At Last: A way to lose weight and gain health

• Cathy Lombardo says she will never diet again.
• With each attempt, Lombardo would lose about 20 pounds, but, inevitably, she would tire of the plan and the weight would come back, and then some.
• Launched in April at the Brandywine YMCA in Talleyville, the seven-month program takes a comprehensive approach to dieting that is aimed at helping people who have not had success with other diet plans.
• It's not a diet, at least not in the traditional sense, said Laura Schofield-Pierson, health and wellness director at the Brandywine YMCA and -- along with program coordinator Marianne Sarcich -- co-creator of At Last.
• Through weekly meetings, participants learn not only what to eat, but to pay attention to why and when they eat.
• Instead of just being encouraged to exercise, they learn how to make time for it and can even get customized workouts from YMCA trainers.
• And instead of making weight loss about reaching a target weight, the participants learn how to make livable, long-term changes in the way they approach their health, said Schofield-Pierson.
• At a recent At Last meeting, 12 members -- all wearing green silicone bracelets signifying their participation in the program -- giggled their way through a relaxation exercise that required them to breathe deeply while standing on one foot.
• That's because most diets only deal with the obvious aspects of weight loss -- food and exercise, she said.
• For people who gain extra weight out of carelessness, a commercial diet may do the trick.
• He found himself resenting the idea that he couldn't indulge in a certain food or eat past a certain time of day.
• Like some At Last members, Donnelly said he found regular weigh-ins detrimental to prolonged success.