The well-known Nike slogan “Just do
it” might best explain Mississippi epidemiologist Larry Smith’s
decision to join the Fit 4 Change Fitness Challenge in his home
town of Jackson Mississippi. Smith, a staff officer in the
Division of Medicaid in the Office of the Governor, received an
email last year inviting him to apply for a slot in an annual
event in January designed to get legislators and others to lose
weight as an example for others. Mississippi ranks high in the
United States for having the most obese residents.
Smith told the Epi Monitor that he had struggled with his weight
for many years and decided that at age 63 and weighing 262 lbs at
5’10”, he could just not put off losing weight any longer. He said
he felt miserable, and worn out, especially after playing with his
three grandchildren. I wanted to feel better about myself, he told
the Monitor, live longer and be around to see my grandkids achieve
their life milestones.
Secret To Success
When asked about his secret to success, Smith replied “I just did
what they told me to do.” Well he did that much and more to win
the competition which included approximately 200 other
contestants. For one thing, he persevered despite feeling like he
was going to die after the first day’s exercise and thinking
“there’s no way I can finish this.”
Schedule
Beginning in January, Smith arose at 4am five days a week to drive
to a boot-camp like exercise session beginning at 5 am for one
hour. In addition, he spent an hour on a treadmill every evening.
Also, he learned to like new foods. “My weakness, he told the
Monitor, is mayonnaise. I like to smother my sandwiches with it.
However, since January I have learned to substitute fat free Greek
yogurt and found that very acceptable.”
More Loss
Smith’s success did not end after 12 weeks. In the last month and
a half, he has continued to lose weight and how has lost a total
of 70 lbs. According to Smith, he runs 6 miles per day about every
day, does aerobic step exercises, and even some kick boxing.
Overall, he estimates that he exercises about two hours per day on
average. On the food side, he eats more vegetables, and white
meat such as chicken and fish, and he has largely cut out red
meat. I learned he said that it takes a combination of both
increased exercise and a better diet to lose weight.
Smith has objective evidence of improving his health. His blood
pressure in now in normal range (120/80), his glucose is normal,
and his cholesterol dropped by 50 points, he said.
Epi Perspective
Asked if being an epidemiologist gave him any advantage in his
fitness challenge, he said no. Although he knew what to do for a
long time, he said that did not make it any easier for him.
However, he admitted that understanding what was happening to him
and why his plan was working was a good thing. Also, he
acknowledged learning that successful weight loss is not an event
but a behavior change, and epidemiology reinforced that concept.
An obvious question for Smith is what his long term weight loss
goal is and what he thinks about maintaining what he has achieved.
He told the Monitor he would like to be in the 170-175 lbs range
and live a life that does not feel deprived. He said he does not
miss things he used to eat. “I don’t get up asking what can I eat
today,” he said. “I believe it is what you get used to,” he added.
Message
Asked what he would tell his fellow epidemiologists about his
weight loss, he mentioned the importance of the team concept or
herd mentality in losing weight, and he also profited from the
experience to create a new friendship with a person he now runs
with each week. He has also had his 15 minutes of fame since he
was interviewed on CNN and was congratulated by people at work and
former colleagues in the health department.
Tenacity
Smith’s tenacity it turns out has been on display not only from
his participation in the fitness program, but also in relation to
his graduate education. Smith worked as an environmental engineer
for the first half of his career and then decided to pursue a
doctoral degree at age 50. He was disillusioned with the focus on
the almighty dollar in the environmental engineering area, he
said, and went on to earn his PhD in the Division of Epidemiology
at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He graduated and
obtained his current position as the first ever epidemiologist in
the Division of Medicaid. His work involves examining trends,
preparing reports, and doing statistical analyses for the program.
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A printable PDF
version of this article is available for download by clicking
the icon to the left. |
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Larry Smith - "Before"
"...he felt miserable
and worn out, especially after playing with his three
grandchildren."
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Larry Smith - "During"
"...he persevered
despite feeling like he was going to die after the first day's
exercise..."
"...he mentioned the
importance of the team concept in losing weight..."
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Larry Smith - "After" |
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