Losing Weight. Gaining Strength.

One employee’s story about finding their path to wellness may help others looking to do the same.

• 5.31.23 UPDATE:

Tony’s achieved two big milestones this month – he’s down 100 pounds and also completely off of insulin (fast acting and long acting). It’s been nearly a year of lifestyle changes to improve his health…and he’s exceling in every aspect! Congratulations, Tony! And, thank you for sharing your story.

• ORIGINAL STORY 

If you haven’t seen Tony Dominic, our Director – Safety, Health & Environment, in a while, you may not recognize him. He’s lost 70 pounds – and counting! – since June 2022. While he’s continuing to work toward his next weight-loss goal of losing another 35 pounds, he’s sharing his wellness journey to help anyone who might be looking for motivation to begin or stick with their own resolutions to build a healthier lifestyle.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

This is not Tony’s first attempt at losing weight. But, as cliché as it sounds, he knew this time would be different. Tony shares, “I was hospitalized in May 2022 and the doctor who treated me said taking so many medications was interfering with the healing process. Knowing my family’s history of heart disease and diabetes – this was my wake-up call.”

As instructed, Tony left the hospital and stopped taking his medications. But that posed a different problem – high blood sugar levels. He was constantly checking his blood sugar and administering insulin before eating every meal. He knew something had to change, so he got a second opinion. That opinion was that he needed to lose weight, but there was no way to do it without bariatric surgery. Tony was determined to avoid surgery, deciding at that moment he would do what he needed to do to get healthy.

ONE STEP AT A TIME

He started slowly by making small changes to his diet like eliminating sugar, eating fava beans for a snack and having at least one salad every day. He also began tracking everything he ate using the My Fitness Pal app. And, unlike any other time he tried to lose weight, he’s eating more raw fruits and vegetables each day.

“My blood sugar is more in control than it ever has been. I will always be a diabetic who needs to take medication, but losing weight helped me reduce my prescription medications from six to three, and I’ve reduced daily long-acting insulin injections by 64%,” Tony explains.

After he was consistently making healthy food choices, Tony wanted to take the next step toward health by introducing strength training. About three months ago, after receiving the okay from his doctor to make sure his ticker could handle it, Tony started CrossFit with Dan Rosenberg, his workout “battle buddy” in the office next door at Corporate and Olympic Steel’s Director – Integration & Organization Development.

Tony says, “CrossFit is great because there is a coach to help guide you, every exercise can be modified, and it gives you a sense of community. I’ve found support from people and places that I did not expect, and I wanted to share my story because you never know who might just need to hear it.”

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Whether you’re just getting started on your weight loss journey or simply need a little help to kick it back into gear, UnitedHealthcare has partnered with Real Appeal® to provide support through an online weight loss program – with $0 out-of-pocket.

• Available to employees and their family members enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare medical plan.
• Receive a Success Kit that includes tools and resources like weight and food scales, exercise equipment, food guides and more.
• Set achievable nutrition, exercise and weight loss goals, and track your progress from your daily dashboard.
• Stay focused on your goals with online group sessions led by coaches and a community of members working toward similar goals.
  
  

Visit realappeal.com/new-member to check eligibility and for more information or reach out to Brandi Kelley, Corporate Benefits Supervisor, at Brandi.Kelley@olysteel.com or 859.274.4778 with questions.