Blogs > Lighten Up With Michael

Michael Wagner, of Mayfield Heights, is a 63-year-old contestant in The News-Herald's Lighten Up in 2013.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Week 2

We have gone another week in the program. Last week's assessment at Lake County General Health District was a big help. Katelyn, Cori and staff were very helpful and professional. I signed on to the Vitabot program. However, I have a call into Katelyn because I'm having trouble getting back into it online. The plus I see for Vitabot is that it helps you keep track of what you are eating. I'm looking forward to getting some menu suggestions in Vitabot. In terms of progress, I feel that I have cut back considerably in my portions and in the food choices. My wife has been a great help in preparing meals. While there is a long way to go, I feel just a little better in the waist. One of my main motivators to join Lighten Up 2013 was having to inhale deeply in order to button my pants. It would be either lose some weight or look for a new wardrobe. We'll see how the scale reads after my workout tomorrow morning. We are looking forward to our first visit to Cabana's next Tuesday. Many thanks to Mike and his staff at Cabana's for providing these complimentary meals.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Lighten Up 2013

This past Saturday, all of us participants got off to a rousing start at our weigh-in. We had inspiring words from Laura Kessel of the News-Herald and Jaime Brinkus, the proprietor of LEAN Living. I had the opportunity of meeting with several participants which was enjoyable. One of the slogans on the wall at LEAN Living was "Your Fork and Spoon Are Your Best Pieces of Exercise Equipment". That was an interesting statement and one that I hope will be a motivator. While working out is important, it is not enough. If you aren't careful about what you eat, all the workouts won't help in managing your weight. It was also a great service of Mike from Cabana's Restaurant to offer healthy weekly meals to the participants. I'm looking forward to my health assessment at the Lake County Health Department later today. Thanks again to Laura and Jaime and all who have worked so hard to give us this opportunity.
Michael Wagner