The sky’s the limit for father of pilot-in-training

Ray Boettner’s primary reason for wanting to lose weight was “loftier” than most — he wanted to be able to fit into the back seat of a Cessna 172. Ray’s 17-year-old daughter, Samantha, is a Civil Air Patrol cadet. Once she solos this year, father and daughter are looking forward to a cross-country flight. “Weighing what I did, I would never have been able to climb into that seat,” says Ray, who has lost 101 pounds so far.

Samantha, a student at Serra Catholic High School, plans to major in aerospace engineering at Penn State. She has been with the Civil Air Patrol since age 12 and is looking forward to getting her pilot’s license.

In the photo above:
Ray Boettner, UPMC Health Plan Member, and daughter, Samantha

Ray, an employee of UPMC Passavant in the Engineering and Maintenance Department, knew he needed to lose weight. He had developed arthritis in his knees and feet and was deemed too heavy for a prescribed treadmill stress test. After hearing other employees’ weight loss success stories, Ray decided it was time to seek assistance from a health coach at UPMC Health Plan.

“I started the UPMC Health Plan Weight Management Program in April of 2009, and at the end of one year, I had met my 100-pound goal!” exclaims Ray. Ray credits his success to a combination of personalized weight-loss tools and interaction with UPMC Health Plan health coach Kasey Danforth. “Kasey was lots of fun to work with,” he reports. “She kept me on track and provided me with tools that truly made this a life-changing process. I never realized how much I ate — especially fat — before working with her. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

One of the tools Kasey gave Ray was a daily food log. Ray is now very conscientious about keeping track of what he eats and tries not to go beyond the daily calorie limit he set with Kasey’s help. “The number one thing is, you have to write down everything. No cheating! Overestimate calories, don’t underestimate — it keeps you on track,” Ray notes. He also closely monitors his weight and gets on the scale daily. “You have to buy a good scale and weigh yourself regularly,” he advises. And he’s started using the treadmill he’s owned for 10 years.

Ray counts many benefits from his weight loss. He feels better and has more energy. His family has been especially supportive, and now they eat healthier too. In addition, “My heart doesn’t pound the way it did even when I was sitting still, and I don’t get out of breath as easily. I can reach down to tie my shoes and climb a ladder, things I found difficult to do before,” says Ray.

But for Ray, the benefit he values most is that he now can get into the Cessna with Samantha. When she flies across the country for the first time, Ray will be right there with her.