Molly Morgan, our registered dietician, is the author of To Your Healthy Life.Style. Here you'll find past month's articles containing helpful advice and information on healthy eating, dairy foods, and Crowley products.

Lifestyle Changes Can Help You Lose Weight

Success of the Crowley Weight Loss Challenge

Happy New Year from Crowley! I would like to share with you a story that may help you meet your New Year’s resolution to lose weight, and offer you tips that may help you make changes in your diet and lifestyle that will help you succeed. Last year, a group of six people were challenged to participate in the CrowleyTo Your Healthy Life.Style. Weight Loss Challenge. Each person set a weight loss goal and made lifestyle changes to support their goals. The results were that five out of the six participants met their individual weight goals and, as a group, they lost a total of 75 pounds!

You can do it too. Read on to learn how to put into action the very same changes that helped the Crowley Weight Loss Challenge group lose weight!

Foundation of The Challenge

The Challenge was centered on key changes that helped the group with their weight loss success. Here is the list of changes each person committed to at the start of the Challenge:

• 24 oz in 24 hours – Three 8-ounce servings of Crowley lowfat and nonfat milk every day
• Exercise for 30 minutes at least three times per week (Read our July ’05 article for tips about types of exercise and calories burned.)
• Drink water, everyday
• Downsize portions painlessly with Plate Planning. (Read our November ’05 article for info on Plate Planning.)
• Check weight weekly
• Choose a “Sticky Challenge”

“Sticky Challenge”

What is a “sticky challenge”? It is our description for a bad-eating habit. For example, grabbing a candy bar from a vending machine everyday at work. The purpose of choosing a “sticky challenge” is to aid in zapping such bad-eating habits and changing your lifestyle to incorporate better eating habits. Here’s how:

• Think of what bad-eating habits haunt you and choose one at a time to “zap.’
• Zapping these little habits can lead to big calorie savings and help with weight loss, for example: Kick your afternoon trip to the vending machine and replace the candy bar with a 1/2 cup of Crowley Nonfat Cottage Cheese. Approximate calorie savings is about 140 calories per day, or 36,400 calories in a year, and that would result in about 10.4 pounds of weight lost in a year! (Based on five days per week for a year.)
• After you have "zapped" one sticky challenge, pick another and tackle it.

Keys To Success

Making change is tough. Here are the keys to the success of the Crowley To Your Healthy Life.Style. Weight Loss Challenge. Use these ideas to aid you in meeting your weight loss goals.

• Track your progress - it is a key to success.
• Set short-term goals. The group found that setting short-term goals was an effective way to stay committed.
• Consistency. At the beginning of the Challenge usually it is easier to take weight off, and then weight loss slows down, even when you keep the same changes in place. If this happens to you, stay consistent with the changes that you have put in place to aid in keeping pounds off and/or aid in maintaining weight.
• Support. Find a friend or family member that can support you as you make changes to improve your eating and exercise. The group found this to be an important factor in their success.

Meet The Group

The Crowley To Your Healthy Life.Style. Weight Loss Challenge group was made up of six wonderful people who all lead very busy lives, just like you. Here are their comments about the Challenge:

Dave – Goal: Stop weight gain & maintain weight

“… I found many ideas and ways of controlling my gradual weight gain, which seemed to be controlling me. I found that drinking more water and putting the 24 ounces of milk in 24 hours plan in motion helped me feel full, while at the same time, gave me the nutrition I needed to get through the day. Also, Molly has turned me on to Crowley's Nonfat Cottage Cheese with Pineapple that takes care of my incessant sweet tooth. Using these tools and products has gotten me away from my in-between meals picking and fattening sweets that were putting on the pounds.” 

Dianne – Goal: Lose 20 pounds

“… I never have felt like I was on a diet, rather I have focused on making lifestyle changes like: walking, three servings of dairy a day, and downsizing portions. Best of all I have met my goal for losing weight and plan to keep it off! … ”

Nikki – Goal: Lose 18 pounds

“ Besides the fact that Molly Morgan and Crowley did the best job they could do at helping me lose extra weight, I was not mentally prepared and did not do what was needed. … I am so happy for the team who did what needed to be done and are enjoying their weight loss results. Congrats!!! When I am mentally prepared, I plan to work at losing the weight by making lifestyle changes. ”

Don – Goal: Lose 30 pounds

“ I believe that setting our goals to improve our health with good food choices and exercise led to my weight loss. I was able to lose 10 percent of my body weight (30 pounds) over six months and I hope to keep the changes that I have made in place and lose maybe even 20 more. [ Crowley’s] nutritionist, Molly Morgan, took a personal interest in each of person in the challenge group and worked hard to help us achieve our goals. ”

Jennifer – Goal: Lose pounds

“…The program helped me to take off weight that I had wanted to lose! And I plan to try and lose about five more pounds after the challenge is over. Focusing on making little changes helped me, and making exercise a priority in my life was very effective. The support from Crowley’s nutritionist, Molly Morgan, taught me to learn new ways to manage my weight and motivated me to make changes. Thanks! … ”

Mary Lou – Goal: Lose 15 pounds

“… The weekly support was helpful and having three servings of Crowley lowfat dairy seemed to work for me. In all I lost about 14 pounds (averaged a little over two pounds per month), which is great for me. … I make far better choices now; eat smaller quantities but still need to be vigilant. ”

The information provided on our Web site is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, or cure an illness. Before starting a diet or exercise program, Crowley recommends you talk with your health care provider for consultation on what is right for you and your health.

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