REGINA – After seeing success in Moose Jaw, Alliance Health and the YMCA are bringing their Healthy Weights Initiative to Regina.
Over 500 people in Moose Jaw have completed the 24-week program, and Alliance Health CEO Dr. Mark Lemstra thinks it can have the same success in the Queen City.
“The prevalence of obesity in Regina, according to Statistics Canada, is 27.1 per cent,” he said on Friday morning.
“Of those who are referred 95 per cent start the program. Out of those that start, 80 per cent complete the program. We’ve been experiencing very good results fat loss and health gains.”
The program is free for “chronically obese” people with a doctors referral. In Moose Jaw, people lost an average of 31 pounds.
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For the first 12 weeks of the program, patients receive five supervised exercise therapy sessions a week, one cognitive behaviour therapy session per week, and a weekly session with a dietitian.
In the second half of the program, clients will get on supervised exercise session, which acts as a check-in.
Maria Berthelette is the first person in Regina to enroll in the program, and begins next week. She said has lost weight on other programs, but ultimately regained it. However, she believes this is one she can stick with.
“Being accountable to somebody five times a week, having somebody that’s actually going to teach you how to work out properly and eat properly,” she explained.
“Being an overweight person and walking into a gym for the first time is such an intimidating feeling. Even if people aren’t looking at you, you feel like they are.”
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