What we do on Tuesday mornings, at 7 am in the Crystal Springs’ gym looks different from the typical spin or aerobics class you would expect to see. Slowly before 7, a dozen sleepy-eyed people trickle in, step on the digital scales, and then hand me their food/activity trackers. One-by-one the weigh-in has become my favorite part of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) meetings, and I have grown to love them because of their personal nature. This is the time when our relationship grows as successes and/or slip-ups surface while facing the truth of the scales. It’s only after weigh-in, that members feel comfortable ingesting 8 ounces of coffee as they make their way to the big round table. They know that every ounce counts! For the remainder of the hour, as in any support group, we sit around a table and talk about what worked this week and what didn’t. Most participants are in there 50s and early 60s, and this age group is doing particularly well. All but one are ladies but it’s the man quietly taking it all in that keep us girls straight. Cohort 4 is in Week 7 and members have lost a combined weight of 99 pounds! By now they are becoming committed exercisers. They love to talk about the steps they have logged on their pedometers, an absolute must incentive for encouraging a weekly exercise goal of 150 minutes. The DPP uses CDC curriculum, which involves 16 weekly sessions, then monthly follow-ups for a year. The goal, along with 150 minutes a week of exercise, is significant weight loss of 5-7%. This lifestyle change program reduces their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%, and they all boastfully can recall that statistic. If you aren’t involved in the DPP I can only chant “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Would you consider becoming a Lifestyle Coach? Indeed, it is greatly worth it…even with your credentials.