We are now past the half way point with our "Weigh to Go" Challenge with the YMCA. Tuesdays are typically the day when we bring a "Y" staffer on the show to tip the scales, check on our results and get some tips and motivation, but who better to motivate you than one of the weight loss leaders of the challenge at this point in the game?
We met up with him at the gym a little earlier to learn his secrets for success.
Joseph Greenland is a local chef, and says he knows a thing or two about yo-yo dieting.
"I know a lot about nutrition, and I know a lot about food, and I've gone on many diets, but if you don't put the exercise aspect into it, not only will you not lose the weight as quickly, but you won't lose it the right way, and it will come right back on," said Greenland.
But adding the exercise component has not been easy for Greenland.
"A friend of mine actually encouraged me to do it. I've been going. I joined the Y in the summer, I was going steadily. I started going steadily in December, but I kind of wanted more motivation, and I heard about this, and yeah, it's been going great for me," he said.
"This" is the "Weigh to Go" Activity Challenge sponsored by the YMCA. It's an 8-week program centered around getting fit, with a healthy dose of competition sprinkled in.
And while Joseph's friend may have convinced him to sign up, that competitive edge is what kept him going.
"I have a big family. I have six kids, and I challenged my wife and my kids, 'Let's see who can go the most days in a row,' because I'm better with competition. So I started doing that, and they kind of dropped out. Well, they still go, but they don't go every day, and once I started going, I didn't want to break my streak," he said.
His streak has now extended past the 50-day mark, and Joseph says there's no end in sight.
"It's not just accomplishment. It's the feeling that I'm working towards a goal that I want to work to, and I'm doing it by putting forth the effort. It's not a matter of just dieting, it's going out and physically doing it, and that is a satisfying feeling," he said.
It's a feeling that's so satisfying, it has Joseph not only coming back to the gym every day for more, but twice a day on his days off.
"I'm not going to lie, it's not always enjoyable. There are sometimes I walk in here, and I smell that smell that's the YMCA, and I'm like, 'I really don't feel like working out today, I don't want to do this.' But the feeling you get when you're done, is incredible. You have to incorporate exercise into it. And if you keep doing it, and you do it every day, you will find that it is more enjoyable, and it becomes a pattern in your life, and I think it's really helping me," he said.
And it's also helping to push him to the top of the leaderboard. Joseph is only half way through the program, and he's already lost more than 20 pounds. Although it's too late to sign up for the program, he hopes his success helps encourage others to get moving.
1"I encourage everyone to at least try it, get out. Even if you only do it for a half hour a day. Even if you only do it for 10-15 minutes. Just the feeling after you've done it, will make you want to come back for more," he said.
Which is exactly what this program was designed to do.
"Our goal is just to engage that person that really is looking for something to do. They're not quite sure where to get started, and we're hoping to provide them the motivation and incentive to keep going. Not only for the eight weeks of the program, but for the entire year and making a lifestyle change," said Dan McKenna of the YMCA of Centre County.
Joseph is about one of 200 people participating in the challenge. So far, they have logged more than 231,000 activity minutes, and have lost 1,000 pounds all together.
We met up with him at the gym a little earlier to learn his secrets for success.
Joseph Greenland is a local chef, and says he knows a thing or two about yo-yo dieting.
"I know a lot about nutrition, and I know a lot about food, and I've gone on many diets, but if you don't put the exercise aspect into it, not only will you not lose the weight as quickly, but you won't lose it the right way, and it will come right back on," said Greenland.
But adding the exercise component has not been easy for Greenland.
"A friend of mine actually encouraged me to do it. I've been going. I joined the Y in the summer, I was going steadily. I started going steadily in December, but I kind of wanted more motivation, and I heard about this, and yeah, it's been going great for me," he said.
"This" is the "Weigh to Go" Activity Challenge sponsored by the YMCA. It's an 8-week program centered around getting fit, with a healthy dose of competition sprinkled in.
And while Joseph's friend may have convinced him to sign up, that competitive edge is what kept him going.
"I have a big family. I have six kids, and I challenged my wife and my kids, 'Let's see who can go the most days in a row,' because I'm better with competition. So I started doing that, and they kind of dropped out. Well, they still go, but they don't go every day, and once I started going, I didn't want to break my streak," he said.
His streak has now extended past the 50-day mark, and Joseph says there's no end in sight.
"It's not just accomplishment. It's the feeling that I'm working towards a goal that I want to work to, and I'm doing it by putting forth the effort. It's not a matter of just dieting, it's going out and physically doing it, and that is a satisfying feeling," he said.
It's a feeling that's so satisfying, it has Joseph not only coming back to the gym every day for more, but twice a day on his days off.
"I'm not going to lie, it's not always enjoyable. There are sometimes I walk in here, and I smell that smell that's the YMCA, and I'm like, 'I really don't feel like working out today, I don't want to do this.' But the feeling you get when you're done, is incredible. You have to incorporate exercise into it. And if you keep doing it, and you do it every day, you will find that it is more enjoyable, and it becomes a pattern in your life, and I think it's really helping me," he said.
And it's also helping to push him to the top of the leaderboard. Joseph is only half way through the program, and he's already lost more than 20 pounds. Although it's too late to sign up for the program, he hopes his success helps encourage others to get moving.
1"I encourage everyone to at least try it, get out. Even if you only do it for a half hour a day. Even if you only do it for 10-15 minutes. Just the feeling after you've done it, will make you want to come back for more," he said.
Which is exactly what this program was designed to do.
"Our goal is just to engage that person that really is looking for something to do. They're not quite sure where to get started, and we're hoping to provide them the motivation and incentive to keep going. Not only for the eight weeks of the program, but for the entire year and making a lifestyle change," said Dan McKenna of the YMCA of Centre County.
Joseph is about one of 200 people participating in the challenge. So far, they have logged more than 231,000 activity minutes, and have lost 1,000 pounds all together.
