Jerome Benner II is a city employee who works in DSI (Department of Safety and Inspections). Jerome has worked for the City for 5 years. He started as a temporary employee back in 2014 and has been a permanent employee for 4 years now. He was promoted in 2017 to be the staffer of the Board of Zoning Appeals.
All through high school and college, Jerome has played sports – football, basketball, and pretty much everything except hockey since he never learned to skate! He has always been healthy. A few years ago, he stopped working out and kind of tapered off being as active. He first gained 5 pounds and thought “eh, no big deal”. Then he was up 10 pounds, then 20. His “aha” moment was when the clothes he bought for his new job beginning of 2017 didn’t fit him by the end of 2018. This motivated Jerome to start living a healthy lifestyle and lose the extra weight he had gained.
Jerome started the Whole-30 diet, which got him off to a great start. The diet taught him how to read labels and be smart about what he consumes. Although Whole-30 helped him, he started gaining back the weight again once he stopped.
At that point he worked with a health coach through Healthy Saint Paul who helped him make small changes to his diet and activities.
Jerome has lost exactly 22 pounds within 6 months this past year. His weight loss has made feel good about himself. He feels lighter and has more energy to do things. He is still working towards his goals right now, staying on track to maintain his good health.
One of the tools Jerome is currently using is intermittent fasting. He does not begin eating until noon, aiming to wrap up eating by 8 pm. This has taught him how to regulate his cravings. He also goes on nightly walks and works out consistently to maintain a healthy weight.
Another big tool that has been helpful for Jerome is his Apple watch. His watch is like a positive reinforcement to him which helps him stay on track in achieving his goals of losing weight. The Apple watch keeps track of all his workouts and his walks, it also helps remind him when he hasn’t been active for a while.
Jerome stated, “It’s been good working for the City. Working downtown I’m able to go to the gym at lunch.”
Jerome’s message to folks on the same journey is “It’s never too late to start. Focus on the long-term goal. You will slip up, but be kind to yourself because it can be tough. Also having support or asking for support from your family/ friends can be very helpful.”