Am I Hungry? Success Stories

Dawn's Story

Several years ago, Dawn recognized that while she was doing a great job taking care of other people, it was often at her own expense. The result of this neglect was an overweight, under-fit body that didn't suit her busy lifestyle as a business professional, wife, and mother of two young children. Granting herself permission to focus on her concerns, she made a pledge to make better choices - starting with getting her weight under control.

First, Dawn sought the advice of her physician. Then, she took an approach indicative of her business savvy: surrounding herself with the experts at Am I Hungry? who served as her facilitators for change. Their professional and personalized approach served as the cornerstone for Dawn's resolve to lose the weight "for the last time." She didn't, however, foresee how this commitment to change would direct her on a path toward self-awareness and personal growth.

The Am I Hungry? Weight Management Program provided Dawn with the necessary expertise in the psychosocial, fitness, and nutrition aspects of weight and life management. She immediately began applying the knowledge and tools she gained into her daily life. She learned to be aware of her body and listen when it says, "Hey! I'm really not hungry" even when she wanted to eat. She is now able to gauge her hunger level before, during, and after eating. Initially, Dawn discovered that she was often eating to an "8" ("Discomfort"), but by the end of the program (and still today), she eats to a desirable "5" ("satisfied") with ease.

Clearly, the lessons have had a lasting impact. Learning to recognize the environmental and emotional "triggers," like stress, that were causing her to want to eat even when she wasn't hungry provided her with insight into her actions that, previously, Dawn had never "owned." Acknowledging her responses to those triggers empowered her to change them. Combined with lessons in Fitness and Nutrition Essentials, this newfound insight allowed Dawn to adopt a fresh perspective on her motivations. By refocusing her goal on good health, rather than thinness, Dawn has achieved balance in her life.

While Dawn may not describe her approach to weight management as businesslike, in many ways it is. Her vision of where she wants to be encompasses both her professional and personal life, and she sets her goals accordingly. One such goal - improved personal health - involved more than just weight loss. Surprisingly, incorporating physical activity into her day became easy when she d id it to improve her health and energy - rather than to punish herself for overeating. Furthermore, recognizing her psychological triggers illuminated the correlation between Dawn's overeating and her "need" to smoke. This insight allowed Dawn to analyze the common emotional cues - and break her smoking habit too!

Today, three years into her new lifestyle, Dawn is closing in on her goal and proclaims, "It's just not an effort to lose weight anymore." One thing Dawn is very clear on: She will never diet again. She learned, through Am I Hungry?, that all things are possible - including weight loss - with a foundation of self-awareness, new tools, and this life-changing approach.

Read more about Am I Hungry? Weight Management Programs.