Hello everyone! I wanted to post the results of our local ‘Weight-Loss Challenge’ that we did along with a few of the staff at Gainesville Physical Therapy. It was a great learning experience for everyone, as the program was designed with some pretty lofty goals in mind – mainly to indicate that it is possible in a calorie restricted condition to have all weight loss be from body fat stores, without losing any lean muscle mass in the process. This is the ultimate goal for folks who are looking to lose weight after all – to burn off fat, not muscle. Now, when typical calorie restricted diets are successful at producing weight loss, it always is some combination of fat, muscle and water weight. One problem with this approach is that when you lose muscle mass, your overall metabolism can become less effective in the long term to keep the weight off because your metabolic rate suffers as a result of the loss of muscle tissue. This is why many folks experience the ‘yo-yo dieting effect’, when after the initial weight loss occurs, it tends to come back and sometimes with a vengeance. Armed with a well-designed exercise and nutritional program, a few key supplements, and one large serving of motivation, the ‘contestants’ set out on their mission.

With a series of weekly coaching calls, the particpants were able to keep their motivation high which helped propel them through their workouts. They all participated in 2 short, high-energy resistance training sessions per week with Teryl, which all got their heart rates elevated to say the least! They continued their conditioning at home and work with some form of daily aerobic exercise. A free ‘treat meal’ was alloted on Sunday, which also served for rest and to fuel up for the week ahead.

I worked with a technology of monitoring body compostion called bioelectrical impedance analysis which utilized a four point tactile electrode method. This provides a much higher degree of accuracy than common devices which utilize this technology. The measurements were drawn first thing in the morning before they had breakfast to insure even greater accuracy. The program was designed for 3 weeks, after which a lifestyle program was then introduced to help the individuals maintain their weight loss. So, maestro…….drum roll please!

The net fat loss in the 3 participants totaled an impressive 21.1 pounds, with a net increase in lean muscle mass of 0.7 pounds.

Good work for everyone who participated in the process! A shining example of what 4 businesses can do working with a group of highly motivated individuals. Perhaps even more importantly was what each learned throughout the process in terms of their lifestyle behaviors and how it directly affects their overall health. We’ll get a chance to personally hear from them in the upcoming posts.