A final checkup

In early 2007, letters poured into the Daily Herald from readers who had made New Year's resolutions to lose weight, grow strong and improve their health.

A few comments stood out:

My focus since my divorce has been on my children and my home but I have let my health slip a bit.

Honestly, it is the right time to lose the gut. It is not going to get any smaller.

My goal is to try to get down to 250 pounds by the time our baby is born. I am older than most fathers in having this child.

More Coverage Video Ron Szopa update Mike Raczak update Lynne Pieroni update Fred Coombs update Barbara Goetzelman update

I am tired of being defined by illness. My goal is to backpack at Isle Royale National Park.

I have come to believe this smoking addiction of mine will eventually kill me prematurely.

Lynne Pieroni, Michael Raczak, Ron Szopa, Barbara Goetzelman and Fred Coombs agreed to let us follow them all year as they strove to improve their health. We set them up with dietitians, personal trainers or counselors and promised to check in periodically.

All found a measure of success.

Lynne Pieroni, a divorced mother of two, shed 35 pounds after she gave up fast-food dinners and started working with a personal trainer. More importantly, Pieroni lowered her blood sugar and is no longer pre-diabetic.

School principal Michael Raczak also reinvented himself this year. The "55-year-old with a belly" trimmed down, ran a half-marathon, changed jobs and made small changes in his eating habits that paid off in a 26-pound weight loss.

Ron Szopa, a new dad at age 53, lost 30 pounds in honor of his new baby girl. If he can lose 10 more pounds, his doctor says he may reduce his diabetes medicine.

Cancer survivor Barbara Goetzelman, who had the biggest goal of all -- a 75-pound weight loss -- is proud of the work she did to learn how to eat healthier meals. Goetzelman lost just 8 pounds, but already feels healthier and ready to begin anew after the holidays.

Fred Coombs, our smoker, struggled all year to overcome a powerful addiction. He gave up cigarettes for eight weeks, but ultimately turned back to his "old friend" during stressful times. Coombs is still hopeful he'll quit for good, however, and he's investigating a new prescription medication called Chantix to help him.

Not bad for 12 months. We hope their stories inspire you to make small changes to improve your own health in 2008.

Ron Szopa

53, Elgin

How did you do with your resolution?

The resolution was to lose 30 pounds by the time my daughter was born. Isabella was born on June 21, and I hadn't lost 30 pounds by then. But two months after that, on the day of her christening, I had gotten down to 250 pounds. I had met my goal.

What motivated you?

It's all part of being healthier for her. I was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. I'm 53 years old. It was important to me to lose weight so I can be around to see her grow up.

What did you learn this year?

I learned that diet alone doesn't work. It's got to be a diet-and-exercise combination. The hardest part for me was finding time to exercise. I started out walking 30 minutes every morning on the treadmill. Then, before Isabella was born, I started to work out twice a week at a health club.

Unfortunately, since she's been born, I have not been able to work out as much as I'd like. I want to be home with her. I suspect as she gets older and can stay up a little later, that will get easier.

How did you change your eating habits?

To be honest, the diet wasn't as hard for me. I found I adhered pretty well to the type of foods I could eat, and the change in diet also stabilized my blood sugars.

Before, sometimes I wouldn't eat breakfast, sometimes I wouldn't eat lunch. Now I'm eating more regularly, and I've also incorporated more fruit into my diet.

What is your goal for next year?

I went to the doctor a month ago. He told me if I lose another 10 pounds, he'll start to take me off some of my diabetes medication. That's my next goal, to get off my diabetes medication.

Right now, I've plateaued with my weight loss. I go up and down a couple pounds, and I'm not losing the way I was before. My goal for next year is to get down to 240 pounds. I want to find the time to get back into the routine of working out.

What advice would you give someone planning a similar change?

Don't be discouraged. It doesn't come off as fast as you'd like.

I thought that once I put my mind to it, it would fall off, and it didn't. It's a process. I could have gotten discouraged when I didn't meet my goal to lose weight by the time Isabella was born, but I knew I'd get there.

I appreciate the opportunity the Daily Herald has given me to go through this journey. It's been an experience I would not have gone through if I didn't have this impetus. If it gives someone else the impetus to do it next year, so much the better.

Lynne Pieroni

49, Hanover Park

What was your resolution?

I wanted to lose enough weight to have my cholesterol and glucose come down.

What motivated you?

I just wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror. Clothes, nothing was fitting me anymore. I wanted to buy some new clothes, and I didn't want to buy the bigger sizes.

How did you do?

I didn't do it with the cholesterol, but at least now I know that it's hereditary. My cholesterol is 242. It was 255 when we started, so it came down a little bit.

I was successful with the glucose. I am no longer pre-diabetic. I'm within the safe range, 96.

I lost 35 pounds, 4 inches off my waist and 3 inches off each thigh. My BMI went from 36 to 31.3, and my body fat percentage went from 43 percent to 35 percent.

What was most difficult?

Cutting down on food. I was missing burgers and fries and that "full" feeling. I had to get used to not having that feeling anymore.

How did you change your eating habits?

I ate less food, but I also ate different food. Now when I shop, I read the labels on everything I buy. I stay away from fried foods. I don't eat french fries much. I don't eat many burgers or red meat. I eat a lot more fish.

I still go out to eat often, and I really have to go over the menu with a fine-tooth comb. I try to plan ahead and go on Web sites to plan what I'm going to eat.

How did your exercise routine change?

The difference was having someone there telling me what to do and watching me. I always did some exercise, but when I got tired I would stop. When I have a trainer there to tell me to keep going, I don't stop.

What advice would you give someone contemplating a similar change?

Be patient. Since my vacation, I've only lost three pounds. It's hard when you're working so hard and don't see it on the scale.

You can't make changes quickly. You have to be committed to it. You have to really, really want it.

What is your goal for next year?

I'm going to continue working out with Bill Jensen at Continental Athletic Club once a week. And I'm going to add an aerobics class at my fitness center, so I'll have four big workouts a week.

My goal is to lose another 10 pounds. I want to get into the 150s. In January we are starting another weight-loss contest at work. I'm planning on entering that to help me lose that final 10 pounds.

Any final thoughts?

I'm so glad I did it. I'm glad I put myself out there. I had a lot of people behind me. That constant encouragement really kept me going. I just feel so much better, it's the best thing I could have done.

Michael Raczak

55, Naperville

What was your resolution?

I wanted to try to find some balance and lose some weight. When I initially wrote you, I was a typical 54-year-old male who had too much belly. I had high blood pressure and worked too much. I was really nervous about myself.

How did you do?

I think I did pretty well. I lost 26 pounds. I work out four or five times a week. I'm not on a diet, but I changed my diet. So I think my progress has been very, very good.

How did you change your eating habits?

It wasn't as difficult as I thought. I eat breakfast now. I never ate breakfast before. I tried to replace my snacks, which were potato chips and candy, with fruit and vegetables. I frequent fast-food restaurants a whole lot less. Although I still go to a restaurant on Saturdays, it's a restaurant where I can make healthy choices.

How did your exercise routine change?

It wasn't that difficult in terms of me doing the exercise. It was the consistency that changed. In the past, I would talk myself out of exercising. But the pressure from the Daily Herald almost guaranteed I'd exercise four or five times a week.

Did your health improve?

My blood pressure has been much more consistent. It was 140/90 prior to starting this program. Now it's 120/70. My cholesterol is 192, but my HDL (the good cholesterol) is 72, which is incredibly good. I am really not on the charts now for heart risk, diabetes or even high blood pressure. I am pretty fit!

I've also lost 6 percent to 8 percent body fat. I think I'm much stronger and leaner, so I feel much better.

What advice would you give someone contemplating the same change?

I would say you can do it. I think everyone can do it if they can go in small steps. For me, that was eating breakfast, changing out bad snacks for fruits and vegetables, and not talking myself out of exercise.

Once you see a little progress, you feel better about yourself and you can continue. But you need small steps.

Another key was to have someone encourage you. If you can identify one other person who encourages you, I think it makes a big difference.

What is your goal for next year?

My goal is to maintain my weight. For the last four to six weeks, I've been at 179. I'd like to keep my weight under 180.

I worked hard this year, and I really don't want that to go down the drain. It's important, now that I've achieved this goal, to maintain that.

When I first started, I didn't see myself losing any weight. I'd always been at 200 pounds. Now, I can't see being back at 200 pounds. I have my friends and family, who I hope won't allow me to go back to 200 pounds.

Fred Coombs

63, Wheeling

How did you do with your resolution to quit smoking?

I did quit smoking in the first week of February. I used the patch and took the lozenges as fill-in, and that went on for six to eight weeks.

Then a lot of stress came up, and I started smoking. It was like running back to an old friend. I thought one or two cigarettes wouldn't hurt me. That was a mistake. I got sucked back into smoking on a regular basis.

Do you feel you achieved anything?

There's a couple of positives. One, I proved I can stop, although it's not easy. And No. 2, I'm not smoking as much as I was before. I'm smoking about 10 a day, rather than a pack a day.

Do you still want to quit smoking?

Yes, I do want to quit. I've talked to a lot of people about Chantix, and I haven't met one who was unsuccessful taking the drug. I purchased it last week and read the instructions.

This is my last option. I've tried everything else. I could write a book on how not to stop.

What advice can you offer other people who want to quit smoking?

Write out a plan how you're going to approach this. The plan should include the possibility you might return to smoking, and how you would counter that. I would highly recommend a supplemental drug, such as the patch or Chantix, although the patch didn't work for me.

Barbara Goetzelman

60, Antioch

How did you do with your resolution?

I did not reach my goal, which was to lose 75 pounds. But I have learned how to eat, and I know now what I need to be doing. I didn't have a clue at the beginning of the year.

So was this a positive experience?

I lost eight pounds. Even with just eight pounds, it's easier to put my shoes on, and I have more energy. I got rid of a bunch of clothes that no longer fit.

What motivated you this year?

I remember what it was like to be skinny and to be able to do things. I want to be active in my senior years, and my weight is not good for my hips and knees. I don't want to sit in a rocking chair and watch the world go by.

I knew I wasn't eating right. Part of that came from a couple of years of cancer treatments, but I needed to get back on track. I was turning 60 and wanted to hike Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, and I needed to lose some weight.

How did you change your eating habits?

Dana Petersen (my dietitian at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville) taught me I wasn't eating enough fiber and not enough fruits and vegetables. I've added more whole grains. I'm experimenting with things I wouldn't eat before. She also taught me that just because I am watching what I eat doesn't mean I have to give up everything.

But I don't have the same taste for sweets that I used to. Fat in any quantity bothers me. Even the smell of McDonald's is enough to do it.

What was the most difficult challenge?

Giving up chocolate and ice cream. I'm glad Dana told me about Skinny Cow ice cream treats.

How are you going to keep this going?

My goal for the holidays is to not gain. Next year, I'm going to follow Dana's plan and add more physical activity. If we get snow in January, I'm going to snowshoe. I've already made my reservations to go hiking at Isle Royale next August.

What advice would you give someone planning a similar change?

I'd tell them to do it gradually and not give up on it. Don't get discouraged. You have to want to do it for yourself. I learned that I really can lose weight, but the incentive has to be there.