ROTTERDAM Principal sets healthy example Diet, exercise changes bring 175-pound loss BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.
Bradt Elementary School Principal Diane McIver thought that she had to set a better example for students for living healthy. The Mohonasen Central School District in 2006 began developing wellness programs and began introducing new vegetables and whole wheat in school lunches to promote healthy eating. “I could hardly be a proponent of that when I was obese,” she said. She realized she had to make a change: “I was turning 50 and I decided I really didn’t want to spend the second half of my life unhealthy.” McIver began a Weight Watchers diet and exercised consistently. Now, she is 175 pounds lighter. McIver said she had always been a little overweight. A lack of physical activity and poor eating habits contributed to the problem. “I never had breakfast before. I would snack on bad things. I would eat after dinner,” she said. “A lot of it is just boredom or not having something else to do.” She said she was lucky that she never developed any serious health problems like high blood pressure or diabetes. McIver said she had to undergo a mental shift from seeing eating as an activity to only being fuel for a healthy lifestyle. Now, she has five or six small meals spread throughout the day. She keeps a couple of apples, carrots and other healthy snacks in her office. When students offer her a birthday cupcake, she simply explains to them that she has to make a healthy choice. “The whole reason for having a snack break in the school is to reenergize the body,” she said. She has done weight training, elliptical machines, walking, bicycling and kayaking. She tries to build her life around physical activity. “It’s very relaxing. It’s very rewarding,” she said. She lost between two and five pounds a week during this process. “I feel like I’m 25 years younger,” she said. Her family, friends and colleagues at school have been very supportive, although students may not understand what happened. “They just think I’ve gotten younger and my clothes have gotten prettier,” she said. “She’s nice. Her hair is a little bit longer,” said 7-year-old secondgrader Thomas Middleton. “I’m not sure what else.” “She’s gotten taller. No, I think she’s gotten shorter,” said 7-yearold Cole Wright. Second-grader Anyssa Shakoor, 7, got the correct answer: “She’s skinnier.” Seven-year-old Anthony Faga said he knows all about sugar because it gives just quick energy. “Then you get slowed down, then you don’t feel so good,” he said. McIver said she would like to lose about 10 more pounds but is not in a big hurry. It is important that she maintain the weight, which she thinks is more difficult than actually losing the weight because you are not seeing rapid changes. “Maintaining the status quo isn’t quite as glamorous,” she said. MARC SCHULTZ/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Diane McIver, principal of Mohonasen’s Bradt Elementaryl, talks with students during lunch at the school in Rotterdam on Thursday. Inspired by a district emphasis on healthy habits, she lost 175 pounds over two years.
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