Shari Fontenot on the incline in May 2016.

Shari Fontenot on the incline in May 2016. (Shari Fontenot / Special to the Daily Record)

About Weigh and Win

Weigh and Win utilizes verified weight loss data through patented photographed weigh-ins and provides Colorado adults with access to an effective weight management platform.

With the primary focus of decreasing obesity rates, the program engages participants with rewards tied to measured results. The first resource of its kind, Weigh and Win is a product of incentaHEALTH’s scientifically designed and technology based health and wellness platform. As a leader in measurable wellness programs, incentaHEALTH’s system is designed to help organizations and communities reduce health care costs. The program utilizes gamification by offering incentives to individuals for improving their health.

Colorado residents 18 and over can sign up for free and will receive daily coaching on healthy eating and active living by email or text message. The coaching includes tips for weight loss, weekly grocery shopping lists, daily meal plans (supplied by registered dieticians) and daily exercise routines (provided by certified personal trainers).

Progress is tracked through quarterly weigh-ins at one of 100 community kiosk locations throughout the state. Success is rewarded with quarterly cash rewards for weight loss and maintenance, as well as monthly prize drawings for participating. Those who begin the program at an unhealthy weight (BMI ≥ 25) qualify for cash rewards. Weigh and Win is supported by Kaiser Permanente, in partnership with additional community partners, as an effort to encourage healthy eating and active living throughout Colorado. Sign up for free at www.weighandwin.com. Follow Weigh and Win on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

— Information provided by Weigh and Win

Tips for sticking with your New Year’s resolution

1. Start Small – Set realistic goals and timelines. Create a goal of hitting the gym 3-4 times a week instead of every day or losing 10 pounds in two months instead of 60 pounds in one year.

2. Focus on One Thing – Unhealthy behaviors don’t develop overnight and neither do healthy ones. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a laundry list of goals. Focus on one thing at a time. Once you feel confident in sustainable change with one habit, tackle another.

3. Seek Support – It’s easier to stick with your resolution if you’re not doing it alone. Encourage a family member, friend or co-worker to join the journey or sign-up for a program like Weigh and Win for support.

4. Be Easy on Yourself – Did you skip a couple workouts or over-indulge on unhealthy foods over the weekend? Don’t beat yourself up or let it derail you. Missteps will happen. Get back on track and keep working on your resolutions.

5. Track and Evaluate – Keep track of your progress and recognize any set-backs. Do you frequently skip going to the gym after work? Start working out in the morning instead.

6. Celebrate your Successes – Did you hit 10,000 steps every day this month? Did you achieve your weight loss goal? Celebrate those successes in a way that won’t undo your hard work like a massage or new workout clothes!

— Provided by Weigh and Win

Shari Fontenot set out to change her lifestyle last year not necessarily to win a competition, meet a resolution or to lose weight but simply just to feel better.

Previously having won ‘biggest loser’ competitions at her place of work, losing 35-40 pounds and 45 pounds, respectively, she found it hard to maintain.

This time, she’s found a program that has helped her live a more healthy, sustainable lifestyle by making better food choices and finding ways to be active several times a week. She is losing weight more gradually, with an overall focus on getting healthy and maintaining it, which ultimately is more life-changing, she said.

Fontenot, 47, a paraprofessional at Harrison K-8 School, wasn’t feeling healthy at the end of 2015 and knew she needed to make some changes. She already had started to make some dietary changes when in February of 2016, Weigh and Win’s traveling kiosk visited the school where staff members could sign up to take part in the program.

Shari Fontenot poses for a photo at the top of the Citizens’ Stadium on Monday.

Shari Fontenot poses for a photo at the top of the Citizens’ Stadium on Monday. (Carie Canterbury / Daily Record)

“I really wanted to do this, just for me, because I wanted to get healthy, I wanted it to last, and I wanted to carry through with it,” she said. “I thought this would be an extra thing to help me be accountable.”

Since February 2016, Fontenot has lost about 34 pounds and she feels 15 years younger.

She began going to work early, where she walked laps around the inside of the school and ran up and down the stairs, and since she attends some physical education classes with the eighth-graders she works with, she took part in the school’s ‘Mile Monday,’ gradually running more and walking less.

“By the end of the year, I was able to run the whole mile,” she said. “When summer came around, I continued it at the high school track every Monday morning by myself.”

Her first goal, which she accomplished in May 2016, was to climb the Manitou Incline.

“I really worked hard on the stairs in the weeks leading up to that,” she said. “It was a neat experience, and I’m excited to go back and try it again now that I have progressed from there. I feel so much stronger and healthier.”

While healthy eating is key to the program, Fontenot said it’s OK to cheat once in a while.

“If you totally deny yourself everything, then I don’t think it’s workable,” she said. “My weakness is cake; if I am at an event where there is cake, then I am going to have cake — a nice big corner piece with lots of frosting, and I am going to enjoy it.”

Colorado residents 18 and older can sign up for Weigh and Win at no cost and receive daily coaching on healthy eating and active living by email or text message. The coaching includes tips for weight loss, weekly grocery shopping lists, daily meal plans and daily exercise routines. Progress is tracked through quarterly weigh-ins at one of 100 community kiosk locations throughout the state.

“They have some really good tools on their website, which is great for people who are getting started and don’t really have an idea of how they should eat and exercise,” Fontenot said.

She won cash prizes that she used to purchase a new swimsuit and bicycle helmet.

Kaytee Long, Health Promotion Manager for Weigh and Win, said of the 45 percent of Americans who usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8 percent achieve them.

“Shari’s story will help motivate your local community members to enter into 2017 happier and healthier,” she said.

Long said a three-month team challenge will begin Feb. 1, where teams of 4-8 people can compete with others across the state. The top three teams in percentage weight loss and health points will win prizes, including a donation of $1,000 to a nonprofit of their choice.

The Cañon City kiosk location is at the Cañon City Recreation District, 575 Ash St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, or to sign up online, visitwww.weighandwin.com.

Carie Canterbury: 719-276-7643, [email protected]

http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/news/canoncity-local-news/ci_30714918/weigh-and-win-program-helps-keep-woman-healthy