Biggest Loser "22" Week Six

We just finished Week Six of Biggest Loser "22" and have just one week to go. It's a tough time of year for many, with travel, holiday meals, and various other time demands. But that's just another reason to keep pushing forward. 

Even though you might get pulled off your game a little bit, it doesn't have to be game over. If you stay determined, you can still make some progress, or at least stay even. Worst case, you might slip and fall a little bit, but with the right focus and dedication, you can get back on track quickly. 

We just had a family of three do this. They had a not-so-good week, just a week ago, and all three gained a little weight. But they buckled down and not only made up for the weight they'd gained, but even lost a little more to boot. That's how you do it. 

One of the guys did the last Biggest Loser, after losing over 50 pounds to win the last one. Work has taken him to Arkansas, but before he left, he'd lost another 14 pounds in the first four weeks!

Another participant has had some major obstacles getting here the last two weeks, due to other activities, but she's still been able to lose 6.8 lbs at home. Now that's the way to stay with it. She's lost 21.8 lbs during the six weeks. 

Perhaps the most impressive thing is when I catch someone doing one of the Biggest Loser workouts later on their own. Or even better, making up their own workouts from things they've learned. That will take them a long way. 

So we've got one more week to go with this group. Next week, we'll have the final results for the seven weeks and they'll retake the fitness test that they took on the first night. I think they'll be surprised how much easier it's going to be. 

We're also going to do something new next week. For the first time ever, we're going to start the next group of Biggest Losers at the very same time as we finish this one. This will give the new ones a chance to hear directly from those who are finishing this one. I'm sure they'll have some good tips for them about how to be successful. 

We're also going to run the new group right through the holiday season. Lots of people gain five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Our goal is to prevent that, and trim some more pounds to boot. Anyone interested should sign up right away, because Biggest Loser "23" starts Monday night at 7:00 pm. 

Our Biggest Losers for Week Six were Tracy Whitaker and Rebecca Fehrmann, who tied for first place, losing 2.0 and 2.4 lbs respectively. Both lost 1.3% of their body weight. Doris Frisse placed third, losing 1.1 lbs and 0.7%.

How to lose or maintain your weight during the holidays

The holiday season is finally here and my four year old keeps asking me "Is it Christmas yet?" He can't wait until they turn on the "park lights" so we can "see Santa."

While the holidays are usually a time for reflection and joy, I know they can be a sad time for some. If this is the case for you, I'm truly sorry, and pray God will grant you some peace. 

One of the best things you can do is try not to go it alone. Try and find someone to share some time with. Look for ways to get involved with others. Nothing seems to help our spirits more than to help someone else. It's hard sometimes, but if you can take that first step, it can get better, I promise you. 

Another problem we face this time of year, is that it's so easy to eat too much. I've read the average person gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. 

If you're like me, you've probably already had at least one meal that could really have been two, or even three. We had our Thanksgiving potluck at church last week. We've got another one coming up, plus a couple of big holiday meals at home. 

Over the years, I've tried to help people at least maintain their weight over the holidays. Then one year, I worked with a couple that actually lost weight while on vacation, on a cruise ship! This is what they did. 

They worked out every day in the ship's fitness center. They also walked lots of laps around the outer deck. But the main thing they did was eat only when they would normally have eaten at home. And they took small portions when eating at those big buffets. 

If they could do it in that environment, we can do it too. We just need to employ the same strategies. Go to the gym every day. Walk a few miles on top of that. Only eat at the regular times, and take small portions. If you can keep to this strategy, you can maintain your weight. 

Don't miss your workouts. If your workout usually burns 500 calories, missing one day won't kill you. But do it seven days in a row and you'll gain a pound of fat if you don't cut back your intake, too. Do it a few weeks in a row and ta-da, there are your five pounds, just look down! 

But what really gets us is missing workouts AND eating more. That combination will double your weight gain. So definitely don't do that. 

That said, here are a couple strategies that have worked well for many of our Biggest Losers. I use them too. 

If you know you're going to a potluck, or out to a buffet, skip the meal beforehand. I know some say that just makes you hungry so you'll overeat when you get there. But I've observed most of us eat a lot in those situations, regardless of how hungry we are. 

If you save some calories before, it will give you some wiggle room. You may be over for that meal, but you don't have to be over for the DAY. That's when you gain weight. So end the day even and you'll stay even, regardless of the potluck or buffet. 

Now that you have a little room to work with, take small portions, and don't fill your whole plate up. Cut yourself off while you're still in line. If it's on your plate, you'll probably eat it.

I mean really. If you can't even see your plate under that heaping mound of food, you're going to get fat. I don't care how much you work out. You can't outwork stupid.

Furthermore, don't go back for seconds. You don't need em. You already had em. Maybe even thirds. To help make up for it, later in the day, skip your snacks, too. Eat a lighter meal than usual. All these things can help you stay even. 

Finally, I know I mentioned this earlier, but THIS is not the day to skip your workout. Ideally, you'll hit it before the meal so you'll just burn most of it off. In a perfect world, you'll hit it again later, with at least some light cardio. 

For our Biggest Losers, we shoot for two workouts a day anyway, because that's how you lose the most weight. People who do a second workout lose twice as much weight as those who don't. 

Know that you're going to face these challenges. If you ignore them, you're going to gain weight. But if you pay attention and have a strategy, you can win the battle of the belly this year. 

To help you do it, our next Biggest Loser "23" starts Monday, December 1st at 7:00 pm. We're going to work hard to help you stay focused for the next seven weeks, and get you through the holidays. 

Like last time, we're including all the daily workouts, and the bootcamp and kickboxing classes too. Let me know if you'd like to participate. 

Tiny Tigers Come Roaring Back

It's been quite awhile since we've had a Tiny Tigers program at the center. We work with ages six and up in our Karate for Kids program, and have seen a lot of them over the years. You know you're getting old when former students are bringing their own kids to class!

The benefits of martial arts training for children are well known. Kids learn how to listen, pay attention, focus on a task, set and achieve goals, and gain lots of self confidence. Of course they get some self defense skills too. 

Karate isn't the only way kids can learn these skills, although it's very effective at teaching them. But what do you do with 3-5 year olds? They're a different animal altogether. 

The younger kids are often just starting preschool, so they're not as used to operating in a group setting. Add some shorter attention spans and really impulsive behavior, and it gets pretty interesting. 

Fifteen years ago, we had a pretty big Tiny Tiger class in my larger school up in Danville. This was back before we sold the school to focus on the center here in Paris. Many of those kids went on to the "big kids" class there and had lots of success. 

I've seen the same thing happen here too. We had quite a few Karate for Kids and Adults in our martial arts program at the center around ten years ago. Some of the parents and adult students wanted to get their younger 3 year olds involved. 

At the same time, we also had a 3 year old granddaughter (Bailey Johnson) so we started a Tiny Tigers class for her, three Blair's (Zane, Sean & Caitlin), and a little boy named Alex Elmore, whose parents had been driving him all the way up to my Tigers class in Danville. 

Over the years, they eventually graduated to the big kids class, and all ended up with their black belts. Alex kept training and even received his Second Degree Black Belt. He just started college at Eastern this year. 

Over the years, we moved toward working five year olds into the regular class, and my other two granddaughters started training that way. Both are black belts, still training, and now learning how to help other kids as part of our Leadership Program. 

Last summer, my son was almost four, and one of our original black belt parents also had another four year old. I'd also just found a cool new Tigers program with neat new belt ranks based on some awesome animal characters. It was Tiger time!

Now here we are, a few months later, and we've just had our first new Tiger testing and graduation. It's taken a little while to get my Tiger teaching chops back. But when it all comes together, it's pretty amazing to see a group of three and four year olds listening, paying attention, following directions, and doing their new karate moves together. 

I've learned all over again that you have to keep it really short and move on to the next thing, or you'll lose them. Wait too long, and you'll have mutiny on your hands. At that point you just have to roll with it! 

Last week, our first three Tigers advanced from their beginning white belt to their new "Ara" White Belt. Ara is a little turtle, and the first character in the new Tigers program. Ara means "of the sea" and is shy, sweet and innocent, like most new students of that age. 

Each Tiger rank has their own special character that teaches special life skills represents one of the nine different colored belt ranks in the regular program. 

Ara the turtle (white)

Baeoh the Tiger (orange)

Cheeri the Cheetah (yellow)

Raon the Lion (camo)

Suri the Eagle (green) 

Choa the Phoenix (purple)

Mir the Dragon (blue)

Narsha the nice Cobra (brown)

Baron the Panther (red)

At some point, the Tigers will transition into the regular "Big Kids" program and start earning their regular colored belts, and hopefully, black belts. It's going to be interesting to look back in a few years, and see where these new Tigers end up! 

Biggest Loser "22" Workouts

Last week we looked at how persistence is key, whatever you're trying to accomplish. This week I'm going to take you through a few workouts that some of the Biggest Losers have been doing. 

When people start an exercise program, they usually start with what I call Level One training. This is entry level exercise on the treadmill, ellipticals, and bikes, and also the Maxicam weight machine circuit. 

The next step is what I call Level Two training. This includes High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on the cardio equipment, and replacing weight machines with dumbbell movements and an exercise ball. 

After some time with these, they're usually ready for Level Three training, where we combine cardio exercises with free weights. We'll also combine individual dumbbell exercises to make multi-joint or compound movements. 

One example of this would be to take a dumbbell squat and a dumbbell shoulder press and put them together. The result is a compound movement called a thruster (squat w/press). 

Another example is to take three individual dumbbell exercises and make a deadlift-curl-press, or a walking lunge-curl-press. These movements are all much tougher, because they use more overall muscle, and more of your core for stability. 

Level Four workouts make it even more demanding by combining cardio with multi-joint movements. That means more calories burned, which means more fat lost. 

For Biggest Loser "22" we threw the introductory phase out the window and started right at Level Two. We modified the workouts a little, to make them doable. 

Many of them jumped into the Level 3 and 4 workouts in Boot Camp, too. Remember, the goal was to get them going as quickly as possible, and they've sure been doing that. 

Here are some actual examples of Level 3 and 4 workouts that many of them have done in the last couple of weeks. 

LEVEL THREE WORKOUTS:

Run 1/4 mi

25 pushups

25 body squats

25 sit-ups

(4x)

Row 500 m

50 pushups (modify as needed)

(5x)

Pushups or Pikes on the Ball 

DB Curls

BOSU Squats

Battle Rope

Kettle Bell swings

Ball Smacks

(4x)

LEVEL FOUR WORKOUTS:

Run 1/4 mi*

25 Burpee/pull-ups (cheat as needed on the pull-up)

(4x)

*Try to increase speed during each run. 

Run 1 mi

100 Pull-ups

100 Pushups

100 Sit-ups

100 Body Squats

Run 1 mi

Note: This bootcamp workout one was especially difficult, and many had to modify parts of it. However, at least one Biggest Loser completed it as is. 

Level Three and Level Four workouts are a great way to keep your intensity high and beat those dull workout blues. They'll also help you through those times when you need to break through workout and weight loss plateaus. 

Some people beating the weight loss blues and dreaded plateaus, include our Week Five Biggest Losers. Tracy Whitaker, 1st Place, lost 2.2 lbs and 1.4% of her body weight. Nancy Vono and Rebecca Fehrmann tied for 2nd place, both losing 1.2 lbs. 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

We've all read the story about the Tortoise and the Hare. You know how it goes. After a pretty slow start for the turtle, the rabbit finally gasses out, and the turtle ends up winning. Hooray!

Nice if you're the turtle. Especially if you're crossing a finish line that has significant meaning or value to you. Like saving for retirement. Now that's where a slow, steady investment strategy over the years will definitely make you a winner. 

According to Dave Ramsey, author of The Total Money Makeover, Baby Step #4 is putting away 15% of our income toward retirement. If one starts early in their career and follows through for 30-40 years, they can amass an amazing amount of money to live on. They'll also have quite a legacy to pass on to loved ones. 

To be sure, slow and steady definitely wins the race, if we'll just do it. But getting there often requires us to sprint with "gazelle-like intensity."

We learned this in a nine week course that just wrapped up recently, called "Financial Peace University." Also created by Dave Ramsey, FPU has had well over a million graduates. As the coordinator for our group at church, I had the honor of helping presenting the material, including seven "Baby Steps" laid out in a logical progression. 

Now being coordinator doesn't mean I was all that or anything. I  was there studying along with everyone else. Regardless of our particular point in the journey, we were all trying to figure out what our next move was, so we could turn our own boat around. 

A few weeks ago, I wrote about just the first three Baby Steps. They were important, but only part of the process, so here are all seven, just like Dave teaches it. Complete each one before moving on to the next one. 

Baby Step #1 is to establish a $1,000 basic emergency fund, as quickly as possible. This is a BIG deal! Do it right away. 

Baby Step #2 is to do a "Debt Snowball" where you pay off all non-mortgage debt, smallest to largest. Throw everything you can at the smallest one until it's gone, making only minimum payments on the others. Pick them off one-by-one and apply the old payments to the next larger debt. The further you get, the more momentum you gain, just like a snowball rolling downhill. Some people can do it in a year or less with gazelle intensity. For most of us, it's going to take a little longer.

Baby Step #3 is to now start saving aggressively, until you have a fully funded 3-6 month Emergency Fund. This should be enough to make it through 3-6 months of regular expenses, in times of trouble. Without any consumer debt payments, you'll now have more money each month to put on this. 

Baby Step #4 is to start saving 15% of your income toward retirement in Roth IRA's and other pre-tax retirement plans. There are always a lot of questions about why this is the fourth step, instead of starting earlier. Basically, you get what you focus on, and the earlier steps are going to require all your effort to get them done as quickly as possible. 

Baby Step #5 is to set up a savings plan for your children's college. The reason this comes AFTER your own retirement planning, is that they can always work and help with college. You can't work forever. 

Baby Step #6 is getting your house paid off early. Dave also has some specific guidelines on what kind of financing is best (15 year fixed). We often have too much house, so we typically go 30 years just so we can manage the payment. This isn't wise, and can lead to bankruptcy or foreclosure if trouble comes knocking at your door. 

Baby Step #7 is to let it all grow and build wealth, so you can "Live and Give, like no one else." What an awesome place that would be to live in. Here's where that tortoise really prevails. 

So there you have it. Seven steps to success, just like we learned in FPU. Let's be clear. It's not going to happen overnight, just like it's going to take some time losing the weight you've accumulated.  

But you need to be gazelle intense at the start so you can get some momentum going. Stay gazelle intense while you're getting those debts paid off as quickly as possible. The sooner you can get there, the sooner you can start putting some serious money away (or losing that weight). And THAT'S when slow and steady will win the race!

At least two area churches will be offering Financial Peace University in the upcoming months: Cornerstone Baptist, after the first of the year, and First Baptist Church, in the Spring. 

Persistence, the key to overcoming obstacles and reaching goals.

I've been chronicling the weekly progress of participants in our new accelerated Seven Week Biggest Loser program. We had two new goals with this one.  

I wanted to jump start their effort by giving them more help and more workout opportunities through the week. We started off strong on day one, and many have become regular Boot Camp Warriors (those workouts are tough)!

I've also been testing the idea that the new format could help our completion rate. We've had 21 different Biggest Loser groups over the last 10 years, ranging in size from 12 to 68 participants (that was a BIG one). While there are a lot of success stories, no matter how well some did, the average dropout rate always stayed around 50%. I'm hoping to change that. 

So we've made it to the end of Week Four and we still have really high participation. Of the few drops, one dropped right away, and another is out due to surgery. A third has missed two weekly weigh-in's but I think she's still trying. So with just three weeks to go, it's looking pretty good.

Typically, most people drop around the fourth or fifth week, which is right now. They may not have had the dramatic results that the leaders have had, so it's hard for them to maintain their motivation. With a shorter, more intense program, I'm hoping they'll see the goal posts in sight and keep on running. 

I believe it really doesn't matter what program people use. There are lots of good ones out there. Whatever they do, what really matters is that they STICK with it. And the people that work the hardest always seem to do the best. You have to be persistent. 

Everyone has obstacles and setbacks, and we've all had our own mountains to climb, and struggles to deal with. Sure, some are much worse than others. Some we can't even comprehend. 

But people can bounce back from the toughest things, though it might take years. One of the highest rated shows on TV, "America's Most Wanted", started with a man's tragic loss of a child. John Walsh went on to host the show, and is personally responsible for bringing many people to justice. 

People tortured brutally as prisoners of war have gone on to have remarkable successes. Perhaps most notably, Senator John McCain, who was the Republican nominee for President of the United States. 

Popular author and radio host Dave Ramsey turned a personal bankruptcy into an amazing program called "Financial Peace University." This system has been wildly successful in helping millions of people get out of debt. 

Bethany Hamilton, the champion surfer, lost her arm in a shark attack several years ago. She's since returned to surfing, and is now starring on "The Amazing Race." On that challenging show, she went over a long rope bridge one-handed, and put a puzzle together with her feet. 

I can't say I really understand what any of these people have truly gone through. Even right here in our community, we've seen some tragic things recently. You just can't even imagine. 

But the quality that people who survive seem to have, is a desire to keep going. They have something inside them that carries them through. I'll bet faith often plays a large role in it. 

I think they show us that we don't have to be defined by our problems, struggles or failures. Even the hard ones. Instead, we can be defined by how we overcome them. By how we find a way to keep going, and by what we do with them. I'm pretty sure this works in the little things too. 

Some people who have kept going include this week's Biggest Losers. Tracy Whitaker placed first, losing 3.8 lbs and 2.4% of her body weight. Mark Clark was second, losing 3.4 lbs and 1.3%. Alyssa Horner was third, losing 1.2 lbs and about 1.0%. 

Next week, some of the killer workouts we've been up to. Until then, remember. Just get started, don't quit, and be persistent! You'll get through it. 

Biggest Loser "22" (Week Three)

Last week, we looked at better food choices, but that's just half the battle. Biggest Losers also have to make exercise a consistent part of their life, too.

In this streamlined seven week program, they've had lots of daily Boot Camp, Cardio, and Kickboxing workouts. We also turned it up in their weekly Biggest Loser workouts with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and circuit training routines with dumbbells (DB). 

Here are their first three, in case you'd like to give them a try. Make sure you know how to do everything safely and correctly. You'll find lots of help these days, from YouTube videos to local personal trainers. 

5 min cardio warmup

5 min of 30 second HIIT intervals (30 sec jogging/30 sec walking)

5 min cool down

DB Chest Press on Ball, DB Bent Over Rows, & DB Squats (3 x 10 reps)

DB Deadlifts & DB Bicep Curl-Presses (3 x 10 reps)

Assorted Crunches (3 x 10 reps)

By the second week, they'd increased the length of their cardio and learned some new dumbbell routines:

5 min cardio warmup

10 min of 60 second HIIT intervals 

5 minute cool down

DB Thrusters (squat & press), DB Curls, & Assorted Abs* (2 x 15 reps)

DB Deadlifts-Curl-Presses, & Assorted Abs* (2 x 15 reps)

DB Walking Lunge-Curl-Presses, & Assorted Abs* (1 x 15 reps)

*1) Crunches, 2) Crunches w/Legs up, 3) Crunches to L side, 4) Crunches to R side, 5) Leg Lifts

In the Week Three workout, we stepped it up yet again. This time they did more cardio with longer warmups and longer HIIT intervals, and a new full body routine with a straight barbell:

10 min cardio warmup

Three 90 sec HIIT intervals

10 min cool down

Straight Bar Deadlifts, Upward Rows, Cleans, Squat Cleans, Clean & Jerks, and Squat Cleans w/Press (3 x 3 reps each), and the earlier Assorted Ab Routine #1-5 (3 x 15 reps)

Hopefully, with all of the different things they're doing, they'll find some things they really like that they'll keep on doing. If they can also keep control over their eating, I know they'll reach their weight loss goals. 

Some people reaching their goals include our Week Three Biggest Losers. Tracy Whitaker took first place, losing 3.8 lbs and 2.3% of her body weight. Doris Frisse and Betsy Higginbotham both tied for second place, losing 2.0% of their body weight and 3.4 and 3.8 lbs respectively. 

Love, Loyalty, and a Winning Attitude (more life lessons from Buddy the WonderDog

A couple of years ago, I started thinking about a companion for our then two year old son. We wanted a gentle dog he could grow up with, that would always treat him well.

A friend recommended we try a Golden Retriever. After some research we started looking around. There were a lot of them available from breeders, especially down South, but nothing up here. 

Then one day, we came across a little Buddy, just 3 months old. He was such a cute little thing, and he was definitely on his best behavior. He did all the things dogs in that position do, that say "Pick Me, Pick Me!" So we did. 

Somehow, it never crossed our minds that 14 months later, our cute little Buddy would become a 70 pound Big Buddy. But that's what he's become. Now he's more than twice the size of our now four year old. 

Fortunately, for such an exuberant dog, Buddy's also developed a strong sense of restraint when they play together. He's amazingly strong. So it's doubly amazing what he lets the kids get away with. He really loves those kids. 

He lets them pull him around, hang all over him, and generally do lots of mischief guaranteed to start a fun fight. But he just takes it with a grin. It's almost as if he understands that "this one, you leave alone." Now that's loyalty. But man, if I get down to wrestle or play chase, it's "Game On, No Mercy."

I also love his attitude about things. Some dogs are whiners. We've all seen them. Talk about annoying. They're never satisfied. But Buddy just waits patiently for the next opportunity to come along. If we're not ready to roll with him, he just says: "Rokay" and lays back down until we get with the program. 

He's not too pushy when we're trying to eat, either. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing how fast he inhales anything that happens to hit the floor. I watched him scarf Michael's entire sandwich one time when he accidentally dropped it. We'll have to work on that.

One of thing the coolest things about Buddy is his Indomitable Spirit. This is one of the five tenants of martial arts, that basically means "Never quit, never give up. Ever." He's got this in spades!

He's never caught those birds that take off out in front of us. Not one time. But every day, it's on! He's also never caught a vehicle going away from us, but every day, it's on! 

When it's all over, and he comes up short (again), he doesn't cry about it, or quit trying. He just moves on to something else temporarily. The next time we flush out a bird or two, he announces he's coming and watch out! Now that's a winning attitude. We can learn a lot from our little Buddy!

Do You Know What You're Eating?

Do You Know What You're Eating?

For Biggest Losers, Week One was about getting moving and tracking how MUCH they ate. Week Two was about turning up the intensity of their exercise, and improving WHAT they ate.

Regardless what diet you're on, or what company's supplements you take, the best results always come from the most committed people. Whatever you do, if you stick to it, and work hard, you're bound to get results.

Personally, I'm convinced the best diet is NO diet. You simply choose to eat better. I've noticed that most diets and nutrition supplement companies still have two things in common. Whatever the product or protocol, you're also supposed to: 1) stop eating junk, and 2) exercise. So I think we should at least do that, right? Quit eating the junk and get plenty of exercise.

Now I'm not a nutritionist, but over the years, many Biggest Losers have gotten great results with normal meals that have a serving each of Protein, Starch, and Fruits or Greens. Here's why that matters.

PROTEIN:

Protein is for building muscle and bone. But most people don't get enough protein in their diet. Good sources of protein include low fat dairy products like milk, yogurt and cottage cheese; lean cuts of beef, pork, poultry, fish, nuts and some beans. Many active people find it helpful to supplement their protein intake with protein shakes.

STARCHES:

Starches are complex carbs that take awhile for your body to break them down, so they give you long lasting energy. They also have lots of vitamins and minerals. Good sources of starch include high quality whole grain cereals, oats, breads, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pastas (whole wheat),  rice (long grain wild), and some beans.

Be careful with these, as starches have a large effect on your insulin levels, especially if you have diabetes. If you do, check with your doctor. Most of us eat way too much starch, especially processed, and refined carbs (junk foods). These are basically simple sugars with almost no nutritional value. Avoid these and focus on high quality complex carbs. Even so, try to limit yourself to just one serving per meal.

FRUITS & GREENS:

Fruits are obvious, and provide great quick energy and lots of vitamins and minerals. We typically don't eat enough of them. The more variety the better. Have one for breakfast, and another as part of a healthy snack.

Greens are all those vegetables we tend to avoid, but they're very important to good health. They provide lots of vitamins and minerals and have lots of fiber too. Try to eat at least a serving or two a day!

Remember, a meal is pretty good for you when it contains a serving of protein, high quality starch, and fruits or greens. Here are some great examples we've seen lots of people use over the years. They're simple, balanced, and easily available:

BREAKFAST:

• Whole grain cereal, a cup of 1% milk, and fresh or frozen strawberries or blueberries.

• Oatmeal, Milk, and a Banana.

LUNCH:

• 6" Sub on whole grain, with chicken and lots of vegetables.

• Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on whole grain bread, and a banana.

SUPPER:

• A serving of Meatloaf, 1/2 of a sweet potato, and a serving of frozen mixed vegetables.

• A chicken breast, whole grain pasta, and a mixed salad with low fat dressing.

Finally, don't forget to mix in 2-3 healthy snacks. A quality snack will have both carbs (for quick energy) and protein (for muscle and bone). Some good snacks include:

SNACKS:

• Apple slices w/peanut butter.

• Fruit & yogurt.

• Whole grain crackers & cheese.

• Protein shake.

• Protein Bar

Most women will be comfortable and lose weight around 1,500-1,650 calories a day. Smaller women may need a little less, and taller women may need as much as 1,800 calories. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says women should never go below 1,200 calories a day. This can be a problem, as many women aren't hitting their minimum calories each day. This actually makes it harder for them to lose weight. You've got to hit your "minimum."

Men will usually do well around 2,400 calories a day, and some men can even get by on 2,000-2,200 depending on motivation. The ACSM says men should never go below 1,800 calories, but that's usually not a problem, as guys tend to overeat. Watch your portions.

If things go wrong and you get derailed, don't sweat it too much, unless it's happening all the time. Most experts will tell you its O.K. to have a "cheat" meal or day once in a while. You just had it. Now get back with the program. You might add some extra cardio to catch up. Above all, remember that diets usually come to an end, but eating right will last forever.

So there you have it. Give it a try. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up as one of our Biggest Losers, too!

Our Week Two Winner for Biggest Loser "22" was Tracy Whitaker, who lost 4.4 lbs and 2.6% of her body weight. Colton Gore took 2nd place, losing 4.6 lbs and 2.3%, and Mark Clark finished 3rd, losing 5.8 lbs and 2.1%.

Don't Let Your Guard Down

Don't Let Your Guard Down.

I had a sad conversation with someone just the other day. They'd done really well and lost a lot of weight in one of our recent Biggest Loser groups. Unfortunately, just three short months later, they'd put all the weight back on.

After they finished that particular Biggest Loser, they'd had college classes to content with, along with lots of kids activities going on. Basically, they went from being really active to not moving at all.

This is pretty common. It's hard to maintain Biggest Loser levels of intensity for much more than a few months at a time. Then there's going to be a point when you have to ease up a little bit.

Ideally, that's when you go into maintenance mode. You back off a little in your workouts, and relax a little in your diet. It's normal. After a little break, if you have more to lose, you get back on the weight loss train.

Some people though, just completely let off the gas. I've known several who lost 100 lbs, only to put it back on a year later. Maybe even half the people who loss some serious weight put much of it back on.

I think it has to do with fatigue. Physical and mental fatigue. They get tired of it all. It seems easier to just let go than keep fighting and hanging on. So when life starts pressing in, they simply surrender. Later, they wake up to the realization that now they have to do it all over again.

Fortunately, the knowledge of what to do is still there. They also know they CAN do it, because they've done it before. They just need to pull the trigger on the whole thing, and get started again. But even that can be difficult because they know how hard it was the first time.

So don't let this happen to you. Once you've achieved your goals, stay watchful. Stay on your guard. If you're paying attention, you can catch it quickly when things start slipping back the other way.

Better to make some small adjustments now than having to make big adjustments later. As Ben Franklin said: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Or pounds of cure!

Work out a little longer, a little harder, or maybe even a little more often, and you'll burn off those excess calories. Or dial back your diet and deal with it that way. Even better, do a little of both. Pick up your activity level AND tighten up your eating.

However you do it, stay watchful. Don't let your guard down. Keep a close eye out for danger. You can take a little break as long as you keep doing the little things. Stay the course. It just might keep you from having to do it all over again!

Speed Bumps May Slow You Down, But Don't Let Them Stop You

Speed Bumps.

We've all experienced them. Just like with those bumps in parking lots, we've all faced some speed bumps in life, too.

You can be cruising right along, happy with how things are going. Then, all of a sudden, BAM, your undercarriage bottoms out, your head hits the top, and you have to take your foot off the gas. Frustrating, right?

Now I'm not talking about those major life crises, like cancer, heart attacks, massive financial setbacks, or even a spouse saying it's over. At that point, everything changes, and it has to. In situations like this, it's going to take everything you have just to survive.

But speed bumps are designed just to slow you down a little bit. That's the kind of distraction we're talking about here. Things that just throw us off track. It could be as simple as getting the flu, or sinus issues slowing you down. Or having your kids start fall ball.

I see it all the time at the gym. People finally get their mojo going and all of a sudden, their other obligations start pressing in. Maybe they get mandatory overtime for a couple weeks. Often, it's the extracurricular activities their kids are involved in.

Right now, I can think of three of our current Biggest Losers with young toddlers. They're too old to just put 'em in a baby bouncer or portable baby carrier. Those were the days, right? Just set 'em down and hop on the elliptical. All you had to do was give them a little toy and smile at them from time to time. They're happy. You're happy.

But not now. Set em down in a kiddie corral and try to hop on a treadmill. It's like you're leaving the state! I saw this just a couple days ago at the gym. Mom put her little one in our kids area for the first time, and put the gate up.

It looked pretty good the first few minutes, but cries of "Mommy, Mommy" soon rang out. So she hopped off and went over to comfort her child (as she should have). After the toddler calmed down and knew Mommy was still there, Mom went back and tried it again, but to no avail. She'd hit a speed bump.

Another couple I know did really well with their exercise in their little boy's first year. But once he got mobile, all bets were off. They tried taking turns at the gym while the other watched their son, but it didn't really work out.

I've seen some moms pushing those souped up strollers while going out for a walk or even a run. I used that strategy too, when my son was a baby. It helped him go nite-nite.

Actually it was for his afternoon nap. I had a loop around the kitchen island, around the dining table, through the living room and bedroom, and then back again. A few laps always did the trick and I can still hear his voice asking "Daddy, ride?"

When he was a little older, I'd push him up and down our lane. He loved it and I got some cardio too. I even know a gal who pushed a double stroller, with a dog running alongside, for several miles, all at a pretty good clip. Talk about your multi-tasking.

We've all seen families go out for bicycle rides together. I know families who now run 5K's together. Recently on television, I even saw a family running a Spartan Sprint four mile obstacle course together. Now that was impressive.

It's natural to slow down a little, when you encounter bumps in the road. But if you can find a way to keep on going and quickly get back up to speed, I know you'll reach your destination!

BIGGEST LOSER "22" -- WEEK ONE

We just wrapped up Week One of Biggest Loser "22" and it seems like quite a good start. This is the first time for this new leaner, meaner, shortened version of Biggest Loser, and everyone's pretty excited.

For ten years, Biggest Loser has always been 12 weeks long and there've been lots of success stories. Still, I was wondering how we could be more effective, because even the best groups still had a dropout rate as high as 50%.

Most of those people drop in the first month, so I was thinking, what if we shortened it to 7 weeks? Would more people stay, figuring they could see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Biggest Loser groups also tend to morph into two smaller groups: one getting great results right away, but the other not doing quite so well. Obviously, if you were in the half doing great, the work was worth it. But if you were struggling a little bit, it was often easier to just give up.

Really, they just needed to be patient and keep doing what they were doing. Then in week four or five, things would start to click. But lots of people gave up before that happened.  So the goal was to help more people get better results sooner, so they could get some momentum going.

Since it was going to be shorter, we were going to have to step it up. I'd been experimenting with ways to kill the down time while I was presenting information. Last time out, I did some lectures while they were on the Treadmills, Bikes, Rowers, and Ellipticals. This worked pretty well so I decided to do ALL our presentations that way.

The goal for Week One was to "Just Get Moving." There they were, tromping and pedaling away, while I told them who won that week, and how much they all lost. It was pretty cool.

I also had a captive audience for our other main topic, which was "Knowing How Much You're Eating." So we talked about that while they got some interval training at the same time!

Then we used the mat time to do a quick dumbbell weight routine. During that part of the workout, we talked about the main focus of Week Two, which is "Caring about the Quality of your Foods."

Covering the material this way kept them moving the entire time, and kept the whole weigh-in and workout to just an hour. It used to take quite a bit longer because there was always so much important information to present that first week.

Finally, if we were going to help them get better results sooner, we needed to help them out more during the week. I've been posting their daily workouts for awhile now, but we decided to give them free access to all our classes during the week as a bonus!

So for the first time ever, we had a bunch of Biggest Losers during Boot Camp Workouts and KickBoxing classes too. A few of them did 5:30 Boot Camp, walked on the treadmill from 6:15 to 7:00, and then did Biggest Loser for an hour. Wow.

I've always heard "If you've got a big goal, you've got to take big action!" They're definitely doing that, and I hope more of them are going to be happy with the results.

Some people very happy with the results are this week's Biggest Losers. Christy Henry finished first, losing 10.4 lbs and 4.5% of her body weight. Avoree Gore was second, losing 7.2 lbs and 3.5%, and Tracy Whitaker came in third, losing 5.4 lbs and 3.1%.

Mark Clark Wins Biggest Loser "21"

We just finished Biggest Loser "21" on Monday night, and we also started a new one, too. As expected, Mark Clark was the overall Biggest Loser, after a tremendous run up to the finish.

The winner of many of the early weeks, Mark came on strong in the last three weeks, losing about 20 pounds. He finished first in Week Twelve, losing another 6.4 lbs and 2.3% of his body weight.

Krista Krabel finished second for Week Twelve, losing 1.6 lbs and about 1.0%. Completing the 12 weeks was especially satisfying for her. She had tried a couple years ago but had to drop out due to pressing health issues. It was nice seeing her successes every week.

Our Biggest Loser over the 12 weeks, Mark Clark lost a total of 54.2 lbs, and 20.0% of his body weight. This was even more impressive because he did it in just 11 weeks, having joined us after we'd already completed Week One. This breaks down to a weekly average of 4.9 lbs, almost 5.0 lbs a week!

Mark says that sticking with it is key. He also says he had a lot of help from his faith. It gave him a purpose for all that hard work, as well as strength when he needed it. He still has quite a way to go before he gets to his ideal weight, but now he knows he can do it.

We also started the new Biggest Loser "22" last Monday night. For the first time ever, we've shortened it to seven weeks. If people are going to drop out, it usually happens by then. Those that are left usually have the tools and motivation they need to succeed, so they're ok. They just keep doing what they're doing, like Mark did.

What I'm looking for, is to try to give the others more success. Hopefully, more people will feel like they can stick it out for at least seven weeks, and they'll have more incentive and motivation to do so.

We're going to make a couple of other changes too. Normally, I start off easy and ramp it up over the 12 weeks. With the shorter seven week structure, we've got to hit the ground running, so each workout will be a little tougher. This time, the workouts will be similar to the well known "T-25" and "P90x3" workouts, made popular by Beach Bodies, like you see on TV.

For the first time ever, we're also giving them free access to our regular boot camp and kickboxing classes. I wanted to give them lots of chances to succeed. They'll need to modify a few things in those classes early on, but it won't take long before they get up to speed. I'll keep you posted!

If you'd like to participate in this new, shorter 7-Week Biggest Loser, we still have lots of room, and you can still join in. There are several members from the Rec Center taking the class, alongside members from the gym. Everyone's welcome.

See me as soon as possible so we can get your initial weigh-in, and I can take you through the fitness assessment they did last Monday night. The first official workout is next Monday night at 7pm, so I hope to see you then!

From Pot Bellies to Pocketbooks (Part 3)

Last week, we looked at Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps for dealing with debt and finding financial peace. This week, we're going to apply those same Baby Steps to the battle of the belly.

Baby Step One is to do whatever it takes to establish a basic $1,000 emergency fund as quickly as possible. This is a small buffer against trouble, and gives you some peace of mind. Perhaps more important, it gives you a sense that maybe you CAN do this thing.

That may be the biggest problem confronting someone with a lot of weight to lose. It can often seem impossible, especially if you've tried and failed before. That's why I like to hit the ground running with new Biggest Losers. The goal is to get them moving twice a day, right from the start. At the same time, they're looking closely at their calories.

It's kind of like working to bank some cash in a hurry. But here, they're trying to bank some calories through diet and exercise. If they can get a daily deficit of 1,000 calories going, they'll lose at least two pounds that first week. Many people lose more; sometimes much more.

When they do, it really boosts their morale, and gives them some peace about the whole weight loss thing. That makes it much more likely they'll succeed.

Baby Step Two is "The Debt Snowball." The goal is to seriously change behavior and create some momentum through "gazelle intensity."

When you tackle huge weight loss, it can often seem overwhelming. By starting with smaller, easier workouts like just walking a mile, you learn you can do it. You start gaining confidence and skill, and can then add time and difficulty to your workouts.

This means you start burning more calories, which means more pounds lost. That builds even more confidence and momentum. Suddenly, you really start to believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Finally, Ramsey's third baby step is to fully fund a 3-6 month emergency fund. This protects you against many of the different bad things that might happen.

It's kind of like losing a lot of weight, but you still have the risk of gaining it back. I've seen it time and time again. Here's where banking another 3-6 months with your routines is a good idea. It makes sure you've truly developed new habits, where you stay focused on healthy eating and lots of movement. That will protect you against ever putting that weight back on.

To help you get that early calorie deficit and weight snowball going, the new Biggest Loser will be just 7 weeks long. But it's going to be packed full of stuff! This should give you a big kick start, and everyone should be able to do 7 weeks!

For the first time ever, we're also going to open up our Boot Camp and kickboxing classes to Biggest Losers at no charge. This will give you even more chances to succeed!

The new Biggest Loser "22" starts Monday, October 13th. The class will meet Mondays for an hour, starting at 7:00 pm. For more information, give me a shout.

If you're like me, many of us need to work on our debt. A lot of us need to work on our weight too. Let's do the baby steps together and burn some fat!

The A-B-C's of Weight Loss (Part 2)

Last week, I gave you some tips based on the letters A-M, that were hopefully both inspirational and motivating. But I had several people tell me that the column fell a little short.

If I was doing the Alphabet, I couldn't just stop at M. Instead, I needed to complete O through Z too. Okaaay. So here goes. Thank God I had another week to think about it.

O is for doing Outstanding work, always. Don't compromise.

P is for Prevention. If you don't have cookies in the house, you can't eat em.

Q is for Quit beating yourself up already. I mean, knock it off!

R is for having Relationships that build you up, not break you down.

S is for Satisfy your urge once in awhile for chocolate. A cheat snack or meal here and there makes diets work better.

T is for Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

U is for Undo the chains you've put around yourself. You have to love you, and you're worth loving.

V is for enjoying the Victory. Even the small ones. You fought hard for them.

W is for hard Work. Amazing results take amazing effort.

X is for X-Ray. Try to avoid too many of these. Okay, it's not that great, but YOU come up with a good X!

Y is for Yogurt. Learn to like it. It's high in protein and good for your digestion.

Z is for Zero in on what really drives you. You'll go further if you're passionate about it.

This week's Biggest Loser was once again Mark Clark, who had another great week. This time, he lost 5.6 lbs, bringing his total weight loss up to 47.8 lbs!

Biggest Loser "22" starts next Monday night at 7pm with our new 7 week format. It's going to be fast and furious, as we give you the tools you need to succeed, including FREE boot camp and kickboxing classes! If you're ready to turn this thing around, this is your chance, don't miss it!