Fitness Unlimited September 08, 2010
Drop that weight!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Biggest Loser

 
Food for Thought
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited
Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
This commentary is for all you Biggest Loser watchers out there.
I started writing this blog 2 weeks ago and I'm glad I was slow to finish, since I have a slight change of heart since then.
I was going to rant about how Jillian Michaels,one of the personal trainers on the show, is such a bully, and how she likes to yell and belittle contestants.  Sure, her team usually wins the weigh-ins, and more winners from the show can claim her as their trainer, but I'd love to see statistics on contestants after the show.  My guess is that Bob Harper's team members reach their goals and keep the weight off longer.  My fear for her team members: please the bully now but slip back into old habits once you leave the ranch and no one is screaming in your face.  Self-motivation is a far more useful tool than fear tactics (or game playing).  And weight loss is not the hard part: maintenance of the loss is.
So where is my change of heart??  This week Jillian turned on her counseling skills and drove right to the heart of issues for 2 contestants: Abby & Shay.  Both contestants had traumatic life experiences and turned to food as a coping mechanism.  Jillian was able to gently turn their attention to this and help both of them realize their past events don't have to shape their futures.  In this job (as a weight loss specialist) rarely is food the issue: it's about exploring people's behaviors and working together to find alternative coping mechanisms & creating new habits.
I'd like to see more of this side of her!  I hope the at-home weight loss crowd does too.
Got questions, comments, kudos?  Send me an email: ghoffman@fitnessunlimited.com
Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 04:19 pm
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Successful Losers
Food for Thought
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited
Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
To my devoted blog-friends and fellow weight-losers-
If you weren't able to make it to my weight loss panel discussion last week, here's what my client-experts had to say:
**"Surrender" to the process... meaning, when you are ready to make a lifestyle change, be prepared to give up some lifestyle habits, not just foods.
**Journal, journal, journal.  All 3 of my successful losers did it in some capacity.  Research shows people who journal double their weight loss.  Free internet sites I like are www.fitday.com and www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate.
**Exercise and move.  The goal is to accrue 200-300 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week, which includes things like aerobics classes, elliptical work or fast walking.  Get in strength training 2-3 times/week.  AND be active in your daily activities.  This is where you burn the majority of your calories.
**Get help.  See me or another Registered Dietitian.  (No gym membership required to see me).  Hire a personal trainer.  Use a therapist or lifecoach.  It's hard doing it on your own, so take advantage of the experts.
**Figure out why you're overweight.  The simple answer is eating too much and not exercising.  Dig deeper than that-- that's where your key is to change.
So take these tips and add your own.  Just remember, the "Biggest Loser" is a game; a TV show for entertainment purposes.  Your life isn't.
Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 12:59 pm
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Burn calories shopping?
Thoughts for the Week
By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women
Milton, Massachusetts USA
www.fitnessunlimited.com
I had a friend come to visit this weekend and we decided we needed to go shopping.  After walking around Ikea, Crate & Barrel & other mall stores for 2 hours she commented that nothing wore her out like walking around shopping.  That got me thinking... how many calories did we burn hunting for new house wares?  After browsing through my secret dietitian resources for calories burned for every type of activity, here's my estimate.  Since everything is calculated per pound, I figured the average between our weights was about 150#.  I would estimate we spent half the time walking slowly, the other half standing around or standing in line.  We burned ~175 calories standing and ~205 calories walking around, adding up to 380 calories!  Compared to a 60-minute aerobics class where we would burn ~450 per hour that doesn't seem like a lot.  Compared to lounging on the couch with a cappuccino for those 2 hours?  180.  We doubled our output!
My last feat?  How to figure out who decided putting a bakery next to a women's athletic apparel store was a good idea?!  Even sporty dietitians have weaknesses...
Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 10:25 am
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