NILOU JONES: To Surprise Her Soldier, Part I

Intro

Nilou Jones, a Charlottesville mother of two, has set a goal for herself.

She wants to lose 100 pounds before her soldier husband returns from Iraq next spring, and she’s determined to avoid gimmicks and trends in search of permanent, healthy change.

Over the next year, The Daily Progress will be keeping up with the Joneses and following her on her journey, sharing her successes and setbacks along the way as she tries to eat in a healthy way and exercise regularly. he’ll be seeing less of her.

Nilou

Nilou Jones hopes that when her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Jones, returns from Iraq next spring, he’ll be seeing less of her.

A lot less.

The Charlottesville mother of two is determined to lose 100 pounds before her husband, who works in U.S. Army intelligence, returns in late May or early June from his assignment on a transition team in Mosul, Iraq, where he’s advising Iraqi soldiers.

Back at home, Nilou Jones, like most Americans, is fighting a battle of her own in a culture filled with heaped buffet tables, generously packaged snacks and car-friendly conveniences that trim activity from everyday life - all against the backdrop of frequent medical news stories about the need to shape up and slim down.

“I’ve got this story that all of America has at this point,‘’ she said. I need this for my health and well-being.‘’

And with previous cases of heart attacks and diabetes in her family, ?I’m just a sitting target,‘’ she said.

Jones, 31, has two other compelling reasons - sons Cyrus, who turned 3 on July 5, and Arman, who turned 1 on July 1.

“I have to keep up with them,‘’ Jones said in her tidy living room while the boys played energetically around her. “They’re running faster than I am, and that’s not a good sign.‘’

So she decided to lose 100 pounds, aiming for a goal weight of 150 to 155 on her 5-foot, 7-inch frame. She wanted to use foods from the grocery store and the right types and duration of exercise to create a sustainable, sensible weight loss and a healthy, active lifestyle that can pay off for years to come.

Since starting on her quest July 20, Jones has lost about 18 pounds. Jones started her project by doing lots of research into nutrition and exercise. From the beginning, she knew she wanted to skip trendy diets.

“I just want to avoid faddish things and just use common sense,‘’ she said.

Exercise

Nilou’s husband, Charles, is quite fit, but he works hard at it, “and after an exhausting day working with the kids, I don’t feel like doing pushups with my husband,‘’ Jones said.

Clearly, she needs a regimen of her own.

“Exercise is my missing link,‘’ Jones said with a chuckle. “I could diet until I’m blue in the face, and unless I get out and exercise, I won’t lose a pound. I think exercise, for me, is going to be the key.‘’

Some folks might think that having two little ones to chase after and play with would provide plenty of exercise. How about an idyllic afternoon walk with the kids in a stroller?

“We definitely play as much as we can outdoors. I think that’s important for kids,‘’ Jones said. But as for the stroller fantasy, she said, ?by the time I put sunscreen and bug spray on them and got juice cups, I was focusing on them and not on myself.‘’

So she started researching gyms in the area. Jones decided to join Gold’s Gym because the center offered a combination that worked for her - a military family discount and on-site child care for the boys.

Without reliable child care at workout time, “by the time I find a sitter and I get all their stuff packed, it’s like, forget it,‘’ Jones said.

So far, so good. The boys are doing fine in the gym’s child-care zone. Jones can check on them whenever she wants to, but she’s free to concentrate on her own exercise needs.

At the gym, Jones has been working with trainer Jen Cote to fine-tune her plan.

Under Cote’s guidance, Jones is getting cardiovascular exercise five times a week by spending half an hour running on a treadmill, and strength training three times a week by lifting weights for half an hour. When possible, she likes to follow a weight-training session with some treadmill time, she said.

Food

When it’s time to give the knife and fork a workout, Nilou is getting help from her personal trainer as well.

“Food is a big deal,’’ Jen Cote said. “Exercise is a big deal, too. It’s how we mesh these two things together that will get her the results she wants.’’

Cote wants to help Jones develop habits that will help her make sound selections at the grocery store. Cote said she encourages Jones to read the nutritional labels on food packages, because even among healthy food choices, some are better than others.

“I’m trying to get her to eat more whole grains and more fiber,’’ Cote said. “When she’s hungry, she needs to eat, but she needs to choose wise foods.’’

Whole-grain, high-fiber bread, for example, might be a better nutritional choice than a bowl of cereal, but the only way to be certain is to check out both labels. Cote said she also steers Jones to “more fruits and more vegetables versus juice. It’s better to eat an orange than to drink orange juice.’’

That’s important for a busy mom to keep in mind when she opens the refrigerator and sees her children’s juice bottles.

“Juice is a big thing,’’ Jones said. “It’s very natural and very good, but unfortunately it’s high in natural sugars.’’

Nutritional labels also reveal portion sizes, which can be dramatically smaller than many folks expect. Next time you get a bag of chips with a sandwich lunch deal, just take a look at the serving size on the label - that bag may contain two or more servings.

Jones is paying closer attention to keep the “super” out of her supper sizes.

“Portion control is the biggest thing,’’ Jones said. “Reducing portion size is the biggest focus right now.’’

One idea that has helped recently is to “see what a ‘normal’ portion is in the store and cut it in half,“ she said.

Motivation

“Nilou’s very motivated,“ Cote said. “That’s the key - open your mind to a lot of new possibilities.“

Jones has another motivation that’s close to her heart - her husband. She’d like for her weight loss to be a delightful surprise for him when he returns home. She’s looking forward to their future together - and wanting that future to be a long, healthy one.

“My husband is suffering so much over there,’’ Jones said. “I can suffer in my own way. I can give something back for him, because he’s sacrificing so much for his country.’“

Jones has a powerful secret weapon in her quest: accountability. That’s why she has invited The Daily Progress readers along on her journey - to help her stay committed and on track.

“By doing this, I can’t bail,’’ Jones said simply. “I can’t chicken out. I’ve got too much at stake here. By verbalizing what you’re doing, the more people you have supporting you.’’

Accountability is a vital part of the puzzle, said Laura Jones, who is certified as a health/fitness instructor by the American College of Sports Medicine and is a research associate for the University of Virginia Psychology Department. She writes a fitness column for The Daily Progress. (Laura Jones and Nilou Jones aren’t related.)

“The classic advice is to enlist the support of family and friends, but I think it helps to have something concrete,’’ Laura Jones said. Setting a goal and saying it out loud “helps when you’re trying to get support,’’ she said, and getting different forms of support from different people can create a safety net of sorts.

She also had some advice for Nilou Jones - and anyone else embarking on a weight-loss mission.

“Prepare to have days where there are failures,’’ Laura Jones said.

Part of that strategy is learning to keep small obstacles in perspective. That way, a missed workout or an indulgent meal won’t feel as if it’s derailing her efforts.

And even on days when the needle isn’t moving on the scale, positive changes continue to happen internally, she said.

Cholesterol levels may be changing, lean muscle mass may be burning more calories and other successes yet to come may be under construction deep inside the body.

“Things are happening that you can’t see or feel,’’ Laura Jones said. “To have that faith can be really hard. Something may work for you this week mentally and physically that just isn’t going to work next week.’’

Staying flexible to cope with change is one of the best skills Nilou Jones can develop, Laura Jones said.

“Change is constant, and you’ve got to factor that into your plan,’’ Laura Jones said. “You need to have a relationship with your plan.’’

A relationship? Doesn’t that mean more responsibility? Sure - but it also helps when it’s time to set priorities.

“You do it for your kids, right?’’ Laura Jones said. “You make time for them. You’re making room in your life for it.’’