Fittest Loser contestants learn how to shop right, eat right
As he leads the four Fittest Loser Challenge contestants on a “how to shop smart” tour of Tony's Finer Foods, Push Fitness owner Josh Steckler doesn't even lead them into the middle two-thirds of the store.
That's where the evil, body-rotting processed foods are on display.
If they want to eat healthy, Steckler tells the four military veterans competing this year, they need to cruise a grocery store's periphery. That's where the vegetables, fruits, meats and (though he'd prefer we not even indulge in those) milk products are.
“I don't like to use the term 'diet.' I prefer to say 'nutrition protocol,'” Steckler had said three weeks ago when he explained the recommended eating regime to the four hopefuls plus one “embedded journalist.”
“Diet” implies sacrifice, pain and something that's temporary, Steckler explained. “Nutrition protocol” is a permanent change in how you eat which, he promises, will seem just as normal as the old lifestyle, may make you feel better and should last forever.
Each participant has received an 18-page booklet titled “Push Start Your Metabolism.”
Written by Steckler with the help of a holistic counselor, the book divides all accepted foods into three food groups - proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Each contestant also has been assigned a number of calories they are to aim at eating, based on how many pounds they hope to lose.
Steckler does not advocate burdensome, unsustainable looking up how many calories are in each item a contestant eats. Instead, tables in the booklet outline how many ounces or pieces of each item constitute a “serving” and tell how many servings from each food group a person is allowed to eat for each of the five meals per day.
Yes, five meals.
Steckler says “Push Start Your Metabolism” is based on the nutritional theory that it's easier to stay healthy and thin if your blood sugar (glucose) and insulin levels don't keep going up and down through the day.
And the easiest way to do that is to eat every two to three hours. Each time, regardless of the calorie target, the table calls for at least one item from each of the food groups.
And those food groups are not the ones you might remember from your sixth-grade health class, or even from the government, dairy association or heart association food pyramids.
As one might expect, Push Start's Protein Group includes meat, seafood, eggs and protein-powder supplements. But it also includes milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, though “only one serving per day or less” of those dairy items.
The Fats Group includes the predictable cooking oils, butter and salad dressings. But it also includes some things other nutritional guides would classify as proteins, such as nuts, cheese and butter.
Think the Carbohydrate Group refers to bread and grains? No, it mainly consists of vegetables, fruits and beans.
“Starches” form a subgroup all their own within carbohydrates, but that includes only oatmeal, nonwhite rice, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes and yams.
“These are the only starches included in our Push Start Your Metabolism nutrition plan,” the booklet states. “Eating starches not listed here will severely impede your results.” And even these should be consumed no more than once per day, the booklet adds.
And carbs like soda pop, candy, potato chips, french fries, white rice and mashed potatoes? Banned altogether.
As the supermarket tourers convene in front of a giant display of beer, one asks Steckler what role alcohol plays in a healthy diet.
“Do you see it anywhere on the nutrition plan?” he answers. Nope. Banned, at least while this group is trying to lose weight.
And not only is what you eat important, Steckler says as the tour moves on, but the quality of each food is important. He's very big on eating only natural foods, with no chemicals added to improve their shelf life, flavor or color. Meat, fruits, vegetables and fish should be “organic” if possible, made without the use of hormones, fertilizers and pesticides.
“Anytime you see an ingredient list on something, see if there's a more natural version available. For instance, apples and eggs don't have an ingredient list.”
In fact, he says, if you drink milk, he doesn't even believe in allowing it to be homogenized or (if possible) to be pasteurized. “It's a good protein and fat source. But for most people dairy will elicit an inflammatory response. That processing destroys enzymes. And pasteurizing kills the good bacteria that help you digest food.”
As the group passes the bakery section, Steckler asks, “Does this stuff even seem enticing to you guys anymore?”
Schaumburg Realtor Tony Wiszowaty says his eating of only healthy foods has changed his taste buds and appetite.
“Now people bring doughnuts and bakery goods into the office and it doesn't even tempt me,” he says.
“Most of your carbs should be greens, and pick a variety of colors,” Steckler says as they tour the produce section. “You can eat vegetables raw, but they're bland. The nice thing about cooking vegetables is that you can add a little flavor.”
He suggests laying out brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, coating them with coconut oil and baking them. “It's amazing how much flavor you can get out of them. You can do the same with asparagus or zucchini.”
Kale and watercress may not taste good by themselves but can make great ingredients blended into a “smoothie” drink, he says.
“We don't even count corn as a vegetable. It's a starch,” Steckler says “Corn is an inflammatory food and it has been so hybridized for modern agriculture that it's nothing like the corn of 100 years ago. It doesn't have much nutrient density.”
Nuts make a great fat source, he says. But he notes that seeds were designed by nature to be hard to digest, so birds can eat them, not digest them all and spread some seeds with their droppings. “So seeds can cause a lot of digestive issues for people.”
As for fruits, “they're an easy snack, but you don't want to go crazy with them or you'll get too much sugar. Whenever you eat a fruit you'll want to pair it with a protein and a fat to avoid spiking your blood sugar. If you eat an apple, eat some almond butter with it.”
Passing the butcher section, Steckler says, “I wouldn't be afraid of red meat. If you're not eating proteins, what are you eating? Carbohydrates. But be aware of where the meat comes from” and try to avoid meat raised with hormones.
As for liquid refreshment, the Push Start program advises drinking a number of ounces of water equal to what one weighs in pounds, divided by two. Coffee is allowed, Steckler says, but because it dehydrates you, you should drink an extra cup of water for every cup of coffee consumed.
At our third Saturday morning boot camp and weigh-in session, Navy vet Penny Brown confesses that she and her children were sick all week, so she didn't have time to come in for her two weekday workouts since the last weigh-in. She steps up to be weighed first and she has dropped an impressive 7 pounds in the past week.
The other contestants - Marine vet Wiszowaty, Army vet James “J.D.” DeBouver and Air Force vet Russ Page are each down 3 pounds.
The possible lesson: To lose weight quickly, being sick trumps workouts and a nutritious eating plan. (But isn't exactly a healthy, sustainable way to drop those pounds)
By the numbers
James DeBouver
Army
Age: 33
Height: 5'9”
Starting weight: 264
Current weight: 248
Weight lost this week: 3 lbs.
Total weight lost: 16 lbs.
Penny Brown
Navy
Age: 37
Height: 5'8”
Starting weight: 227
Current weight: 212
Weight lost this week: 7 lbs.
Total weight lost: 15 lbs.
Russell Page
Air Force
Age: 60
Height: 5'10”
Starting weight: 250
Current weight: 234
Weight lost this week: 3 lbs.
Total weight lost: 16 lbs.
Tony Wiszowaty
Marine
Age: 68
Height: 5'9”
Starting weight: 247
Current weight: 230
Weight lost this week: 3 lbs.
Total weight lost: 17 lbs.