Many people consider the beginning of the year as the time to begin a path of self-improvement.  People are also looking for things to do indoors due to the short days and unpredictable weather.  The Pike County Family & Consumer Sciences program offered Weight the Reality Series on Tuesdays at 1:00pm and 5:30pm over an 8 week period beginning on January 14^th.  The program had 40 people enrolled in the program.

          The program partnered with the Pikeville Area YMCA to give our participants a place to walk indoors during the course of the class.  The YMCA allowed anyone enrolled in WTRS the ability to use the weight room or walk on the indoor track free of charge.  As our partner, they also provided a one year membership to the YMCA as a drawing to someone who completed the program.

          Our Weight the Reality Series program included session that helped our participants be more active.  We went on a group walk together around Pikeville to the City Park and back to the Extension Office.  One class meeting was a hands-on cooking lesson where they prepared different salads as small groups and shared among the entire class for taste-testing.  We practiced recipe modification during one class period and learned how adjust sugar/fat/salt/carbohydrates in a standard recipe through substitutions and cooking techniques.  Their final class meeting was a potluck where they brought in recipes that had been modified to share with the group.  Everyone gained a great deal of knowledge about hands on cooking and it was very successful.

          At the conclusion of our Weight the Reality Series program, 20 participants were committed enough to complete the course.  Those 20 participants lost a combined total of 100lbs over 8 weeks by increasing their physical activity, making use of a food, activity and emotional journal and by practicing better nutrition.  One participant has reported walking at least 4 days a week and has lowered her A1C from over 8 to 5.5.