Lynne Pieroni
Definitely on her way
BY SUSAN STEVENS
Daily Herald Health Writer
One day earlier this month, Lynne Pieroni put on
a pair of pants she hasn’t worn in a year—and buttoned
them.
Pieroni no longer gets winded carrying her laundry
downstairs. She gets compliments at work.
Even her younger sister has star ted asking Pieroni
forworkout advice.
“I’m very motivated because of what people are
saying. There are a lot of peoplewatchingmy progress.”
When Pieroni made her NewYear’s resolution to
lose weight, the scale had just reached 200 for the
first time in her life. Her cholesterol, blood pressure
and blood sugarwere reaching levels that soon
would require medication.
Three months later, she’s lost 16 pounds and
feels better than she has in years. Getting there has
meant a lot of hardwork. Doctor checkup
Pieroni started her weight-loss
journey in January with a comprehensive
health exam by Dr.
Janet Collins, medical director of
the Partners in Prevention program
at Alexian Brothers
Hospital Network in Schaumburg.
The good news: Pieroni never
smoked, and her heart, lungs,
joints and general strength
checked out. The bad news: her
blood sugar, cholesterol, weight
and other health measures are
too high:
• Blood sugar: 115. This makes
her pre-diabetic. Under 100 is
normal.
• Total cholesterol: 212. That’s
better than the 255 she scored in
November, but it should be
under 200.
• HDL cholesterol: 41. This
“good” cholesterol should be
over 50.
• Body mass index: 36.
Healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9.
• Body fat
ratio: Of her
200 pounds, 47
were fat.
Exercise and
diet can go a
long way to
bring these
numbers into a
healthier range
without medication, especially
her BMI, Collins said.
“This is where I expect to see
some dramatic improvement,”
Collins said. “As you increase
your exercise, you’ll lose fat, but
you’ll also develop more lean
musclemass.”
One other measure was a little
worrying. Pieroni’s C-reactive
protein, a marker of inflammation
in the body, was high.
Because Pieroni planned an
exercise routine, Collins recommended
a stress
electrocardiogram to rule out
heart disease.
Two weeks later, the stress test
showed Pieroni’s heart is
healthy. The real work could
begin.
Five flights
The first time trainer Bill
Jensen asked Pieroni to run up
five flights of stairs, she nearly
lost it.
“Now I know why all those
people on ‘The Biggest Loser’
are always crying,” she said. “I
was completely exhausted. But it
felt good. Kind of.”
Twice a week, Pieroni works
out with Jensen at Continental
Athletic Club in Rolling Meadows.
She also does independent
workouts three days each week.
With Jensen’s help, Pieroni
overhauled her old, too-easy
exercise routine. She lifts heavier
weights, pedals speed intervals
on the bike and runs up eleven
flights of stairs. Her clothes are
starting to fit looser.
“He’s taught me how to work
out smarter,” Pieroni said. “Now
I know what I should feel like
when I’m getting a good workout.”
Jensen has noticed how much
quicker Pieroni recovers from
exercise. He won’t let her get too
comfortable, though. Her next
challenge is around the corner:
boxing.
Protein and carbs
Pieroni has always paid attention
to the calories and fat
content of her food. For someone
with high blood sugar, that’s
not enough.
Susan Rizzo, a registered
dietitian at Alexian Brothers
Medical Center in Elk Grove Village,
taught Pieroni to also
consider how much protein and
carbohydrate she’s consuming.
Protein will keep her feeling
full, and a steady stream of carbs
will keep her blood sugar under
control.
Rizzo advised Pieroni to
choose low-fat meats; not only
will they have less artery-clogging
saturated fat, they’ll also be
lower in calories.
For example, a four-ounce
Italian sausage will have 32
grams of fat, compared to the 4
grams of fat in a four-ounce
chicken breast.
“If you’re still hungry and go
back for another serving of lean
meat, that’s not a big deal,” Rizzo
said. “If you go back for another
sausage, that could be a problem.”
Pieroni said she’s already
noticed it’s easier to control herself.
When she made bacon for
her daughters, Pieroni had just
one piece, and she was satisfied
with that.
“You’re developing your own
instincts,” Rizzo said. “Weight is
an issue that’s always going to be
there, but if you do like you’re
doing, listen to when you’re full
and stop eating, you’re not going
to have to be on a diet.”
Since January, Pieroni makes
more of her own meals, including
a lot of chicken, fish and
vegetables, rather than eating
out. She logs all her food on a
Web site, Nutrihand.com, which
calculates her calories and nutrients.
After trying to work with a
1,400 calorie diet, Pieroni lost
weight — then hit a plateau. She
was stuck on a 12-pound weight
loss for over three weeks.
“I’ve never worked at something
so hard in my life, and to
not see it in my scale was so
aggravating,” she said. “I wanted
that number to go down.”
After a weigh-in one morning
in early March, Pieroni melted
into tears. The scale still hadn’t
budged. But when Pieroni
arrived at work, a coworker complimented
her obvious weight
loss.
“That couldn’t have been
better timing,” Pieroni said.
As a result, Pieroni quit the
daily weigh-ins. Now she looks at
the scale twice a week. After testing
Pieroni’s resting metabolic
rate, Rizzo advised her to
increase her carbohydrate intake
and her calories to 1,600.
Too few calories will trick the
body into starvation mode, and
it will conserve all the energy it
can, Rizzo said.
“Because you’re also working
out, we have to fuel the body,”
Rizzo said.When Pieroni started
eating more, she lost another
three pounds.
“I’m very, very encouraged,” said Pieroni, a 48-
year-old corporate secretary from Hanover Park.