Series Blog

Katie Gilmore finishes up the guest series with a few positive thoughts for our readers. We asked Katie to give us a progress report on how well she’s doing with her goals and to briefly evaluate her overall wellness journey. (Check out Katie’s original post to get a refresher on what she hopes to accomplish, and catch her video evaluating Graphite.) So, how’s she doing today? Keep reading to find out!

I fell off for about a week. It’s not difficult to pick it back up again, so that’s made the process easier. I’m also more accustomed to the searches and have built in some custom meals to cut down on my tracking time. Using the tool is a great reminder to look for opportunities to get in my fruits/vegetables. Lately I’ve noticed that I’ll choose veggie-heavy options at restaurants simply because I need to get in the servings for the day. That being said, I still enjoy a good steak dinner.

I’ve found that having a portable breakfast has helped me to stay on track with my goal of eating breakfast every day. A granola bar, a piece of fruit or a muffin seems to work well. I think I got burned out on the same kind of granola bar, which is why I lost the habit of eating breakfast. Now, I’m trying to make sure I have a variety in my pantry.

Focusing on the fruit/vegetable servings has been a natural way to keep my calories in check, which I didn’t expect. I thought I might lose focus of the calories, but thankfully I didn’t have to pay as much attention as I thought. Aside from my love of cheese, there’s not a lot you can do to make those options high-calorie. It also opens up room in my calorie counting for more indulgences like a milkshake or some dark chocolate. And the good news is that I’ve been able to maintain my weight.

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Continuing the guest series, we recently talked with Katie Gilmore about her ongoing experience using Graphite’s self monitoring tools. In the short video, Katie talks about the self-monitoring model and tell us how she’s now more calorie-conscious. Be sure to check it out!

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Jeff Leffew, a human resources executive, joins Graphite this week as our second guest of the series. Find out how Jeff stays motivated and what he has done in the past to lose weight. Check out his story below!

In the past, I’ve tried different methods for maintaining my weight. About three years ago, my wife and I tried a nutritional cleansing program called Isagenix. It was difficult, but I lost about 32 pounds. After doing the program for about a year and a half, I stopped after a back injury.

About seven or eight months ago, I began using an app on my Droid called “My Fitness Pal.” I started counting calories and losing some weight, but I didn’t stick with it long enough to see lasting results.

I’m somewhat of a competitive person, so I think that helps me stay motivated. I knew that I needed to do something to lose weight, so when I was offered the opportunity to be a guest on Graphite, I thought I would give it a try. I know with greater focus on portion control and eliminated late night snacking I can get ahead of the weight=loss curve!

After losing the weight on the nutritional cleansing program plus a few pounds using “My Fitness Pal,” I’ve gained most of the weight back. One of my goals is to drop 20+ pounds while enhancing my energy level and broadening my wardrobe options! I’d also like to exercise more consistently. Right now, my workouts aren’t very consistent – some weeks I only go the gym once or twice. My goal is to go to the gym, consistently, four times a week for high-intensity workouts. I want to burn more calories than I consume!
 

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