Being able to be a part of the amazing journeys of so many of our clients is one of the most fulfilling parts of what we do. We are excited to share some of these success stories with you and hope they will inspire you as much as they have us.
Bronnwyn Slattery of our client General Hotels Corporation has successfully lost 98 pounds in under a year! Since the 1st day she joined our program, Bronnwyn has been all in. The secret to her sustained weight-loss comes down to a combination of behaviors detailed below in her interview.
She is now able to run and play with her children which is something she was missing out on before and she could tell made her kids sad: “I never thought how my health and weight had impacted them before, but now I can do everything with them and I can already tell how much happier they are!”.
Read American Health & Wellness Group Health Coach Paige Bixler’s interview with Bronnwyn to learn how she was able to lose 98 pounds in less than a year and keep it off and everything she gained in return!
1. When did your story begin?
After having my second child in June of 2018, I struggled to lose weight and ended up slowly gaining weight. When I started working at the hotel in June of 2019, I was at my heaviest at 278 lbs and quite miserable; constantly tired, my joint and back pain was almost constant and I had 0 energy.
2. How much weight did you say you have lost?
As of today (03/31/2020) I have lost 98 lbs and I feel fantastic! I’m almost back into my old high school jeans!!!
3. What people have helped you achieve your goal?
AHW Health Coach Paige, my doctor, my Fiancé and my kids have been incredibly helpful and motivating when it comes to my weight loss journey, I couldn’t have made it this far without everyone. The wellness meetings were hugely motivating and the handouts are still taped all over my kitchen! (Protein shake and tea recipes taped to the coffee/tea cabinet, exercises taped to the side of the fridge, etc).
4. How has the wellness program, the coach, or the seminars added to your success?
I honestly wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you [Heath Coach Paige] and the program – that first meeting is what motivated me to have that first serious talk with my doctors and start everything; diet changes, exercising, lifestyle changes; etc. I can’t thank you enough for everything, you have seriously made all of this possible and have changed my life for the better.
5. How have you been achieving your goals?
It’s really come down to a combination of a few things: talking with my doctor, taking a hard look at my portions, paying closer attention to the nutrition value in my food, and the health and wellness seminars and handouts were especially helpful. I also started slowly incorporating exercise in my daily routine; taking the stairs a few times a day at work vs the elevator, 5-minute yoga YouTube videos in the morning, making more/smaller trips upstairs at home vs “just one big trip to get it over with,” etc.
6. What was the biggest roadblock?
Fast food. I’m a huge fast food junkie. I started by just eating out 1 day less a week, then moved to smaller orders, then I moved to looking up the nutrition facts before I ordered anything. Now I only eat out 1-2 times a week and pay close attention to the nutritional value to what I order.
7. What lifestyle changes have impacted your success?
Little things, surprisingly. Taking the stairs when I go on breaks (versus using the elevator) paying closer attention to what/how much I eat, switching “junk” snack with healthier options (like trail mix instead of a candy bar), drinking more water, sticking to my medication schedule and continuing to communicate with my doctors. Not to mention, I get a monthly boost of motivation when we have our Employee Wellness Meeting.
8. What new lifestyle behaviors will you definitely continue to practice when you reach your goal?
I will continue with the exercises and diet changes, eating healthier really does make one feel better. I’ll definitely still be paying attention to the nutrition label and info on what I eat; fast food, home-cooked or otherwise. I also plan on enjoying all of our future wellness meetings – they really do motivate me like no other, plus they make me actually feel excited about being healthier! Honestly I never thought that could be possible, I used to hate the idea of exercise and eating “right”.
9. How have these changes impacted people around you, from your perspective?
My kids definitely have noticed a difference. I can play with them much longer and be more involved without getting out of breath or feeling exhausted after a just few minutes. Now, I can give the piggy back rides, carry them both upstairs (ages 5 and 1), run and chase them. I couldn’t do any of this before and I could tell it made them so sad. I never thought how my health and weight had impacted them before, but now I can do everything with them and I can already tell how much happier they are!
10. If you could tell people one or two key behaviors that you feel really helped you achieve your success thus far, what would it be?
First thing I would say is to talk to your doctor, sometimes certain medications or conditions can be your first obstacle; I had a few medications that were interacting with each other which ended up slowing my metabolism and making it harder to lose weight. My doctor switched my medications to ones that didn’t have adverse interactions and gave me the “ok” on the diet changes I was wanting to make.
My other suggestion would be for people to go to your wellness meetings or even just to start small and pay closer attention to what/how much they eat, portion control being a key factor. If you can’t give up fast food (like me sometimes) you can still find nutritional information for almost everything on food establishment’s websites and use that as a guide to help make healthier decisions (even if it’s just having the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the triple bacon deluxe cheeseburger).
Thank you again for everything. I 100% wouldn’t be here without you personally and the meetings, you changed my life and I will always be eternally grateful!
From all of us at American Healthy & Wellness, we congratulate Bronnwyn! Keep up the AMAZING work!
For more information on our wellness programs, contact us.