Diet poses a challenge for Fittest Losers
The Fittest Losers knew they were going to have to change their diet to lose weight during their three-month competition.
But that doesn't mean they have to like the idea, or the diet.
Five Daily Herald readers are competing to see who can lose the most weight by percentage during the contest. They are doing so with the assistance of trainers at Push Fitness in Schaumburg, sponsor of the Fittest Loser competition.
Owners Josh Steckler and Mark Trapp concocted the “modified Mediterranean” diet the competitors are using. It calls for eating five times a day, and food is separated into five groups — fruit, vegetables, starch, fat and protein.
The goal of the diet is to control and maintain blood sugar levels, which allows the body to be more efficient at burning fat as a fuel source. But another goal is to get the Fittest Losers to stop eating the types of food that had caused them to gain weight.
While the food choices are different and shopping for and preparing the food is a challenge, one of the demanding aspects of the diet is the need to eat five times a day.
“Eating five times a day actually turns out to be more difficult than one would think it would be,” said John Novak, an assistant principal at Hersey High School who “eats” protein shakes twice a day between regular meals.
“I'm always on a job site, so meals one through four have to go with me to work,” said Bob Pearson, a house painter and home inspector. “I have to have all my meals prepared from the time I walk out the door.”
The five meals require the contestants to make deliberate plans on a daily basis, which is better than eating whenever the mood strikes.
After a month on the diet, the trainers changed many of the plans after getting to know the contestants better. Many of them are now on a schedule where they are allowed protein two days a week and can have limited fat intake two days a week.
“Last week my trainer took out dairy,” Pearson said. “I'm going from no bread to no dairy. I'm feeling like I'm turning into a carnivore — too much chicken and meat.”
“I have days where I do no fruit at all,” said Kristen Kessinger, who works in public relations. “I have gone from craving pizza to craving fruit.”
“It is difficult not to have any fat in your diet as far as preparation of food is concerned,” said Jayne Nothnagel, a customer service representative for Waste Management. “On days with no fat, there are no egg yolks, no oils, no butter, no type of condiment of any sort. I end up eating servings of vegetables and lean protein, and it is hard to be creative.”
The diet restrictions played an interesting role in the vacation plans for Dee Levine, a nurse at Sherman Hospital in Elgin who took a week's trip to St. Martin.
“I missed the French desserts, the French bread and butter and the island ribs,” Levine said. “I didn't have any!”
The competitors thought the new diet would save them money because they would no longer be eating fast food, but they have learned that maintaining a proper diet requires detailed grocery shopping.
Some of the Fittest Losers have found themselves eating new kinds of foods. For instance, Novak is eating avocado for the first time in his life.
“I have found a variety of vegetables that I never enjoyed before,” Pearson said. “I eat asparagus and zucchini like you wouldn't believe now.”
“I used to gag at the sight of yogurt,” Kessinger said. “Now I am eating it almost every day. I am only allowed plain yogurt, though. They took away my fruit. I have been told I can only eat sodium-free cottage cheese, and that is not reasonable cottage cheese.”
All of the competitors give thanks and credit to their family and friends for helping with food preparation or participating, even in a limited way, with the new diet restrictions.
Nothnagel was in the habit of going out to eat with co-workers, but now goes less frequently and her co-workers agree to go to places where she can order food that fits into her diet plan.
While many aspects of the new diet are challenging, it was easy for the competitors to recall what food they miss the most.
“I'm a pizza fan and a huge bread fan,” Novak said. “I would eat pizza two to three times a week.”
“I miss my bread,” Pearson said. “I would love to have something between two pieces of bread right now. I would have a vegetable sandwich if I could.”
“I miss a lot of things,” Nothnagel said. “Pizza, french fries, pasta, hot dogs. But there are times when I don't miss those things because I know what would happen.”