County Employee Transforms Herself, One Step at a Time

Sherry Dutchko lost 45 lbs. through County exercise programs and a healthier diet

On the left is an image of Sherry Dutchko taken earlier this year. The image on the right was taken last week.

She could no longer fit into most of her clothes.

Sherry Dutchko’s weight had slowly crept up over the years, putting all but two pairs of pants out of reach by early this year.  She called them her “fat clothes.”

“Every time I looked I would gain two or three” more pounds, said Dutchko, 57, who works as a Legal Support Assistant in the Office of the Primary Public Defender.

She’s also struggled with severely high blood pressure. Doctors suggested she exercise, but Dutchko never made it a habit. Until this year.

That’s when her life changed dramatically, after she joined the County’s 10,000 Steps and Thrive Across America programs, both offerings through the County Employee Wellness Program. She also altered her diet. Thanks to a lot of walking and much healthier fare, Dutchko has dropped 45 lbs. over the past 10 months. She feels better—more energetic--and gets lots of compliments. Perhaps most importantly, it gave her health a critical boost.

“I needed this,” she said. “You could even say it helped save my life.”

Dutchko traces the start of her transformation to receiving a free pedometer through the County’s 10,000 Steps program. The little device sparked her competitive side. Through the 12-week walking program, she would track her daily steps and log them into a website. The goal was to walk 10,000 steps a day, or the equivalent of five miles. Initially she was falling far short of that.

“As soon as I found out I was walking 4,000 steps, I wanted to go to 6,000, then 8,000, then 10,000,” she said.

She and her co-workers would compare readings on their pedometers. Naturally, Dutchko didn’t want to get beat. So she started squeezing as much walking into her daily routine as she could. She began walking from home to the Trolley station and back every day rather than getting a ride. She walked with co-workers during breaks and met a friend for walks around Lake Murray and in Pacific Beach on the weekends.

She didn’t stop when the 10,000 Steps program ended in March. Dutchko and several co-workers formed a Thrive Across America team and she kept going, walking up to an hour a day. Under Thrive Across America, participants travel from Maine to Hawaii on a virtual route based on the amount of exercise they log in online. The program ran from mid-July to the end of September. Top individual and team performers were named last month and received prizes. To view their names, click here.

Above is an image of some of the Thrive Across America top performers.

“The more I walked, the better I felt and the clothes just started hanging off of me,” she said. “I knew it was working and that just stimulates you to do it more.”

In addition to the weight, she even dropped a shoe size.

The lighter she got, the easier it was to walk, Dutchko said. Her body started craving the movement and the endorphins that exercise releases.  She’s hoping to try a Zumba class.

“I would never have thought that I could take an exercise class,” she said.

Dutchko also made some major diet changes, cutting way down on sugar and carbohydrates in favor of lean meats, green vegetables, fruits and probiotics like Greek yogurt. She said she used the book, “The 17 Day Diet Cookbook,” by Dr. Mike Moreno, as a guide.

“You feel hungry at first, but we got rid of everything in the house except for what was on the diet,” she said. “So we weren’t tempted to slip. It got easier and easier.”

Dutchko discovered that she loves fish and also balsamic vinegar on salads and vegetables. Now she cannot imagine eating macaroni and cheese again. She doesn’t eat pasta at all anymore and when she makes batches of cookies, she gives them all away.

She’s planning to cut out the bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast that she said have probably contributed to her regaining some weight. Dutchko said she will switch to oatmeal and fruit and let herself splurge on the sandwich once a week.

How is she going to get through the holidays, which for so many revolve around food?

Lighter fare. For starters, nobody will be eating gravy in her house. She’ll make mashed yams instead of mashed potatoes. And she will offer nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream. Dutchko said she is investigating healthier recipes online.

“If I see something floating in grease and fat, it doesn’t look appetizing to me,” she said. “I’ll pass it over for a salad.”

Her only regret is not starting an exercise routine sooner.

“Everybody was right” when they suggested it, she said. “They were right. You have to move your body.”

For more information on Thrive Across America visit www.thriveacrossamerica.com or for information on the County’s Employee Wellness Program visit the program’s online home on InSite.