New You Resolution update
Week 4
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From left: Kimberley Everett, David Peck, Kathryn Burkholder, and Michael and Pam Kirkbride.
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Dr. Sanjay Gupta's weekly check of Kimberley, David, Kathryn, Pam and Michael tracking their progress in the 'New You Resolution.' (January 27)
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SPECIAL REPORT
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Read more about the participants:
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HEALTH LIBRARY
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| TAKE-HOME TIPS |
What you can learn from our participants' progress, according to their trainers and health experts:
Serial quitters succeed -- It takes the average person 5 to 7 times to successfully quit smoking.
Seek out support -- A support network can triple chances of success.
Avoid weight gain -- Add a daily 15-minute walk and drop a hundred calories from your diet. Even if you gain, experts say don't worry: the health damage of smoking a pack of cigarrettes a day is equal to carrying around 60 extra pounds.
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(CNN) -- During the eight weeks of the New You Resolution program, CNN will check in with the participants and report on their progress, problems or any worries they might have. Below are updates for Week 4:
Kathryn Burkholder
Kathryn Burkholder says she's beginning to feel like her old self again after weeks of not smoking.
"I feel OK now. I still wake up and say, 'Oh, I can't smoke today,' but I don't think about it all the time like I did the first two weeks."
She's gone 27 days without a cigarette. And at a pack-a-day she used to smoke, that adds up to 540 cigarettes she's gone without so far.
Her support system has been her key to success, she explained.
"Really involving pretty much everyone in my life, and having all my friends know you're trying to quit, and having all that extra support -- that just makes all the difference in the world," she said.
Kathryn surprised herself by keeping the weight off. Hiking in North Georgia was her latest exercise outing and she said she's been sticking to a healthy eating plan.
"I've been trying to eat as many vegetables as I can. And that makes you not as hungry for other types of food," she said. "But I haven't been depriving myself either."
For her progress, she treated herself to a shopping spree at the mall.
"Small things to me are kind of big rewards," she said.
David Peck
David Peck took his New You program on the road by packing a new foam roller prescribed by his trainer for stress. He did use it on an overnight trip, but David said he isn't particularly wild about the piece of exercise equipment.
"[It's] too big. The likelihood I take it with me again.. that makes a zero," he chuckled.
He's also continuing to work out and eat right.
"It's the new me. Not finishing the plate," he said of his decidedly smaller portion sizes.
All the changes, he said, are combining to boost his energy.
Kimberley Everett
Kimberley Everett gets an early start to her workout.
"Who are those people who wake up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the gym? I guess I've become one somehow," she said.
She hasn't missed one session yet. She's also following the dietician's eating plan -- plenty of fruits and vegetables.
She did well on her night out on the town: only one drink, but she skipped dinner. A nutrition no-no, the dietician warned.
"I remember [her] telling me not to skip a meal, but I had a crazy day," said Kim.
Kim's prescription for losing weight safely is to stay on a 1,500 calories-a-day plan. Her trainer is also advising her to skip the weigh-in this week, turning the focus on fitness, not weight loss.
Pam and Michael Kirkbride
Halfway through the program, Pam and Michael Kirkbride still have some weaknesses but are making progress.
The worst diet no-no in the last three weeks? For Michael, it's french fries. And Pam's indulgence was McDonald's, but she had a kiddie-sized meal.
But most importantly, the Kirkbrides have been finding time to work out, and are seeing results.
"You know what? On Friday, two people at work were like, 'Did you lose weight?'" Pam reported excitedly.
She's lost 4 pounds while Michael has lost almost 10.
"Sticking to it is getting harder, but we're doing 300 percent more than we were doing three weeks ago, " said Pam.
