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New Program Offers Group Support for Weight Loss

'Your Weigh ... Together' starts in September

This before and after photo shows Dale Lake prior to joining
This before and after photo shows Dale Lake prior to joining "Your Weigh ... Together" at the left and a current picture at right after he lost 60 pounds. Photos courtesy of Dale Lake.

While Dale Lake was told by doctors he suffered from high blood pressure, it wasn't until last April he was prescribed five different medications. With so many prescriptions, he had enough.

At 285 pounds and with a 44-inch waist, Lake indulged his sweet tooth too much, often settling for a Snickers and Coke as workday meals. For help changing his diet and creating an exercise plan, Lake turned to "Your Weigh...Together," an educational weight management program run by LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program. Your Weigh brings together Duke employees who want to achieve a healthy balance between food and activity to reach health and wellness goals.

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"I was fat, and there was no other word for it," said Lake, a CT services manager at Duke Raleigh Hospital. "If I didn't make changes, I wasn't sure if I was going to see my next birthday. I needed to get busy and stop making excuses for what I was eating."

Since joining the pilot program at Duke Raleigh Hospital last spring, Lake has made dramatic changes, dropping 60 pounds and taking 8 inches off his waist by bringing healthy lunches to work and taking kickboxing classes.

For the first time, Your Weigh. Together will be offered to faculty and staff at Duke's West Campus. An informational session for interested employees will be from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 6 in room 204 at Perkins Library.

Faculty and staff who sign up will begin the Your Weigh program with weekly meetings starting Sept. 20. Weekly group meetings will be held from noon to 1 p.m. each Thursday in the same room in Perkins. Registration is capped at 22 participants, but extra names will be kept on a waiting list and will be the first employees alerted for the next Your Weigh series.  The price of the program is $75, but the cost is refunded if participants attend eight of the 10 weekly sessions.

As part of the program, employees receive:

  • 10 weeks of professionally delivered sessions.
  • Group and individual support.
  • An online food and activity tracking tool, meal plans, workbook, digital pedometer, and more.

Kelly Gehle, a LIVE FOR LIFE registered dietitian and nutrition manager who runs Your Weigh, said staff and faculty can pay with a check, which isn't cashed and is returned if eight weeks of the program are completed.

During the program, one-on-one sessions will include biometric measurements and discussions of diet and exercise plans. Group sessions will cover education about nutrition and health as well as discussion. Weekly topics include learning more about calories, emotional eating, dealing with stress, and more.

"It's a very informal class with lots of give-and-take with the idea that everyone can learn from each other and their experiences," Gehle said. "We'll all work together to set goals and reach them each week."