From the Classroom: Results of the Triple Imperative Challenge

In the US today, dieting is down – big time. It’s a paradox: on one hand more Americans are overweight than ever before¹, but on the other hand, according a recent major survey on the health habits of Americans, concern about weight and weight-loss are at an all-time low². Wow. Welcome to The Gap™.

In contrast to this, people in HMR Phase 2 classes across the country are working hard! We’re finishing up our annual push to practice an even higher level of the behaviors of program during our National Triple Imperative™ Challenge.

If you go into any Phase 2 class across the country you’ll hear plans being made, goals being set, problems being solved to support better weight management. You’ll also hear many people using the Triple Imperative Challenge to push past some very good-sounding reasons to not go the extra mile (literally!).

Here is a brief exchange from a 21-person Phase 2 Class in Massachusetts. The coach is Jenny who routinely does 35 HMR meal replacements per week, 45 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3,000 in PA. Jenny is also recently down 12 lbs.

Jenny: So what has been useful about pushing during a challenge like this so far?

Sue: “The Challenge adds structure for me, and I’ve really taken on extra planning. The difficult part has been the exercise, but I’ve been getting up earlier than normal to get it in…”

Bonnie: “During the first week of the Challenge I was away travelling. And it was really hard to find fruits and vegetables. So every morning I had a double shake and coffee to start the day. I would not have done that, if we weren’t in the challenge...”

Bill: “One thing I’ve done is to work on my PA to get it up and to do better. I have specific issues with my legs. I finished physical therapy last week, and yesterday I signed up for a new club two miles away – I’ve been there at 5am every morning!”

Julene: “I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years, and I almost always get my Triple in. I know if I don’t meet it, I’m going to get in trouble, so that’s why I always push. But this past weekend as I finished up Saturday, I realized that if I didn’t really push on PA I wasn’t going to make 2,000. So even though it was Mother’s Day I ran out early before an entire day of plans and got it in…”

Jenny: “Can anyone comment about the value of pushing on all three behaviors of the Triple at once?”

Bonnie: “The behaviors are complimentary… You don’t typically do a big bout of PA and then go and eat it all away in one Gap food, and vice versa. You don’t want eat all “in the box” foods and then do no PA and not have the calorie deficit you could have had if you’d done some PA… We try to do all the behaviors all the time but having this Challenge gives you that much more incentive to do them all together…”

Jenny: “When you’re working all three behaviors at the same time, there’s just a synergy that happens with respect to calories in and calories out, and getting that right balance to either lose weight if that’s what you’re looking for, or maintain your weight… That really is all of our jobs in here: finding that right balance between the behaviors to accomplish your goals. Everyone has to find that magic number for themselves and that’s what this journey in Phase 2 is all about… through your experience here finding what that perfect level of the Triple Imperative is for you…”

These were just a few comments from a brief moment in one HMR Phase 2 class. But they represent all the hard work being done by the many people across the country involved in this year’s Triple Imperative Challenge. Congratulations to everyone on your commitment to your weight and your health.
 

1. Journal of the American Medical Association 2012; 307
   
2. 2011 Food and Health Survey – International Food Information Council Foundation

 

by RickRiess on 05/28/2012 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: HMR, motivation, exercise