Twenty-four Ball State women signed up to participate in the Fall Weight Loss Challenge, a 10-week program teaching students to lose weight the healthy way. The Daily News will profile a different participant every Monday.
With a double major in advertising and journalism graphics, junior Jessika Knight has a full schedule. Between her 18 credit-hour course load, Knight squeezes in hours at her two jobs at Scotty's Brewhouse and Pita Pit. She rarely wakes up in time to grab breakfast.
"I'm lucky if I get in two meals a day," Knight said.
Although she played tennis for nine years, since attending college Knight said she barely works out. Knight and a couple of her friends have tried working out together but can't seem to stay motivated, and couldn't find a time for Ball State University's fitness classes when they could all go. So they decided to try something new.
On Sept. 14, Knight and two of her friends, Colleen Walker and Valerie Summey started the Health Education Center's Fall Weight Loss Challenge.
The main goal of the program is for every participant to lose a pound a week. By accomplishing this goal individually, participants will earn back $10 of the $20 enrollment fee. The remaining $10 can be earned back by attending every weekly meeting.
Knight said she doesn't expect to make the entire $20 back; she doubts she will lose much weight at all, considering she has gained 20 pounds since she was in sixth grade.
In middle school, Knight was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, a condition that caused her to feel tired often. Although her thyroid deficiency was regulated with medication, the treatment worked too well, shifting her deficiency to hyperactivity.
"With the fluctuation with [thyroid problems], my weight has stayed the same, but it's allowed me to eat badly ... and has hurt my motivation to work out," Knight said.
Her involvement in the program is not about the weight she'll lose; it's about forming the right habits to stay healthy.
After two weeks of the program, Knight said she's begun addressing some of her unhealthy habits. Knight started riding her bike to class whenever she can, and she and her boyfriend made a meal using recipe suggestions from last week's meeting.
Knight, Walker and Summey decided they will work out and eat a healthy dinner using some of the recipes they've learned from the program immediately after their weekly meetings.
When it comes to food, Knight admits she has a long way to go. Knight has worked in food service since age 15, but is trying to make healthier choices.
"I know I'm not going to stop eating there [at work]," she said. "I just try to find the healthier options."
Knight said she loves food, and when she does eat, she usually eats a lot.
"I'm really going to try to have smaller portion sizes with a variety of foods so it still feels like I'm eating a lot," Knight said.
One of the things Knight said she's learned from the meetings is that no food is a bad food; what's important is eating all foods in moderation.
"I can still have the things I want, just in smaller portion sizes," she said.
Cutting back is one of Knight's struggles, and she attributes some of her eating habits to her family, who are all big and tall with large features.
"My dad is 6-foot-3, my brother is 6-foot-4, my mom is 5-foot-10 and my grandfather was tall," she said.
At 5-foot-4, Knight may not have inherited her family's height, but could potentially inherit the heart problems and diabetes that also run in her family.
"I have more willpower to try to stay healthy and fix [the problems] now so I don't have to deal with those problems later in life," she said.
On top of having thyroid issues, Knight also has a resistance to insulin, a condition that makes her a candidate for type 2 diabetes, which already runs in her family.
While she keeps both of her health conditions at bay, Knight said she wants to work to ensure prevention. She's looking forward to discussing her diet and eating habits at the one-on-one session with Sturek, a registered dietitian.
"I want to learn what foods are better for me to eat and what can help," Knight said.
Changing her diet and working out more remain Knight's main goals. Losing weight would simply be a welcome side effect, she said.
"Since college, I've gotten completely out of shape and I just want to get back to being healthy," Knight said. "I don't want to be thin, I just want to be healthy."
Portions vs. Servings
A serving size is the amount listed on the nutrition labels of food products while a portion is how much you choose to eat, Sturek said.
Deck of cards = 3 ounces of meat (3 servings)Baseball = 1 cup of pasta (2 servings)Fist = one medium potato (1 serving)Hockey puck = one bagel (1 serving)1/2 a baseball = 1/2 cup of ice cream (1 serving)A large handful = 1 cup of cereal (1 serving)
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