A Conversation with Jason

Jason Asciola has lost 164 lbs. in the HMR Program in Auburndale, MA.
 

He is now in Phase 2 – still losing some weight and working on maintaining his weight loss.

You’ve had a long history of dieting and then struggling with managing your weight. Can you take me through that?

I first remember thinking about my weight when I was in junior high. Before that, I'm not sure I even knew what it meant or even thought that it was a bad thing that I shopped in the husky section as a child. But early on, I never focused on calories in, just calories out. I was never very successful.

The first time I focused on my diet was in high school, and it was a simple plan. I could eat as much I wanted of any food, as long as it had no fat. I totally made up the diet. It worked for a while – I lost about 40 pounds. Then, throughout college I ignored my body and weight until my senior year, when I lost 50 pounds. Then I gained it back. A few years later I tried the Atkins® diet. I lost 50 pounds, hit a plateau and gained it back. I then tried Weight Watchers®. I lost 50 pounds, then it stopped and I gained it back, plus more. Around 2006 I joined HMR. I lost 120 pounds and then got overly confident and thought I did not need [what was called at the time] maintenance. And over the next four years, all the weight came back.

Well, you’re back at HMR. What is different this time?

The last time I was on this diet, I let a major life event be a reason for "cheating." And from that very first moment where I went out of my “dieting box” in Phase 1, it was impossible to get back in. Slowly, more and more outside foods came in. I found a reason to justify every piece of high-calorie food I put in my mouth. This time, there was going to be no excuse. And I knew that I needed to join Phase 2 (maintenance). To keep this weight off, I was going to have to say ‘no’ to certain foods.

The best way to be successful in Phase 2 with saying ‘no’ is practicing the same behaviors as in Phase 1. My diet box in Phase 2 is different. I allow myself certain things but, still to this day, have not opened it up to anything that would be considered ‘unhealthy.’ I eat fish, grilled chicken, sushi, egg whites, yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese as a source of extra protein for variety. The only grains I really have at this point are the pasta, rice and hot cereal included in HMR meals. If I'm out for lunch or dinner and I get a salad, unless the calories are listed and under 500, I ask for all the fixings (cheese, nuts, and dressing) on the side so I control if and how much of them I want to eat. Other than that, even being in Phase 2, I’m sticking to the Healthy Solutions diet about 80% of the time.

Did you reach your goal weight in Phase 1?

I never really had a specific weight-loss goal. I don't remember ever being at a healthy weight. I just got to a point where my mind and body wanted something different. And before I even entertained the thought of expanding my box in Phase 1, I went to Phase 2. I'm currently around 210 and looking to be around 195 for my next goal. I really don't care how slowly it comes off here in Phase 2, as long as it does. I'm happy in my body right now, so my focus is more on just maintaining, while expanding my options for healthy food choices, and pushing my body further to become a healthier person physically as well.

What was it like transitioning out of Phase 1 while still wanting to lose weight and what has happened since?

I was always talking to my instructors throughout all of Phase 1, telling them that I would rather transition to Phase 2 a little early rather than too late. I wanted to make sure I was proactively transitioning because it was time for a change, not because the change had already happened and I needed to adjust the program to fit what was already happening. For me, having been at the place where I lost a lot of weight and then gained it all back plus some, it is so much more important for me to protect this weight loss than to lose more weight.

What advice do you have for someone who is in Phase 1 of the HMR Program?

Three things: First, more is better: convince yourself that there is no such thing as eating too many “in the box” foods. Second, variety is important: shakes, entrees, soups, cereals, puddings and every combination of those, mixed with a variety of syrups, spices, and other “Phase 1 friendly” items will lead you to recipes you never thought were possible. Lastly, give yourself over to the program. This is actually very liberating. Spending so much time in my life thinking about what I'm eating and how I looked was exhausting. When I started HMR, I gave myself over completely to the idea of a "decision-free" diet. I didn't think or worry about what I was eating. If it was “in the box,” I ate it. And I ate a lot of it.

Given your success here, is there anything else you’d offer that you would have found helpful yourself?

Yes! Listen. The health educators have a lot of great combined experience. I often hear people in class shut down new ideas right in their tracks before even considering them. It’s important for people to realize that if they had the skills to lose weight and maintain their weight loss, then they would not be here. They would be thin and happy on their own. So when you are offered a new recipe, or a new time to eat, or told to eat more food, or to completely change your “outside-of-the-diet habits” to see if it will help, do it!

Obviously if what you are doing now was working for you, then you wouldn't need to be here. Change is needed. It's not fun, it can be uncomfortable, and sometimes it can even be painful. But, to become the person you have always wanted to be, you need to start doing the things that that person would do. And, if you are an overweight person, then you have been living your life doing the things an overweight person does. So, those things need to change if you ever hope to be a person who is at a healthy weight. But it can be done, and I’m proof of that.

Hear more from Jason by clicking here.

Do you have a dieting success story you would like to share? Email rjriess@hmrboston.com for more information.
 

by RickRiess on 09/26/2011 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Weight-Loss, HMR, motivation, in the box, mood, strategies