I recently received an email urging me to let people know about AARP’s Fat 2 Fit challenge. I first learned about this challenge a few years ago, when I met Carole Carson, a woman who has lost weight and kept it off—and is now working to help others in getting fit.
Carole and I met when we were both keynote speakers at a Curves for Women franchisee owner’s event. My role was to talk to several thousand people about the latest research studies in healing and exercise. Curves University—the formal training program for franchisee owners—had chosen my book Super Healing as the book that the owners should study due to its evidence-based medicine approach. Carole’s role was to share her story about going from fat to fit when she was approaching 60 and more than 60 pounds overweight.
Back stage, as we waited for our turns to speak, Carole and I were both stressed. I was stressed because I had left my family in the middle of an unexpected house move to go to this event. We were building a new home but didn’t expect to suddenly have to move into temporary housing. We got the news as I boarded the plane, so, my family was packing and going into temporary housing while I was in Florida eating delicious fruit and stressing in the sun.
Carole was stressed because, while she is a terrific and experienced speaker, she gets nervous. According to what she told the audience—really nervous. She made them laugh when she said that she almost had a heart attack prior to her talk—the very thing she was trying to avoid by losing 62 pounds a few years earlier!
Even though we were both stressed, we hit it off, and Carole asked me to be on the advisory panel for the upcoming Fat 2 Fit challenge. I readily agreed when I heard more about it and learned that AARP was sponsoring it.
In Carole’s recent email to me she wrote:
We did it! The AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight-Loss Challenge was launched April 15.
Results: At the end of the first week, we have 2,051 members in the Fat 2 Fit online community, and many of these members have registered for the Weight-Loss Challenge. To date, our group has reported a weight loss of 271 pounds.
Your Help Needed:Our goal is to register 5,000 members for the Challenge and lose 20 tons. To reach this goal, I need your help in letting people know about AARP’s free program, which welcomes all ages and does not require membership.
Carole Carson was a 5’1” dynamo at 182 pounds. Now she’s a 5’1” dynamo at 120 pounds. Certainly the latter weight is better for her for many reasons, including the fact that it keeps her heart in good condition before a major speaking engagement (and in general!). Carole’s passion is to help people who have struggled with their weight for years lose it once and for all. If you are interested in going from Fat 2 Fit, check out the challenge at the AARP website.
Even if you don’t think you are overweight, click on the link and put your weight and height in the BMI calculator. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. If your BMI is 25 or higher, consider joining the challenge. Keep in mind that even though AARP is sponsoring this, it’s not just for folks over the age of 50—anyone can participate.
Best wishes to Carole and to everyone in the Fat 2 Fit group!
Julie K. Silver, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Chief Editor of Books for Harvard Health Publications.
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Comments: 6
Have you had success losing weight? Tell us about it!
Are you going to join the Fat 2 Fit challenge?
And you were dead on when you said I was nervous about speaking before such a large group. What carried the day was my commitment to helping others realize the joy, well-being and energy that comes with adopting a healthier lifestyle. When I lost 62 pounds of fat, I also lost 62 pounds of chains that were holding me back. After chronicling my own experience in the local newspaper, I offered to help our community members lose weight. Together, we lost nearly 4 tons in 8 weeks. Even more amazing, my personal makeover project has morphed once again--this time into a national program.
I'm relying on my new-found energy to serve as coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight Loss Challenge. The program is free, open to all ages and membership in AARP is not required. Three weeks into the program, I've heard from individuals in South Africa, Canada, France and Micronesia , in addition to the hundreds of Americans who have signed up. This morning, we had 3,654 registered members and we have lost almost a half a ton.
In some cases, reasons for losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle are humorous, (one person wants to be able to tie her shoe strings without cutting off her air supply). Others are serious (one person wants to be able to control her diabetes).
Whatever our reasons for losing weight and getting fit, we share of joy and adventure as we begin the journey towards fitness. I can summarize our philosophy in FIT. F--Fun: We want to have fun. No grim dieting allowed. I--Individualized: We want to have a lifestyle that is appropriate for our body given our medical conditions, age, conditioning, etc. T--Together: We have come to realize that our success requires supporting ourselves with like-minded people. We need to have teammates.
Anyone reading this who has questions is encouraged to contact me. The more the merrier.
Great post, Dr. Julie!
No one wants to be overweight! The most difficult thing to be able to control to keep your weight in check is mindless grazing. It is not always easy to do, but eat to live don't live to eat. Some type of daily regimen is needed by everyone; but do not diet, your body needs nourishment. Diets and diet aids do not help anyone! The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you deserve is by using the right information. This information is in the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps which can be ordered through the website www.bbotw.com Everyone who has gotten a copy of this book has lost weight and become healthier.