Support system key to Fittest Losers' success

During the interview process for the Daily Herald's Fittest Loser competition, prospective competitors were asked about their support systems: family and friends who would help them through the process of losing weight.

Each of the five Herald readers selected to participate in the three-month contest provided a long list of people who would assist them during the more difficult parts of the competition, the most challenging of which is the special diet they have to maintain.

But no one knew the lengths to which these special people would go to be supportive.

While each of the Fittest Loser competitors appreciate everyone in their support group for their assistance (including their trainers at Push Fitness, which sponsors the event), they each have stories to tell of support that has gone above and beyond expectations.

John Novak is a 46-year-old assistant principal at Hersey High School. He and his family recently took a vacation to Phoenix with two other families.

“It has been amazing how supportive they have been during the week,” Novak said. “I had signed up to work out at a local fitness center, and my wife got up every morning to go and work out with me. We all did a lot of hiking and other physical activities. We also gave up going out to eat a lot and ate healthier meals at the house we had rented. The Schuldt and Regan families, along with my own family, were really great on the trip.”

Novak gave credit to his wife, Cheryl, and their two sons, Andrew and Brian, specifically for refusing to say the word “pizza” around him.

Kristen Kessinger, a 28-year-old public relations professional, has a trio of stories to tell about her friends and family.

“My friend Kristen hosted a girls' day at her house for a group of us to come chat, eat and organize photos,” Kessinger said. “It was my first party on the diet, and I was expecting to have a difficult time with all the fattening food. Instead, I was so happy and surprised to see that everything she had was something I could eat, including a great fruit tray, a veggie tray and a salad. It was so nice to feel like just one of the girls, eating the same things everyone else was.”

Kessinger's mother made special arrangements to celebrate her brother's birthday, hosting the dinner at home rather than taking everyone out to dinner for pizza or Chinese food.

“My mom made a great steak, roasted asparagus and mashed “faux-tatoes” (cauliflower) so I wouldn't have to struggle at a restaurant,” Kessinger said. “Her homemade chocolate cake is one of my favorite foods, so she picked a cake flavor that I don't like, and it was easy for me to skip.”

At a recent dinner with her husband, Jon, at their favorite Schaumburg restaurant, Riccardo's, the owners prepared a special healthy meal that “fit within my food restrictions, but was still delicious. It was such a nice surprise and it showed me that my support network is even wider than I realized.”

Jayne Nothnagel, a 52-year-old customer service representative for Waste Management, said her special support comes from family members who have not complained about the changes that have occurred at home.

“My family support system is living a new life because they no longer have their support system — me!” Nothnagel said. “One ran out of clean underwear and no longer has a back-scratcher, another no longer gets her house cleaned and another is not getting the ‘hearty' meals he was accustomed to. Thank you, family, for learning to be flexible and putting up with lots of ‘my stuff' in the fridge.”

Nothnagel also credited her “three thin sisters” for their continued encouragement, including the suggestion from one sister that Nothnagel apply a spray tan to make her look thinner for one of the Herald photo sessions.

Dee Levine, a 59-year-old childbirth education nurse at Sherman Hospital, credits her husband, Al, who actually talked her into staying in the competition when she initially considered quitting after the first few workouts.

“I couldn't be doing this without Al's support,” Levine said. “On vacation, Al got me up every morning at 6 a.m. for a whole week to work out with me (while we were on a Caribbean island). He found restaurants that would be friendly toward my menu choices. When I complained that I didn't know if I could do this routine for 12 weeks, he instilled in me the characteristics of ‘mental toughness' that were instilled in him in Marine boot camp.”

Levine said her three co-workers in childbirth education classes — Linda, Jill and Cindy — covered her for Saturday classes so she could attend Push Fitness Boot Camp.

Bob Pearson, a 37-year-old painter and home inspector, is about to become a father for the third time. His wife, Gina, has dealt with her pregnancy while supporting Pearson in his weight-loss efforts.

“This pregnancy is completely different for her in terms of what she is doing for me,” Pearson said. “Sometimes we will pass a Chinese restaurant and she'll say, ‘Oh, yummy,' and then say, ‘Nope, we don't need it.'

“I know that any other time it would have been, ‘Pull in, let's eat,' as Chinese was one of our favorites to stop at,” he said.

Pearson said Gina is making much healthier choices during this pregnancy, and their two children have benefited from living through the process with their dad.

“Both my boys, Bobby and Dominic, have lost over 10 pounds since I started,” Pearson said. “The support from my family and friends have been overwhelming.”

<b>Status report </b>

<b>Bob Pearson, 37, of Hampshire</b>

<b>Current weight: </b>244 pounds

<b>Weight lost this week:</b> 6 pounds

<b>Total weight loss:</b> 52 pounds, 17.5 percent

<b>John Novak, 46, of Mount Prospect</b>

<b>Current weight:</b> 274 pounds

<b>Weight lost this week: </b>5 pounds

<b>Total weight loss:</b> 50 pounds, 15.4 percent

<b>Jayne Nothnagel, 52, of Bloomingdale</b>

<b>Current weight:</b> 185 pounds

<b>Weight lost this week: </b>1 pound

<b>Total weight loss: </b>28 pounds, 13.1 percent

<b>Dee Levine, 59, of Hoffman Estates</b>

<b>Current weight:</b> 219 pounds

<b>Weight lost this week:</b> 3 pounds

<b>Total weight loss: </b>30 pounds, 12 percent

<b>Kristen Kessinger, 28, of Volo</B>

<b>Current weight: </b>233 pounds

<b>Weight lost this week: </b>4 pounds

<b>Total weight loss: </b>30 pounds, 11.4 percent