Do Negative Calorie Foods Really Exist?

Dieters are always searching for the perfect calorie-burning, fat-melting, do-it-in-two-weeks diet. A popular notion often comes up that there are certain foods that require more energy to chew, digest, and absorb than they actually contain (negative calories). Do these negative calorie foods really exist?

Question Everything

Health gurus seem to have come up with a million different concoctions of how to get thin quickly and easily. A popular notion is that consuming a diet high in supposedly "catabolic foods" - or foods that require more energy to chew, digest, and absorb than they actually contain (negative calories) makes for a good way to lose weight. I know you've heard about this: eat all the celery, lettuce, grapefruit, and apples you want and you'll watch the pounds melt away. While it is true that your metabolism is increased after eating - known as the thermic effect of food - this caloric expenditure is relatively small and no study has ever demonstrated, regardless of the dietary make up of food, that more calories are used to metabolize a food than the number of calories the food contains. Biologically the notion just doesn't add up. As you can tell by the obesity epidemic, the human body is well-suited to hold on to fat. We aren't made to eat food that inherently makes us lose weight. Combine that with an overabundance of food and low levels of physical activity and there are consequences to be paid. Still, a quick Google search will lead you to websites with lists of "catabolic foods" and on some you can even find claims of specific very high calorie amounts required to metabolize these foods. The truth is you'd need to have the metabolism of a seagull for these claims to be true and there is no scientific research in support of a catabolic diet or any "negative calorie" foods.

Don't Throw Out The Baby With The Bath Water

While you won't burn more calories eating a food than the number of calories the food contains, you can and should include low-calorie, whole filling foods in a healthy eating plan to help keep your weight loss efforts on track.

Here are 10 low-calorie but nutrient dense foods that will help you fill up and, as part of a balanced eating and exercise plan, help you take off the extra weight.

Blueberries - This low-calorie (50 berries = 40 calories) nutrient powerhouse contains high levels of antioxidants.

Artichokes - A medium artichoke contains only 60 calories and a whopping 6 grams of fiber. Artichokes are also an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, including folic acid which is a hard one to come by.

Grapefruit - Low in calories (40 for a medium sized one), high in taste and nutrients this is a great addition to any diet.

Spinach - The epitome of health food, you can get a good dousing of many of the vitamins and minerals you need with a large spinach salad. (2 cups = 14 calories)

Lentils - Lentils are low in calories (1/2 cup = 100 calories) and are high in protein, iron, and fiber. This makes for a great addition to any salad, soup, or meal.

Watermelon - A cup of cut-up watermelon weighs in at less than 50 calories. Not only is watermelon a refreshing summer fruit loaded with vitamins it has been shown to help stave off heat stroke.

Egg White - Egg whites are a great way to get your protein (4 grams per white + 20 calories). If you can or want to throw in a yolk you're only up to 80 calories and 6 grams of protein with an addition of heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

Canned Tuna - Eating a can of water-packed tuna is a low calorie way to get loads of lean protein, omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, selenium, and vitamin D with only 30 calories per can.

Bok Choy - This Chinese cabbage is very low in calories (1/2 cup = 10 calories) and a must have for any Asian-style meal. Not to mention it is nutrient-dense, a rich source of vitamin A, C and calcium.

There are no quick fixes or two-week diets, but there are a lot of great healthy choices out there to spice up your meal plans. Taste a few...

Excerpts from ACE Fitness, Natalie Digate Muth; registered dietian

Spring Into Summer Challenge - Week 4

Turning Up the Heat
Congratulations on sticking it out. The challenges we have set forth in the past three weeks have been intense. Hopefully you have tried new diet and exercise ideas and you have undoubtedly learned new things about yourself. As you complete your final four challenges this week it'll be time to reward yourself for a job well done!

Eating Smarter: This week we are turning up the heat on your by raising the intensity in all four challenge areas. With regard to your eating regime we are challenging you to track EVERYTHING! That means every single bite, taste, lick or sniff of food that you take you need to write down. Doing this simple act is a proven way to stay on track with a healthy weight and eating habit. Once you stop tracking your food intake your memory begins to fail and you forget the small bites taken here and there. You start to underestimate your portion sizes, you take "days off" from your program and your "guesstimating" of your food intake starts to meltdown. All of which results with you ending up back at square one....or worst yet..."two steps forward and three steps back." With the tools we have at our fingertips there are no excuses not to track everything all the time. Pick a strategy to use of a small notepad, a diary or journal, your blackberry - I'm sure there is an APP for that - or one of our on-line programs:

• Spark People
• Fit Day
• Tools 2 Live By
• Lifeline 4 Nutrition

Move More:
If you have stayed on track for the past three weeks of this challenge you have added exercise classes, resistance training and outdoor activities to your current exercise program. This week, keeping with the theme of turning up the heat, we challenge you to increase the intensity! Don't forget this challenge is NOT about comfort and ease. This challenge asks you to push your limits. How does this relate to what we have currently asked you to do?

• Walk/Run = Shave a minute off your time when you go the distance with your outdoor exercise
• Reach for a heavier sets of weights during your resistance classes
• Choose a new, more challenging exercise within our ACE exercise library link
• Pick up the pace (or your knees) during your cardiovascular training

Doing the little things helps you achieve big results.

Building Habits:
Intensity rules this weeks challenges. Now is the time to get serious about the time of day where we find ourselves the weakest. Each one of us has a curtain time during the day where we tend to get off track. Perhaps we snack when we are not hungry due to stress, boredom or habit. For some of us it is during the mid-afternoon energy slump, for others it might be late night when the television is on or the lights are low. Or perhaps its when your out having a drink. This week we are challenging you to examine the time of day or situation where you tend to continually fall off track. Then make that "heated" effort to remove the unnecessary snacking or the compromising situation and replace it with healthier habits. Get up and talk a walk around the block, call a friend, or simply order a tall glass of water "on the rocks." Initially it will feel intense and difficult, but eventually it will lead to the creation of better long-term habits. Is it getting hot in here?

Support:
Support comes in all shapes and sizes. Throughout this challenge we have repeatedly asked you to look to others for support. This week, and moving forward, we challenge you to look within yourself for support. Make a promise to push yourself to new levels of commitment on the road to health and fitness. In this final week we urge you to write yourself a motivation note or find a quote to support you through the hard times. Make that your mantra until you need another one, then repeat the process. Take a moment to outline "in writing" where you started three weeks ago and how far you've come. Just beneath the goals you've already attained outline a few immediate goals for the future. Learning to appreciate how far you've come and focusing on where you are going will always be important and hopefully even life altering, behaviors that you create. Take a moment and share your success story with others on our testimonial page. Who knows how many people your story of success will encourage or touch.

Like we mentioned earlier; Congratulations on sticking it out. Going forward, it is up to you to take the time to work these and other new and challenging behaviors into your life. Believe us when we say that for every pennies worth of effort you put in you will receive a pounds worth of success mentally, emotionally and physically.
Allow the more intense level that you have pushed for during this last phase of the challenge become your norm. Don't ever stop moving forward and you will continually see results.
Enough said....Time to reward yourself!

Spring Into Summer Challenge - Week 3

Go Green!We have entered our third week of this four week challenge. You should be well on your way to a new you. It's time to take an honest look at what you have done this far and ask yourself, "An I doing all that I can to reach my goals?" If by some chance you are not yet seeing results, tighten that belt buckle a little bit more and lets get to it! This week is all about going green - and what better time than spring to do that?

Eat Smarter: If we are going green what could that mean in the way of our eating? Green vegetables of course! All vegetables are considered complex carbohydrates (yes they are carbohydrates!) and are therefore very filling foods that will help you fight off hunger with fewer calories. Green vegetables, especially the dark green leafy kind, are very healthy. Most of us are familiar with broccoli and spinach, but this week we want you to step outside the box and incorporate as many other green veggies as you can into your diet. Try avocados, Brussels sprouts, kale or okra. If none of those sound appetizing to you get creative with your salads. Step away from iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato salads and try steaming or stir frying some zucchini, broccoli and red peppers then serve them warm over a bed of dark green mixed lettuces with a fat free balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum! No time to cook? Check out small packages of mixed veggies in the frozen food section that can be tossed in the microwave while your un-bagging your lettuce and your done! So there are no excuses!

Move more: We are in week three which means you've either started exercising or added a new class to your current workout program and have also added resistance training. This week in keeping with the theme, we challenge you to go green! What does that mean in the way of exercise? Time to add a walk / run into your weekly exercise program! That's right, get outside, notice how green the world around us has become in the last few weeks. We are privileged to have Beebe Woods, the Shining Sea Bike path, Goodwill Park and a dozen beautiful beaches to choose from. So focus on taking a lunchtime or after dinner walk. If you have a real busy week ahead block off some time during the weekend to enjoy the great outdoors.

Build healthy habits: This week is all about going green. Many of the modern conveniences that have popped up in the last few decades truly lead us to a sedentary lifestyle, while spending energy. This week we challenge you to swear off one thing that removes movement from your life. Get off the escalator and use the stairs. Skip the drive thru at the bank or coffee shop, park your car (and not right in front of the door) and walk in. Put the remote control on top of the television so you have to get off the couch to change the channel. Do e-mail a co-worker, get up and walk to her office to ask her that question. Are you driving somewhere when you could walk? Examine places in your life to replace activity that has been zapped by technology.

Finding Support: Over the last two weeks we have encouraged you to ask for help and to find support in others. This week we are challenging you to give your support to someone who needs it. Find somewhere you can volunteer your help this week to assist someone in need. We at 241 Fitness volunteered to teach 45 fifth grades choreographed dance moves to a song for their Spring Follies. It doesn't matter "what" you choose to do, giving of yourself can only lead to feelings of happiness and self worth. Get outside of yourself this week to give in a way that will lead you to feel great about your actions. When we feel good about ourselves we don't need to turn to food for comfort.

The four challenge set forth this week are very do-able so make them happen and you'll be one step closer to your goal. Stay on track this week and you can start planning your reward for your Memorial Day Weekend!

Spring Into Summer Challenge - Week 2

Summer is around the corner - are you ready?

Our 4 week challenge will make sure that you are. With just a few short weeks until Memorial Day we realize that the time for sundresses, Daisy Dukes, and that bathing suit is fast approaching. The Spring into Summer Challenge urges you to take on more than you think you are capable of in an effort to get you outside your comfort zone and seeing results.

The challenge urges you to set four goals each week: eating right, moving more, changing behavior and finding support. These are the cornerstones of any successful health and fitness lifestyle.

WEEK 2: DIG IN

Eating Smarter: This week is all about snacks. One of our greatest dangers for any person trying to eat smarter is the threat of unaddressed hunger. Do you often skip meals in an attempt to shed a few pounds only to find yourself the victim of an unrelenting hunger that catches you off guide and making bad food choices? The best way to help in the lifelong fight of healthy eating habits is to snack. Yes, you heard me right....have a snack....it is a proven fact that the thermal effect of food ignites the metabolism engines of the body and aides in burning calories. So no matter how strange it may sound to you, if you are on a quest to lose weight you need to eat at regular intervals throughout the day and that includes snacks! Now not just any snack will do, you need to be prepared. So this weeks challenge is for you to brainstorm and make sure you carry two or three great snacks with you each day. Regardless of how you spend your day, at home, at work or at play, you will need to be prepared. Take a moment to list 10 healthy, low calorie snacks. They should be snacks that are portable in the sense that they can withstand several hours without refrigeration if needed. Struggling to think of great snack ideas and how to implement them into your day?

Our examples: Boxed raisins, low fat granola fruit and nut bars, small bunch of grapes or fruit choices, whole wheat crackers and thinly sliced cheese, baby carrots, celery sticks, pre-packaged apple slices.

Check out: My Pyramid for more ideas about healthy snacking and your calorie intake needs.

We KNOW that you have already planned your smaller servings of a well rounded breakfast, lunch and dinner now you can shave those meals back ever so slightly to add 2-3 nutritious snacks into the course of your day. This practice keeps the metabolism running , the blood sugar level, and the hunger monster at bay.

Move More: This week we ask that you continue to follow last week's additional class prescription while adding resistance training into the mix. Sound difficult? Already feeling good about getting yourself started in the exercise department? Or perhaps your already feeling overloaded. Don't forget, this 4 week challenge isn't about comfort - it's about pushing your limits, getting results and then you can coast. This week add one of our resistance-type exercise classes into your workout week. If you are already attending a class, your challenge is to use a heavier resistance during that class. If you are currently using 3 pound weights, increase to using 5 pounds, 5 pounds to 8 pounds, 8 pounds to 10 pounds. If you can't make a resistance class commit to adding a daily "at home" 10 minute session into your schedule. That could be something as simple as doing push-ups or crunches. You will be amazed at how quickly 2 push-ups turn into 20 or 10 sit-ups turn into 100.

Tip: Take a minute to view some of the videos in the ACE exercise library to get new ideas to try at home or before a class.

Behavior Changes: This week is all about "digging in". Here we request that you dig into your old habits and pull them apart. Take some time to examine your behavior around and toward food. Make an effort to recognize one habit that consistently stands in the way of your success then brainstorm on ways to change it over time.

For example: Do you try to eat small portions only to end up going back for seconds? Or do you eat nothing all day in the effort to save your calories for a nice dinner which turns into a late-night food binge? Like we mentioned earlier you need to eat...grazing is more like it, to keep the metabolism racing. Therefore, if you find yourself hungry now that you have shaved some food off of the breakfast, lunch and dinner plate that is perfect. Add those healthy whole snacks we talked about. However, if you are currently still satisfied with the smaller portions you are going to need to cut that lunchtime sandwich in half and shave a little more off of the dinner plate to incorporate your daily snacks. Remember to never limit your total caloric intake to under 1200 calories (for women) and 1800 (for men) or you are putting your body into starvation mode. As for the late-night eating a great trick to slamming on the munchies breaks is to perform some oral hygiene. Yes, that's right, brush your teeth, floss, use a great mouth rinse and polish those pearly whites. Cleaning out the palate shuts down the mental receptors that are calling for more food. Then if your body hasn't gotten the message yet, go ahead and have a drink...of water that is! Quite often our hunger instincts are no more than a faulty thirst receptor. Who'd of know that this wonderful body had a default?

Find Support: This week we urge you to look for help in all the right places. To succeed, support is critical. Maybe you have a question about your goals, food choices, or exercise plan? Or perhaps you just need direction or someone to communicate with. Examine where you need help and then ask for it. This might sound easy, but it may be the hardest thing we have asked you to do this week.

Tip: Be informed! Get great information at our "Tools 2 Live By" link.

Chat: Stay connected with others. Talk to us about your trials and tribulations or speak with others to help you get ideas on how to stay aware, motivated and on track by becoming a fan on one of our Facebook sites: 241 Fitness or Ally-Wendy

The four challenges set for you this week are important tools to a lifelong commitment of health and fitness. It is up to you to take the time to work these new goals into your life. Last week we recommended that you decide on a treat that you have been wishing for as a reward for completing the challenge. As we move closer, take a moment to imagine yourself at your fitness or weight-loss goal. Constant focus on the destination ahead will help you to get there. Keep pushing ahead and we will see you next week, one step closer.

Spring Into Summer Challenge - Week 1

Summer is just around the corner, are you ready for it?
Follow this four week program and we will make sure you are.

With just a few short weeks until Memorial Day the season of reawakening is upon us. As we spring back to life we realize that the season of short sleeves and bathing suits is fast approaching. This year we challenge you to step outside your comfort zone, clean out the winter sludge from your veins and set some serious goals.
Four weeks may not sound like a long time, but with focus and determination, you can make a dramatic difference in both how you look and feel just in time for summer.
In the following four weeks our aim will be to help you focus your efforts on weight loss and physical rejuvenation. We will urge you to take on more than you think you are capable of in an effort to find out just what you can actually achieve in this precious window of time. We will be asking you to battle the inner voice saying that you can't make a change, thus defying the excuses that cripple your progress. Summertime, social events, outdoor living, sun dresses and an active life are just around the corner. This year we will make sure you are ready to face them head on!
For each of the next four weeks, the challenge will urge you to set four goals, representing the four cornerstones that lead to successful long term health and fitness:

1. eating right
2. moving more
3. changing behavior
4. finding support

We will provide guidance, but are asking that you push yourself. Don't just try, succeed. Set your goals just beyond where you think you might be able to reach. Then set aside time each week dedicated to meeting those goals.

Week 1: NO EXCUSES!

1. Eating smarter: Eating smarter requires some planning. Planning leads to better choices, learning about your hunger signals and controlling cravings. This week commit to making a commitment to stay on a healthy eating plan, NO EXCUSES! Plan your meals for the entire week and don't stray from it. Write down this meal plan and then journal what you are eating to match against it. This is the perfect time of year to consume more whole and filling foods such as fresh fruits and springtime vegetables, then go easy on the salad dressings. Another point to consider is that it's the little changes in your food intake that reap the big results. For example a typical 12 ounce sugared beverage is about 140 calories and water (even favored ones) are zero calories. Replacing just one sugar beverage a day with a water can trim 50,000 calories a year from your diet. That alone is 14 pounds a year!

2. Move more: The prescription for fitness is to complete a minimum of 30 minutes of activity a day. Research proves that 90% of people who have kept weight off over time have a regular schedule of activity in their lives. If you want lasting weight loss, you are going to have to find a way to make fitness a part of your everyday life, NO EXCUSES! So this week we challenge you to join us in a class that you don't normally attend. Go to our class schedule page at http://www.241fitness.vpweb.com/ClassSchedule.html - pick a class and then write that down as an appointment on your calendar. For those of you that have been exercising with us for awhile, it's time to turn it up a notch. The more fit a person becomes through a healthy lifestyle and exercise the more intense that exercise program needs to become to get results. So lace up those shoes and lets leave it all on the dance floor.

3. Changing behavior: Changing your behavior is all about building awareness. Awareness of the foods that keep you fuller longer, awareness of your hunger signals, awareness of how much better you fell when you are moving daily. This week we challenge you to be aware of every bite you take. If you are anything like me you eat most of your food over the kitchen sink and then have food amnesia, so you have to journal everything you put in your mouth or else you totally forget about it. Plan to eat your meals away from the kitchen sink and distractions such as the television or your computer. Yes, we are challenging you to actually step away from the kitchen sink, sit down and enjoy your meals or snacks, turning off all other distractions so that you can focus on your feelings of fullness and hunger. Furthermore, we challenge you to measure out a serving size and place it on a small plate as opposed to eating straight from the package or pot. NO EXCUSES!

4. Finding support: Reach out to a close friend, family member or someone in class who can become your ally in this "spring into summer" challenge. Ask them to join you in this process, have them help you set up your weekly goals or do so as a team and then hold each other accountable throughout this process. If you tell us your taking our challenge or coming to a class, we will hold you to it and call you on it! NO EXCUSES!

The four challenges set for you this week are fundamental basic principles to a lifetime of health and fitness. It is up to you to take the time to work these new goals into your life. Believe us when we say your time will be well spent. As a reward for completing the whole challenge we recommend that you decide upon a fabulous splurge that you have been wanting. Need a new cut and color? Pedicure for the start of summer? Dinner at that new restaurant? Take a minute and write down just how you plan to reward yourself at the end of this challenge on Memorial Day weekend, as we don't plan on being easy on you!
This challenge is all about pushing yourself into the next level and making real progress. Happy Spring!

National Weight Control Registry, Long Term Weight Loss Maintenance and Clinical Nutrition

I'm Not Here To Make Enemies ... but...

you might just need an attitude adjustment. To say that most of us are concerned with our weight is an understatement. Obsessed is more like it, and Americans spend an estimated $60 billion per year feeding that obsession.
And for what? To achieve the media's half baked idea of attaining an impossible body image of thinness and beauty, that's most likely been airbrushed anyway! Instead of thinking, "quick fix thin" you need to start thinking, "long term healthy". Because after 10 (and for some of us 20) years of dieting, one out of every three American adults is now considered overweight. Sounds to me like something isn't quite right with this fat free - sugar substitute picture!

Fortunately, knowledge is power and we are being given statistics and clinical studies from a whole new generation of researchers, physicians and health-promotion specialists who are working diligently to change our old way of viewing weight management.

Be Careful What You Assume ...
and not just because of that old adage, "When you assume you make an ......." But because diets rarely work. Those who have tried them - and failed - know this, and now finally physicians and weight management researchers are acknowledging it as well. For most of the twentieth century, people have simply assumed that thinness is essential for both good health and happiness. And those who are not thin are either not healthy or not happy. Hogwash! Twiggy had the genetic makeup of a ten year old boy and Kate Moss can't find a job! Real women have real curves. Having said that is not giving you an excuse to throw in the towel or go wild. I will re-iterate here that a "calorie in" vs a "calorie out" is still tried and true when it comes to successful weight management. However, I am so over being deprived from living in the real world!

It's All About Lifestyle
The new weight paradigm focuses on things other than mere weight loss: healthy eating, regular exercise, positive self-esteem and, perhaps most importantly, self-acceptance. Being healthy has less to do with seeing who can get the scale to move the most and more with one's ability to balance and nurture all aspects of our life; the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical. As women we are all pretty good at multi-tasking, so why do we seem to find this most important project beyond our comprehension or ability?
I'd say that it's time to adjust our attitude and stop rating ourselves against some "ideal" standard developed by the media and marketing gurus.

Here Are The Facts, Plain and Simple

1) The combination of regular exercise and healthy eating (yes actually eating something) is the most effective way to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF. A program of aerobic exercise (as for me, I'm addicted to Zumba - what woman doesn't love to dance?) and resistance training (arguing with your significant other is not the type of resistance I'm talking about here) helps individuals burn calories and maintain lean muscle mass. Healthy, relaxed eating in response to hunger and satiety cues is KEY to developing a comfortable relationship with food and avoiding eating disorders.

2) People naturally have different body shapes. You are either an Ecto, Endo or Mesomorph when it comes to body shape and type, and you need to accept that from the onset. The key to making positive changes - which may or may not include weight loss - is to consider all the different faucets in your life that you are bringing to the table and setting realistic goals from them. Your body type cannot be changed, but can be altered through proper training stimuli.

3) Little changes make big differences. Drastic changes to your daily diet or a sudden burst of exercise could net you some "quick" benefits, but these are merely short-term fixes and the cost associated with the return of unwanted weight or injuries from such foolishness will offset any ground you may have gained once you return to your old ways....and if it's over-the-top you will backslide quicker than you want to admit!

• Find a few physical activities you enjoy and STICK WITH THEM
• Find an exercise partner
• Don't fall into the excuse trap
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Eat less refined sugars
• Eat when your hungry - stop when your full (who'd of thought?)
• Use a smaller plate
• Log everything you eat* - for those of us with food amnesia
• Log everything you do physically* - for those who tend to over perceive exercise output
• Then be patient

Start your new lifestyle by making small changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. After you start eating, regularly and healthier along with becoming more physically active, you will feel more energized and less stressed. I guarantee you that if you don't make excuses and actually find activities and alternative food choices that you like, it won't be long before you start hearing the words, "You look great."

It's an attitude adjustment to success worth sharing.

* Easy to use - food and exercise logs are available for free on our 241 FUN page with FitDay & SparkPeople

Written by: W

Week 9: Commit 2 Be Fit / A Fitness Instructor

A FITNESS INSTRUCTOR

The next time you take a fitness class, don’t assume that the instructor has never struggled with her weight… or even that exercise has always been such a big part of her life. Take the instructors at 241 Fitness for example:

MY STORY......Ally

I’ve never really told my story before. I think very few people know it. I’ve often heard people say you must have been healthy and fit growing up. Especially when I’d introduce my parents at the gym or my Mom in a group fitness class. Well the truth is…YES and NO.

I was blessed with genetics that made me very strong and fast and I was pretty athletic taking dance, gymnastics, horseback riding lessons, swimming, running and cheerleading. I would even beat the fastest boys before they hit puberty. Growing up I lived on 4 ½ acres of what I’d call a Cape Cod farm. My Dad had a huge garden with everything you could think of in it. We had pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, a goat, a cat and my sister and I each had a dog and a horse. Yes, we ALL lived at home. My Grandmother lived next door and she had a beautiful in-ground pool. There was no shortage of fruits, veggies, eggs, meat and exercise. We all ate what (and as much as) we wanted. My Mom is a great cook and my parents prided in making and storing a lot of what they had.
I can remember, I’d eat four donuts at a time or seven pancakes at my friends house. Now that I think of it, it was not an issue until the summer before my junior year of high school when I wanted to slim down to wear a bikini. I just cut back on some snacks and presto “rocked” the bikini that summer. That worked a few more times. Then I graduated high school and went on to a business school where I majored in Travel & Tourism. The end of the summer I met my husband Bob. We hit it off right away and it was a whirlwind of dating, dining, drinking and more late night dining. I no longer had any exercise in my life but a lot of calories so you can guess I gained weight. Bob and I dated and it wasn’t long before we got engaged. We set the date for the wedding a year and a half out. It was then I started to think “perfect bride” I got on the scale and saw that I weighed much more than I had ever weighed. I remember thinking if I keep gaining weight at this rate at my young age of 20 at 5’4” I will have gained about 120 pounds by the time I was 30. Yes, this could be done and my lifestyle was heading in that direction. Well, if cutting out snacks worked before I’ll try that again and I’ll stop drinking too. Well, I did lose a little weight and people started to say they noticed. That was SO good to hear! But I soon hit a plateau and added exercise classes with my Mom. It worked - I started to lose more and more and more, as the complements rolled in. Then I hit yet another plateau. That is when I started to get obsessive with the diet and the exercise. I started to count calories and vowed to get rid of every single one I took in. I did everything I could to take out all the fat I could find and limited my calorie intake to some extremely unhealthy low levels. (Oh no! I know now that is BAD! ) Well, I did lose even more weigh and felt like I was in great control. However, instead of compliments now people started to say how skinny I looked. I thought GREAT that was my goal! I remember squeezing lemon or vinegar alone on my salad...yuck! The next thing I recall is waking up one morning starving. (hmmm imagine that!) There was some cheese Danish in the kitchen, my weakness. I though I would cut a small bite and only eat a little, just a taste. Then I thought wow that was great! I need a little more. Soon I had eaten all of the Danish in the box. I felt weak after being so strong. I realize now that I just had a binge, a food frenzy if you will. I set myself up for that. I felt so horrible I snuck into the bathroom and did the unthinkable. I was ashamed and out of control. I cried I knew this was insanity. They say everyone has a bottom. This was mine.

I recall looking at a picture of myself and thinking wow, I may look too skinny, a bit frail and gaunt. Bob referred holding me to the feeling of holding a 10 year old boy when explaining to me I need help. I could only imagine that might feel pretty creepy for him. It was a blessing that I realized I needed help.

Realizing I had a problem was key for me. The next step was allowing myself to pick and maintain a healthy weight for me. I started educating myself on the Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR) the actual amount of calories I needed to gain then eventually maintain weight. I also used the food pyramid guide to create a healthy meal plan each day. This says you need a certain amount of non-saturated fats, which I wasn’t allowing myself. I made a lifestyle change. I used my own strategies to help me. I never skip breakfast and eat about every 3 hours 4x per day. Dividing my breakfast and lunch. I don’t have seconds. Instead I might have a little treat after dinner. When I find myself board or stressed and wandering around searching for food I ask myself; do I feel hungry or am I just bored, stressed out or maybe even thirsty? If I’m not hungry I can distract myself by reading, exercising, or enjoying a cup of herbal tea. I keep my unhealthy binge foods out of the house. If it’s something that will haunt me until it’s gone I don’t even bother buying it to torture myself.

By the time my wedding day came I had gained some healthy weigh back. I looked and felt healthy. It was a beautiful day. I look back at pictures and Bob and I looked amazing. Two kids and 20 some odd years later I have maintained my current weight and I feel great. I have my 5 pound range. If I go below I increase healthy calories and if I gain I decrease calories and increase exercise. A balancing act that I will continue for the rest of my life. Along my journey I have been blessed to have met some wonderful and influential people. I have fallen in love with fitness. It has become my passion to continue to share my love for health and fitness with others.

MY STORY......Wendy

Even as a young child, Wendy constantly struggled with food and ultimately her weight. With roots stemming from a meat and potatoes father and his 12 siblings who were fondly referred to as "big boned" and an Italian mother with culinary talents fit for the Gods, the odds were already stacked against her. From the beginning food was the center of the universe, the symbol of love, friendship and family. During grade school clothes shopping began in the "chunky" department and by middle school, gravitated to the polyester stretch pants and smock tops of the "woman's" section that had to be severely hemmed. By high school, even though she was unhappy with her weight and how she felt about herself, Wendy continued to turn to food for reward, relief, and comfort. Rock bottom hit when she had been labeled as obese during a physical exam.

Obesity by definition is the state of being well above one's normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person's height, age, sex, and build. Obesity has been more precisely defined by the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) as a BMI of 30 and above. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.)

That is when the decision was made to do something about her weight. But back in the day what we knew about diet and exercise pales to what research has uncovered today. Where to begin? The grapefruit diet, the soup diet, the no carbohydrate diet, the Atkins diet, the ice cream diet....or maybe the magic was in the diet chocolates, diet pills, anti-cellulite creams, plastic exercise suits, or latest infomercial. Not knowing where to begin and not seeing any results with any of the diets that her diabetic mother tried, the decision was made to just cut out all desserts from her diet, except for on Sunday (however, if the Sunday came and went and a dessert was missed, then she would wait until the next Sunday to indulge). Now that is a big nut to crack at any age! But the goal had been set, the vow had been taken and what did she have to loose if it didn't work out? But low and behold, the calorie deficit created by the lack of these simple carbohydrates equals about a pound a month! Knowing that she was onto something, a second goal was set to eat smaller portions. Back went the dinner plate and out came the luncheon plate at meal times. This was interlaced with the purchase of her very own 12 speed bike to get from Point A to Point B. Now an element of exercise was injected into the equation and we are talking more like a 3,500 calorie deficit or a pound every two weeks!

Brace yourself, here comes a pitfall: If a little is good, a lot has to be better. Right? WRONG. It had gotten to the point where if a couple of pounds needed to be shed, or a dress size dropped, skipping meals or even starvation worked wonders. After the initial pangs of hunger came and went you learned to ignore the feelings of deprivation, dizzy spells, headaches and heart palpitations. That is until the day came that she passed out and broke her nose while visiting a friend in the hospital from not eating. Intervention was imposed and adjustments in diet, exercise, self perception and the thought process were made. That is when Wendy found her first love in Group Fitness. It started at Gloria Stevens, when the leader came and grabbed you off of those damn torture machines designed to shake, rattle and roll the fat off of you and do exercises together in the middle of the room.

Even though I entered the fitness industry right after that hospital experience I was still riding the weight roller coaster throughout the years. It wasn't actually until I joined Weight Watchers with a friend that I found the final key to successful weight loss and weight management. I would punish myself in the exercise arena in hopes of shedding a pound or two only to immediately consume them again by making bad food choices. But with the exercise knowledge I obtained working in the fitness industry and the WW program I managed to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Is this to say that I have totally attained? Heck NO, not at all. I still suffer from food amnesia and have weight loss goals, like shedding those few pesky pounds that snuck up on my belly and thighs when I wasn't journaling my food and sticking to my exercise program. It might not seem like much, but past history reminds me that 5 pounds can turn into 25 or 50 much too quickly.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have to think about what I am eating and why. Then there is the knowledge that exercise will always be an intricate part of my life, so I'd better find something I like doing or I'm not going to stick with it. Group fitness is my first love because there we are all on a level playing field, dealing with the exact same issues. A place where we are able to have fun while sweating and reaching our "health and fitness" goals together. There are no quick fixes or short term answers. This physical pursuit is a lifelong commitment of healthy eating habits and fitness practices.

Come take the journey with us.

Ally & Wendy

241Fitness