Fittest Loser contestants re-learn how to eat
Exercise is their king. Nutrition is their queen. Contestants in the Fittest Loser Challenge, hosted by the Daily Herald and Push Fitness in Schaumburg, have been given the tools to build their kingdom of fitness. But following their queen has proved challenging for some. While the exercise program is very demanding, changing the way that they eat has been a shock to the system for most.
Each of the five contestants has been asked to follow a strict nutritional plan that forbids processed foods like breads and pastas. The plan calls for eating five to six times per day and each meal must contain a certain combination of carbs, fats and proteins. Dairy and starches are allowed once a day, but starches should not be consumed during evening meals. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the diet is learning to think of foods in terms of carbs, fats and proteins — not an easy feat for those who have never obsessed about nutrition.
Contestants are finding themselves eating odd food combinations on occasion. But they're also discovering new and creative ways to replace the foods they are not supposed to eat. Here's a glance at how each contestant has embraced their new eating habits.
Deanna Bec
Giving up Coca-Cola, bread, pasta and fried foods has been somewhat distressing for Deanna Bec. But she's determined not to give in to temptation.
When the craving for pasta started nagging her, she turned to a creatively healthy alternative. Bec made spaghetti out of squash, accessorized it with brussels sprouts, a splash of olive oil and whipped up turkey meatballs on the side.
“I would have never eaten that before,” she says.
Since starting the challenge, Bec says she feels more energized and has an easier time getting out of bed in the morning. She attributes a lot of that to eating healthier. “I never realized how much healing potential food has,” Bec says.
That doesn't mean she hasn't experienced a few blunders in the kitchen. In a hurry to leave the house, she recently attempted to throw together a quick meal. In a bowl, she mixed a few pieces of diced chicken, olives and avocado — mushing the avocado around with a fork along with the other ingredients.
“It looked absolutely disgusting — and it was,” she says, laughing.
Bob Coniglio
Knowing that he'd be asked to alter his diet, Bob Coniglio was positive he would starve to death during the course of the challenge. He was pleasantly surprised to discover the opposite.
Eating smaller portions multiple times a day has curbed his hunger and left him feeling more energized.
“If you eat properly, you definitely have more energy and feel good about yourself,” Coniglio says.
Like the other contestants, he's been including a protein, fat and carb with each meal. He's also learning to cook healthy dishes like grilled cod fish with steamed spinach — a dish that he happened to enjoy. On the other hand, he does occasionally find himself staring at a combination of odd items on his plate.
“I made a steak with strawberries, blueberries, spinach and flax seed,” he says.
Huh? Most people would probably consider that just a tad unappetizing. But Coniglio insists that it wasn't as bad as you might think. Don't knock it till you try it.
Robert Patterson
If his trainer heard that Robert Patterson has been eating pancakes for breakfast, there would surely be unpleasant consequences. But Patterson isn't worried.
With his wife's help, he's found a way to make pancakes without violating his new diet. Following a recipe that they found on Facebook, the couple whipped up pancake batter from bananas and eggs. Instead of syrup, they drizzled a bit of honey on them.
“It was actually pretty good,” he says.
This is just one way that Patterson, who admits to having a sweet tooth, is able to cope with his new dietary regime. He's been able to expand his food horizons. In fact, he even tried making chicken leek soup — and loved it.
“I really haven't had anything I didn't like,” he says.
But until he learns to substitute all his favorite meals, those cravings for certain nastily delicious grub can't be helped. “I had this craving for pizza the other night. It was ripping me apart,” he admits.
Cindy Uribe
Cutting out processed foods isn't a problem for Cindy Uribe. She's cut them out a long time ago. For the past two years, Uribe has been on a low-carb diet that focused on fresh ingredients — and lost a decent amount of weight already.
However, due to the rigorous exercise routine the contestants have recently adopted, she's being asked to add carbs back into her diet — and cut out an ingredient she's been accustomed to eating with almost every meal.
“I ate cheese with every meal,” she says. “Now I can only have one portion of dairy per day.”
Outside of the cheese and carb issue, Uribe has a knack for creativity in the kitchen. Like Deanna Bec, she too has found a way to replace pasta by making it out of zucchini squash. Recently, she also made stuffed peppers for her family. She stuffed them with ground beef and substituted cabbage for white rice.
As for odd food combinations, Uribe found herself eating tuna with hot sauce, avocado and a sweet potato on the side.
Heidi Wiltse
Food has always been a source of comfort for Heidi Wiltse, especially in the evenings. A self-proclaimed “comfort eater,” it's been difficult to refrain from eating after 7:30 p.m.
“In the evening, my comfort was food and now it's gone,” she says.
Since her new diet calls for eating five to six times a day, she doesn't always find herself hungry in the evenings. Still, eating at night has been a mental comfort and habit for a long time.
However, Wiltse is determined to make her new diet stick. She's learning to enjoy new foods and has grown creative in the kitchen. To get her serving of protein with every meal, she's been baking “muffins” out of egg whites. In a muffin pan, she bakes egg whites at 350F for about 15 minutes.
One of the tastier meals she's recently eaten was a broiled wild-caught sockeye salmon with veggies and herbs. On the other hand, she also discovered an unappetizing method for preparing food.
“The first week, I put frozen veggies in the microwave,” she says. “I could not stomach it. It was awful.”
By the numbers
<h3 class="leadin"><span class="fact box text bold">Deanna Bec</span>, 30, Berwyn</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight</span>: 207
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 198
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week</span>: 4 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 9 pounds, 4.3 percent
<h3 class="leadin"><span class="fact box text bold">Bob Coniglio,</span> 51, Arlington Heights</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 304
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 288
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 9 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 16 pounds, 5.3 percent
<h3 class="leadin"><span class="fact box text bold">Robert Patterson,</span> 56, North Aurora</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 255
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 247
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 0 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 8 pounds, 3.1 percent
<h3 class="leadin"><span class="fact box text bold">Cindy Uribe,</span> 33, Hoffman Estates</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 280
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 273
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 5 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss: </span>7 pounds, 2.5 percent
<h3 class="leadin"><span class="fact box text bold">Heidi Wiltse, 43, </span>Arlington Heights</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 286
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 274
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 3 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss: </span>12 pounds, 4.2 percent