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Resolution: Mass control - a new beginning
  
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Well, Courier readers, Resolution: Mass Control is a launch. We were able to round up three participants in our inaugural project in helping Teller County residents get fit in the new year. Three brave souls, Cori Freed, Carl Ross and Todd Dreiling, have been selected for an eight-week fitness program which includes expert personal team training from the Courier’s fitness pro, Cord Prettyman of Absolute Fitness, and Anne Bunge at Woodland Fitness, owned and operated by Mary Nein. The participant who loses the most proportional weight will be given a six-month membership to Woodland Fitness.
But that prize is a couple months and dozens of pounds away. First, let’s meet the participants.
Cori Freed
Freed, a postal worker in Divide, said just the word “diabetic” was enough to motivate her into a lifelong change. At 37 years old, Freed stepped on a scale and saw the number 280 staring back.
Freed, in her application letter, wrote that she had always seen weight as an issue, even as a child.
“I remember weighing over 100 pounds at age 11,” her letter to the Courier stated. “I was the last kid to get picked for games and sports in school, my friendships were few. Fried meat, potatoes, gravy, and maybe a vegetable and always a clean plate were meals. Cookies, candy and sugar always. I didn’t grow up in an active home. In middle school I played Volleyball for two years, but was forbidden to play in high school. I discovered Pepsi, sometimes drinking a six-pack a day. I was over 200 pounds on graduation day and already on medication for high blood pressure.”
Freed said she spent so much time looking after the loved-ones in her life, her own wellbeing took a backseat.
“Until seven years ago, I have worked two jobs and been the caretaker for my Mom and Grandma. I took care of friends, family, etc, but not myself. I was a workaholic, mostly to stay busy and not wanting to deal with life. I ate between jobs and whatever I could buy or cook quickly.”
Freed did have some success on her own. She joined Take Off Pounds Sensibly, lost about 20 pounds and began playing volleyball during lunch. Ten years ago she came within 5 pounds of her graduation weight.
“I am now married with a 3-year-old son,” Freed wrote to the Courier. “Twelve months ago, my second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The doctor mentioned diabetic and metabolic syndrome. I was shocked and devastated. Where did diabetes come in? … I am scared to death of “Diabetic.” After a thorough test, I am not diabetic, but a candidate for pre-diabetic. I changed my diet, making more healthy and sensible choices, and drinking diet soda. I have tried new healthier foods. This past summer, I completed two 5 K walks under my goal of 55 minutes. I have lost almost 30 pounds this year. But I seem to be stuck.”
Freed said she wants “to be healthy and fit for the first time in my life. I dream of more children, running a 5 K and marrying my husband again, this time in a little white dress.”
Carl Ross
Ross, a retiree, said he has plenty of time to devote to getting fit. While Ross says he’s exercised religiously for years, including weight training, walking his dogs 45 minutes a day, and even occasionally visiting with a personal trainer, weight loss has never been as much of a goal in the past as it is right now.
Regarding Resolution: Mass Control, Ross said, “This came at the time I was going to set up a series of appointments with a trainer anyway. Normally work with a trainer once a year … It’s a good chance to work with Cord.”
Ross said he made the decision to get fit on his own, without the prodding of family.
According to his application letter, “I have not been able to lose the accumulated business luncheons from my working life after four years of retirement,” Ross wrote, adding his goal is to lose 8-10 pounds during the eight weeks of training and 50 to 60 pounds in the long run.”
As to whether thousands of readers tracking his progress will add motivation?
“I hadn’t really thought about others watching,” Ross said. “I’m tracking my own progress. That’s all that really counts.”
Todd Dreiling
Dreiling makes no excuses. But he is making plans. Dreiling, when he spoke to the Courier, was on his way to get some new athletic shoes for the program.
In Dreiling’s application letter, he wrote: “On Nov. 7, 2008, I made a decision that it was time to change my lifestyle and become a more fit and healthy individual. I'm a 35-year-old male whose blood pressure, cholesterol and weight are out of control. I have struggled with weight the better portion of my adult life and attribute most of my weight gain to poor choice in foods, portion control and lack of exercise. I do not have any physical limitations, therefore, I do not have any excuses why I did not start this lifestyle change years ago.”
Dreiling indeed, will not make excuses. “My wife has a college degree in nutrition,” he said. “I have to do this.” Even with a wife who has an eye on nutrition, the choice to make a change, like Ross, was all Dreiling’s.
He visited a doctor and his results were concerning.
“That morning, I weighed in at 295 pounds, blood pressure 146/97 and a resting heart rate of 81. This was with my blood pressure medication that I had been taking for six months …
“The first two weeks were dedicated to stopping a couple of bad habits. First was to reduce the amount of soda that I consumed on a daily basis. Forty-eight to 64 ounces of soda several times a day was a normal amount for me to drink. Instead of soda, I started drinking hot tea. Second, was to stop the consumption of alcohol. Drinking beer was one of my favorite past time activities but yielded a lot of wasted calories. I started to walk on my treadmill and made more of an effort to eat healthier foods. During the first two weeks I was able to shed close to eight pounds and had a noticeable drop in my blood pressure and resting heart rate.”
Dreiling is not ready to stop, though.
“I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children ages 3 years and 20 months that mean the world to me. To say that I want to watch my children grow up is an understatement,” Dreiling wrote, adding in a phone conversation that he had a 35-year-old friend suffer from a heart attack last year.
“It was a real eye-opener to me,” Dreiling said. “I tried to eat healthier after he had his heart attack and survived, but I didn’t make a lifestyle change. I just tried to go on a diet.”
Finally, Dreling sees his health as a hindrance to helping his neighbors.
“Another reason for my lifestyle change is that I want to give back to the community,” Dreiling wrote. “I've always had a passion for helping people in need and read an article in the Pikes Peak Courier View about a K9 Search & Rescue Unit that was formed in Teller County. Shortly after reading the article I became volunteer member of the K9 Search & Rescue Team. My canine [Cooper] and I have been training with the unit for the past 13-15 months on the different skills to become an effective K9/Handler team. Cooper and I have come a long way and are getting close to a national certification for K9 Search and Rescue. With that certification comes real life searches in real life situations where people's lives are depending on you. I need to be in great physical condition before I set foot on the side of Pikes Peak in search of the lost hiker or the rescue teams might have two subjects to evacuate.”
So is Dreiling dreading working out nearly everyday for the next eight weeks? Not in the least.
“I’m totally excited,” he said.
The Courier will update the progress of the three participants on Jan. 28.
But that prize is a couple months and dozens of pounds away. First, let’s meet the participants.
Cori Freed
Freed, a postal worker in Divide, said just the word “diabetic” was enough to motivate her into a lifelong change. At 37 years old, Freed stepped on a scale and saw the number 280 staring back.
Freed, in her application letter, wrote that she had always seen weight as an issue, even as a child.
“I remember weighing over 100 pounds at age 11,” her letter to the Courier stated. “I was the last kid to get picked for games and sports in school, my friendships were few. Fried meat, potatoes, gravy, and maybe a vegetable and always a clean plate were meals. Cookies, candy and sugar always. I didn’t grow up in an active home. In middle school I played Volleyball for two years, but was forbidden to play in high school. I discovered Pepsi, sometimes drinking a six-pack a day. I was over 200 pounds on graduation day and already on medication for high blood pressure.”
Freed said she spent so much time looking after the loved-ones in her life, her own wellbeing took a backseat.
“Until seven years ago, I have worked two jobs and been the caretaker for my Mom and Grandma. I took care of friends, family, etc, but not myself. I was a workaholic, mostly to stay busy and not wanting to deal with life. I ate between jobs and whatever I could buy or cook quickly.”
Freed did have some success on her own. She joined Take Off Pounds Sensibly, lost about 20 pounds and began playing volleyball during lunch. Ten years ago she came within 5 pounds of her graduation weight.
“I am now married with a 3-year-old son,” Freed wrote to the Courier. “Twelve months ago, my second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The doctor mentioned diabetic and metabolic syndrome. I was shocked and devastated. Where did diabetes come in? … I am scared to death of “Diabetic.” After a thorough test, I am not diabetic, but a candidate for pre-diabetic. I changed my diet, making more healthy and sensible choices, and drinking diet soda. I have tried new healthier foods. This past summer, I completed two 5 K walks under my goal of 55 minutes. I have lost almost 30 pounds this year. But I seem to be stuck.”
Freed said she wants “to be healthy and fit for the first time in my life. I dream of more children, running a 5 K and marrying my husband again, this time in a little white dress.”
Carl Ross
Ross, a retiree, said he has plenty of time to devote to getting fit. While Ross says he’s exercised religiously for years, including weight training, walking his dogs 45 minutes a day, and even occasionally visiting with a personal trainer, weight loss has never been as much of a goal in the past as it is right now.
Regarding Resolution: Mass Control, Ross said, “This came at the time I was going to set up a series of appointments with a trainer anyway. Normally work with a trainer once a year … It’s a good chance to work with Cord.”
Ross said he made the decision to get fit on his own, without the prodding of family.
According to his application letter, “I have not been able to lose the accumulated business luncheons from my working life after four years of retirement,” Ross wrote, adding his goal is to lose 8-10 pounds during the eight weeks of training and 50 to 60 pounds in the long run.”
As to whether thousands of readers tracking his progress will add motivation?
“I hadn’t really thought about others watching,” Ross said. “I’m tracking my own progress. That’s all that really counts.”
Todd Dreiling
Dreiling makes no excuses. But he is making plans. Dreiling, when he spoke to the Courier, was on his way to get some new athletic shoes for the program.
In Dreiling’s application letter, he wrote: “On Nov. 7, 2008, I made a decision that it was time to change my lifestyle and become a more fit and healthy individual. I'm a 35-year-old male whose blood pressure, cholesterol and weight are out of control. I have struggled with weight the better portion of my adult life and attribute most of my weight gain to poor choice in foods, portion control and lack of exercise. I do not have any physical limitations, therefore, I do not have any excuses why I did not start this lifestyle change years ago.”
Dreiling indeed, will not make excuses. “My wife has a college degree in nutrition,” he said. “I have to do this.” Even with a wife who has an eye on nutrition, the choice to make a change, like Ross, was all Dreiling’s.
He visited a doctor and his results were concerning.
“That morning, I weighed in at 295 pounds, blood pressure 146/97 and a resting heart rate of 81. This was with my blood pressure medication that I had been taking for six months …
“The first two weeks were dedicated to stopping a couple of bad habits. First was to reduce the amount of soda that I consumed on a daily basis. Forty-eight to 64 ounces of soda several times a day was a normal amount for me to drink. Instead of soda, I started drinking hot tea. Second, was to stop the consumption of alcohol. Drinking beer was one of my favorite past time activities but yielded a lot of wasted calories. I started to walk on my treadmill and made more of an effort to eat healthier foods. During the first two weeks I was able to shed close to eight pounds and had a noticeable drop in my blood pressure and resting heart rate.”
Dreiling is not ready to stop, though.
“I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children ages 3 years and 20 months that mean the world to me. To say that I want to watch my children grow up is an understatement,” Dreiling wrote, adding in a phone conversation that he had a 35-year-old friend suffer from a heart attack last year.
“It was a real eye-opener to me,” Dreiling said. “I tried to eat healthier after he had his heart attack and survived, but I didn’t make a lifestyle change. I just tried to go on a diet.”
Finally, Dreling sees his health as a hindrance to helping his neighbors.
“Another reason for my lifestyle change is that I want to give back to the community,” Dreiling wrote. “I've always had a passion for helping people in need and read an article in the Pikes Peak Courier View about a K9 Search & Rescue Unit that was formed in Teller County. Shortly after reading the article I became volunteer member of the K9 Search & Rescue Team. My canine [Cooper] and I have been training with the unit for the past 13-15 months on the different skills to become an effective K9/Handler team. Cooper and I have come a long way and are getting close to a national certification for K9 Search and Rescue. With that certification comes real life searches in real life situations where people's lives are depending on you. I need to be in great physical condition before I set foot on the side of Pikes Peak in search of the lost hiker or the rescue teams might have two subjects to evacuate.”
So is Dreiling dreading working out nearly everyday for the next eight weeks? Not in the least.
“I’m totally excited,” he said.
The Courier will update the progress of the three participants on Jan. 28.
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