angels stand guard. Banishing insomnia has been a key to keeping off that extra 10 pounds she used to struggle with—before she discovered the Golden Door. Lesson learned: Appreciate the sounds of silence At the Golden Door, Nichols began learning tai chi, with its peaceful, silent flow. “We’re always so busy and have so much background noise,” she says. “But when you’re quiet, you’d be surprised how much you hear and smell and feel. Now I hike in silence instead of taking my iPod. It helps relax me. And the more stress I can take away from myself, the easier it is for me to control my weight.” Lesson learned: Nurture gratitude Before bed at night, Nichols writes down three things she’s grateful for—“not generalities, like the kids or your health, but three specific events that happened that day, like a kind word from a colleague.” It’s called the Trio of Blessings exercise. “When you start looking for the positives, you realize how much you have to be grateful for,” she says. “Serenity is about learning how to take care of yourself—how to be happy and focused and deal with difficult things that come up.” Lesson learned: Seek friends with a positive outlook “I will always have time for a true friend in trouble, but some people just drain your energy,” Nichols says. She’s gradually shed those friends and cultivated others who lift her spirits. “The last time I went to the Golden Door, I didn’t have any significant issues left,” she says. “I went just for renewal. I have a much healthier life now.” About the Golden Door Location: Escondido, CA The program: How stressed can you be while enjoying a setting that mimics a Japanese inn, with streams, waterfalls, and gardens filled with orange blossoms and wisteria—where the organic food comes straight from the Golden Door’s own garden? Just relax and enjoy a customized program of early morning hikes, spa treatments, and classes such as yoga, biofeedback, and How to Get Happy. The average weight loss during a week is 3 pounds. The cost: $6,500 and up (for a minimum stay of 1 week) More from Prevention: Are You Obsessed With Food?
