When her seven-month-old granddaughter was born, Vicki Bancroft realized she had to change her life.

Bancroft wanted to get in shape and make sure she was healthy enough to keep up with the little one -- now and in the years to come.

In September, she began a yearlong program at the Dartmouth YMCA along with eight others at risk of developing diabetes. Now, Bancroft is developing a healthier lifestyle and learning how to ward off the disease.

The program is specifically for people classified as pre-diabetic due to their age and blood test results. In weekly meetings, Sy Yules, the program's coach, challenged the participants to meet two main goals: lose seven percent of their body weight, and increase their physical activity to at least 150 minutes a week.

Bancroft is already seeing the results on both her body and her mind.

“At this point in my life it’s not about how I look in a pair of jeans, it’s about being healthy,” she said, noting, however, that she indeed looks better in her jeans.

Each week tackles a different subject, including cutting down on fats, balancing calories, practicing healthy eating at restaurants, developing fitness routines and more.

Yules said it’s not strictly a weight loss program, but rather a complete lifestyle transformation. Now in their 16th week and preparing to reduce meetings to once per month, the group members are rethinking their entire approach to fitness and nutrition.

“We focus on portion control,” explained Yules. “It’s not so much 'don’t eat that ice cream' or 'don’t have that cookie.' We talk about reading labels. It’s been a real eye-opener for the group.”

One example Yules felt his group was taken aback by the most is his instructions on how to read and judge portions based on the nutrition information listed on the back of food products. They give measurements based off a 2,000 calorie diet, but most of the participants in his groups come nowhere near requiring that many calories on a daily basis.

Yules also guided the group on how to keep precise track of caloric intake. Fats, proteins and other nutrients all count as calories that need to be tracked. The participants are also coached to limit “empty calories” with little nutritional value, such as alcohol.

Participants such as Jane Folkman agreed: they are already seeing results.

“I think we were the only ones who lost weight [over the holidays], Folkman said. “It’s pretty surprising.”

Sandi Sacco noted that she was able to indulge in her favorite holiday treats without overdoing it or gaining weight.

For others, like Kathy Mann, the group provided a sense of community and camaraderie, as everyone is working toward the common goal of a healthier lifestyle.

The cost of the program includes a free one-year membership to the YMCA, which members are putting to good use for their exercise routines they planned in the sessions.