Change is hard.

        But rewarding. That's the lesson our weight-loss warriors are learning as their first month on the Cincinnati Diet winds down.

        The Cincinnati Diet, developed for the Enquirer by Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center in Evendale, is a balanced, low-fat meal plan.

Tanya Chinn with daughter Kristena. (Brandi Stafford photos) | ZOOM |

        Our dieters have consulted with dietitians, behavioralists and fitness experts at Jewish to learn how to foster healthy new behaviors and break bad old habits.

        Now it's time for Mary Youtsey, Jerome Manigan and Tanya Chinn to take those lessons and put them to use in their daily routines.

        That's harder than it sounds when a whole city is watching.

        People have stopped Mr. Manigan at the ATM to wish him luck. Mrs. Youtsey's co-workers have hung a banner to wish her well. Mrs. Chinn's passengers on her Metro bus routes check her progress weekly. (But she was also busted by a passenger who just happens to work at her favorite fried chicken restaurant and caught her cheating on her diet.)

        But even as the pressure's on, there are small rewards — improving time on the treadmill, feeling more energetic and the wonderful feeling of clothes that are getting just a little bit too loose week by week, even if the numbers on the scale are staying the same.

Mary Youtsey walks around Fort Thomas Reservoir with Brian, 10, (left) and Monica, 9. | ZOOM |

        “It's kind of curious to me,” Mr. Manigan says. “Evidently I'm losing inches because my pants are not staying up the way they used to stay up, but I don't see much weight loss. I understand that sometimes happens, and it can take a minute or two for the scale to catch up.”

        Ms. Chinn has already begun wearing slacks in a smaller size, and Mrs. Youtsey is rediscovering parts of her wardrobe.

        “I put on some jeans that I haven't been able to wear in a long while,” she says.

        Mrs. Youtsey is also rediscovering exercise.

        “I've always known the importance of exercise, but I've always been a runner, and that was all I did,” she says. In years past, Mrs. Youtsey completed the New York City and Chicago marathons. A stress fracture a few years ago forced her to stop running, but since starting the Cincinnati Diet, she's begun walking on a treadmill at home and outdoors, as well as using a stair machine.

        A fitness consultant at Jewish Weight Management Center also convinced her to begin weight-training before her cardiovascular workout.

HOW THEY'RE DOING

Mary Youtsey, 39, of Southgate    Starting weight: 190 as of Dec. 30    Weight lost: 11 pounds since Jan. 2. She's working out on a treadmill and a stair machine and lifting weights.    Tanya Chinn, 47, Springfield Township    Starting weight: 210 pounds as of Jan. 4.    Weight lost:6 pounds.    Jerome Manigan, 53, Avondale    Starting weight: 269 pounds (as of Dec. 30).    Weight lost: 7 .

        “It's easier after I've done the weights,” Mrs. Youtsey says. “I guess it's loosened the muscles or warmed the muscles up.”

        Before beginning weight-training, Mrs. Youtsey could complete about 1.6 miles on the treadmill in 30 minutes. Now she's up to 2 miles in that half-hour span.

Taking extra time

        Our dieters have made other discoveries along the way. For Mr. Manigan and Ms. Chinn, they've learned their houses have kitchens — but they're still learning how to find time in their busy schedules to get to their kitchens.

        Ms. Chinn often works split shifts, and her schedule changes every three months. She's due to change her hours again in March.

        Fitting in exercise is hard, she says, though she tries to walk during her breaks. “It's not as much as I want to do, but I'm trying get as much in as I can,” she says. She's also started parking her car farther away from the Metro garage when she goes to work every day.

Jerome Manigan reviews meal plans with dietician Amy Ulm. | ZOOM |

        But with her daughter, Kristena, 11, questioning her about every bite she takes and her passengers asking for weekly updates, she has plenty of incentive to stick with the meal plans. She's begun packing meals to take to work and is weighing and measuring food daily. She even remembers to measure the tablespoon of flavored creamer she puts in her coffee every morning.

        Mr. Manigan, who teaches GED classes for Cincinnati Public Schools, teaches at two different sites during the day and often has meetings or other commitments for his community work during the evenings. There are days when the only meal he's home for is breakfast.

        He's tried packing a lunch, but that hasn't always worked well. And if he eats out, he has to try to fit a restaurant meal into the exchanges on which the Cincinnati Diet is based.

        “It gets to be very difficult for someone like myself who already was having difficulty eating more than one meal a day,” Mr. Manigan says. Last week, “I really struggled with not reverting to bad habits, and bad habits mean not eating three meals a day.”

        He now walks at least half a mile a day, and is getting ready to begin visiting a health club — another item to add to his busy daily agenda.        

Never giving up

        One of the tricks of making a lifestyle change is learning to think in a new way; in the case of the Cincinnati dieters, they're learning to think about eating and exercise in new ways.

        Experts will tell you that the only way to learn something new is to try it, make mistakes, and keep trying it until it becomes routine.

GO! ONLINE

For help with your own weight-loss battle, visit Cincinnati.Com for the Cincinnati Diet meal plans and information and tips on weight loss and fitness.

        Our dieters have had their slip-ups, and will have more as they continue to work on losing weight. The key to success isn't to never make a mistake or to never stray from the meal plan. The key is in getting back on the meal plan the next day and sticking with it. Giving up a weight-loss plan because of one bag of chips or one hot fudge sundae means giving up on yourself, and that means defeat.

        When Mrs. Youtsey's daughter, Monica, turned 9 last week, her birthday celebration included chocolate chip brownies and chocolate birthday cake. Mrs. Youtsey indulged, but she returned to the meal plans the next day.

        That's one of the things she's learned. The other big lesson has been allowing herself to take a break from exercise when she has too much to do because of her job and family.

        “I've been able to exercise four or five days a week, if not six,” Mrs. Youtsey says. “Now, if I miss one day, I think, I have too much on my plate and I'll do it tomorrow. Before, if I just messed up with one day of binge-eating, I thought, I blew it, and I would just go back to binging the next day. Now I know, if I eat, I'm going to go back to that person who was heavy. Now I think, if I start new today, I can make it work. I can visualize it.”

        Mr. Manigan can list the lessons he's learned so far on his first try at losing weight. “It's difficult to break old habits. I really do like cottage cheese mixed with applesauce spread on an English muffin (one of the breakfast options). That losing weight can be very, very difficult exercise for some people,” he says.

        Ms. Chinn has learned that sometimes a little public scrutiny can be a good thing. “I'm more likely to stick with it,” she jokes.
       

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