How the Meta Challenge Helped Jamie Meet His Goals

We all know how difficult it can be to make changes in our eating and exercise habits. So I love it when I hear success stories and am always curious to learn what tactics were used to make the changes. Meet Jamie, a typical guy who likes to eat “man-sized” portions, pizza with his kids and burgers and cold beer at BBQs. Jamie was on an ongoing quest to get in shape and eat healthier … but wasn’t making any headway. But then a Challenge helped him get results. Enter the Meta Challenge …

Wellness Brand Meta sponsored four “Meta Memphians” as part of its partnership with the City of Memphis, Tennessee. They served as inspiration in the city as they made small changes in their lives to create a lifetime of healthy habits. The Meta Memphians received support from local nutritionists and personal trainers, took part in health screenings, and integrated Meta products into their healthier lifestyles. Jamie was lucky to be one of the Meta Memphians.  (pic is of some of Jamie’s food choices in the past!)

Here is my interview with Jamie:

1) Why did you get involved with the Meta Challenge program?  When did you first get involved with it?   
I initially got involved with the Meta project through a friend that is familiar with it here in Memphis. He said that he had been watching my social media posts about running and fitness and my battle of trying to not only get into shape but also control my eating habits. I would post things like a picture at the grocery store of a bag of chips and a bag of almonds … with a title like “decisions, decisions, decisions”. He asked me if I would be interested in taking the challenge and of course I said yes. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life! I’ve been on the program now for about 6 months … and going strong!

2) Since you started, what changes have you made to improve your health?
Exercise
Since starting this journey the biggest changes I have made are to the amount of food that I eat and the way that I work out. I was already working out on a regular basis prior to starting the program, and according to my nutritionist I was already eating pretty healthy. So my trainer, who is amazing by the way, (Leigh Ruston) essentially retaught me how to work out. Instead of power lifting and trying to gain muscle mass and taking an hour and a half in the gym, I can go in work multiple muscle groups all at the same time and be done in thirty minutes and get a significantly harder workout in. I used to work out 5-6 times a week, now it’s about 4 times.
Food
As far as eating goes, I like food so it’s hard for me not to have seconds if something is really good. I was constantly pushing myself to the limit with the quantities of food I was eating. My nutritionist taught me to gauge how full I was before during and after eating. I realized I was getting to a 10 with every meal! To imagine a 9, think of thanksgiving dinner and how full you are afterwards. Well, a ten is when you go back for that second piece of pumpkin pie even though you know you are already stuffed.

3) What have been your biggest roadblocks so far?
My biggest roadblocks so far are the discipline to eat healthy MOST of the time and to only more moderate sized portions of food. I love pizza, hamburgers and cold beer! Those things are fine to eat as long as you do so in moderation. The problem is that for a guy at a cookout, eating just one small hamburger is just not going to cut it. Or having only 1 slice of pizza with my kids.

4) How are you finding support in your journey?
Since starting down this road, I have received a lot of help from my fiancée, who takes food out from in front of me, won’t let me order desert, cleans my kids plates before I have a chance to finish them for them. Another place I get support is of course my trainer and nutritionist, but also I am in a group on Facebook called “let’s do this”, where people post pictures and recipes and different things to try and motivate each other to stay the course and live a healthier life.

5) Give me three ways you are preparing for the summer with regard to snacking and health overall?
Well in the south, summer starts around the end of May when the temps start hitting the 90’s so we have been in summer for a month now almost. But I’ve been handling the eating by eating lots of salads (preferably with some chicken and strawberries). I also have a bag of trail mix with me when I leave the house almost every time. I also absolutely love Meta bars … the cranberry lemon drizzle is delicious! They are quick, they are easy, and honestly they are yummy when they get all melty from being in my car on a hot day.

7) How has this challenge helped you to feel better?
My energy levels have improved as well as my strength and endurance at the gym. I also find that I’m sleeping better.

8) Any last minute tip that helps you stay on track? How do you resist the extra burgers, pizza and beer? Water, water, water! I eat and drink fast, whether it’s water, tea, lemonade or beer. So by drinking more water, it helps to slow my food/beer intake down immensely. And since we are lucky enough to have some of the best drinking water in the world here in Memphis, I can just fill my glass up out of the tap. This also goes along way with controlling hunger throughout the day. Instead of snacking, I down a bottle of water. This holds me over until it’s time for a snack or meal. I find that my energy levels increase when I increase my water intake.

Use some of Jamie’s tips to help you meet your health goals:

1. Get a support system in place. I’d recommend that you start with the people closest to you – significant others, family, friends, even co-workers. Jamie’s fiancée (see pic) did a great job helping him stay away from tempting food. Other ideas are to use technology and social media. There are apps where you can record what you eat and websites to post pics of your food. You can even join an online group like Jamie did. Many people (me!) also find activity trackers to be motivating in keeping you moving. You might even want to consider a challenge like Jamie did!

2. Problem solve. Think about your biggest roadblocks and come up with a plan on how you will handle them.

3. Plan healthy snacks. This can help you from overeating at the next meal. I recommend snacks that contain protein and fiber and are high in volume/low in calories (like fruits and vegetables).

4. Mix your exercise program up. If you’ve been doing the same routine for a while and not seeing results, try something different. I found it interesting that Jamie was able to cut his gym time by 50% AND get a tougher workout by learning a new way to work out. The trick is to work different muscle groups at the same time. The workout becomes more intense, burns more calories and gets you fitter faster. Try a boot camp class or sign up for a 10 K road race.

5.When making changes, think about the benefits you will reap versus how you are depriving yourself. Being able to keep up with your kids in a ball game or comfortably button your pants is better than the short term pleasure of a few extra beers and burgers.

6.Keep up with your water intake, especially in this hot weather. Not only can it help increase energy levels, but it can help you to eat less.

To learn more about Jamie’s progress and watch his videos, check out his facebook videos
Video #1
Video #2
Video #3 

Disclosure: I am a paid consultant with Meta Health