Losing weight and getting healthy, in an increasingly obese and self aware society it seems that so many have a few pounds that they’d like to lose. And Jacqueline Godwin is one of them. But here at 7NEWS we thought that since it’s such a widely pursued mission, it would be useful if Jackie shared her quest for health and her battle of the bulge with viewers. Mind you, it took some convincing – because while in over a decade reporting on television Jackie has done just about every story imaginable, she’s never really done one on herself, much less an entire series. But with some arm pulling, we got her to do it – in the name of public health – because those who need to get right with themselves, can draw inspiration from Jackie’s personal ordeal on a public stage. So tonight, here’s part one in our series, called “Jackie’s battle of the Bulge.”
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
I knew that once I stepped inside Belize Integral Health Centre I had made a significant move towards living a healthier lifestyle. But like any other challenge the next three months will not be easy. My goal is to lose fifteen pounds of fat and finally take control of my high sugar count and high blood pressure.
Karen Rosito, Registered Dietician/Nutritionist
“Jackie as we know is a diabetic and hypertensive so I think it is about the right time that she come and indulge or embark on a program like this because the program is excellent for people like her who look healthy, who seem healthy, but simply are not healthy.”
My twelve week fitness challenge is managed by registered dietician and nutritionist Karen Rosito and personal fitness trainer Roberto Mariano. The couple is well known for their dedicated and disciplined approach to exercise and a healthy diet.
Karen Rosito,
“I am not going to sit here and trick anybody and tell them the program will be easy. It will not be easy. The program, on a level of one to ten, 10 being the most difficult, that program is an absolute ten.”
Daunting words, but I feel up to it and the challenge started on may fifteenth when my sugar and pressure were checked. The numbers were high:
- 218 for my sugar, which in healthy people should be between 70and 120,
- and my pressure was 150/100 – which in a healthy person should be 120 over 80.
- I weighed in at 166 pounds –I need to lose 15 pounds.
There is also a questionnaire you must answer. A part of the challenge is also maintaining a very healthy diet.
Karen Rosito,
“There is also a fruit list where if you don’t have the fruit that is recommended on the list, you can substitute it. So it is there and it is easy and of course I will be here every step of the way to guide you true.”
With that as the road map, I was on the path to a healthier lifestyle – and my dietician was satisfied:
Karen Rosito,
“I was surprised that she finally made up her mind to come and to actually get involved in the program and I must tell you that it has been, I am proud of her for coming because she has made up her mind to dedicate her time and effort to twelve weeks.”
It was then off to the gym…and for someone who has not done any real
exercise for quite some time I knew it would be both a mental and physical challenge.
As the exercise got my heart rate going and I started feeling pain and burning in areas I never knew existed, I must admit I even prayed at times to just hold on and get through it.
Karen Rosito,
“Actually when I asked her on a scale of 1 to 5 how successful do you think you are, you will be she said 3 and what that means is that I told her laughingly that that is not neither here nor there but I like people who come in at three because that means they are not over expecting and they are giving exactly what they know they can give. I would give Jackie about and 80 to 90 percent chance of finishing the programme.”
It is always important to have water on hand and take a drink during your workout because the body dehydrates quickly.
Roberto Mariano, Fitness Trainer
“Well I think for the very first day she did very, very good because most of the time when somebody comes to the gym for the first time, they get very very dizzy because what happens is their heart rate goes up so high because they are lack of exercise and she did not have that.”
They said it was going to be a challenge and boy was it a challenge. I thought the bike, first of all, would be an easy thing for me. One spell I thought my heart had just given out. I am asking Robert right now if we could spend less time on the bike but he is the drill instructor and he said this is the type of work that I need to do in order to get my body in shape and to achieve my goal. So I am going to stay with the challenge. It is for twelve weeks, we’re going to try to knock it down to six weeks but of course it all depends on me and my commitment and right now, although I am wondering right now what the hell I am getting myself into, I will remain committed.
Next week we’ll have another installation in Jackie’s battle of the bulge.
