Fitness Must

(MOBILE, Ala.) – In the United States, it’s a $58 billion industry, and if you’re not one of the thousands in our area battling to lose weight, you have probabley tried it or will son. When it comes to shedding pounds, the options may seem endless. What works for one may not work for another. Three Mobile women are taking a look at their lives, scales and waistlines and picking what they hope will work best as they begin their two-month quest to slim down. MEET JULIE, TORII AND CATI I think it’s really important when you’re pulled in 50 million directions that you can be in a place where you feel good about yourself, Julie Hayes said. That hasn’t been easy for her with a newborn, toddler, husband and school. She’s chosen personal trainer Cassie Sellars to help her add some new priorities. Ninety dollars gets her three sessions a week so she’ll pay about $400 for her first month. That is in addition to a personalized-meal plan created by Sellars and Julie’s off to a challenging start. Torii Stratas is taking a different approach. I’ve lost weight many times before in the past, and I think probably this was the first time I looked at myself and said I’m doing this for me, she said. With five kids, a husband and her own business, Torii says she’s taking extreme measures to slim down: a doctor-supervised program called Medi-Weightloss. The method starts with a diet of 800 calories a day with high protein, low carbs, detailed menu charts and Medi-Weight Loss snack options. Injected metabolic boosters, prescription appetite suppressants, a fat burner and a strict workout regimen is added to the strict diet. She’ll pay $268 for the first visit and about $70 for each following week plus $14 dollars for snack bars and $25 for protein shakes. The first month costs about $550. Cati Dole, a newlywed and career woman, is planning to take a less costly approach. She decided to lose the weight on her own with a little help from an iPhone app that costs $1. It’s called the Lose It application, she said. My daily calorie budget is 1451. Cati choose her foods and exercises then pucnhed them in into the app to track calories she eats and burns. Sticking to the diet may be Cati’s biggest challenge. My husband is a diabetic so sometimes we have to have sweets in the house so having those and knowing that they’re there is going to be very hard. MONTH ONE WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS After Julie’s first personal training session, she could barely speak. Exhausting, I wanted to cry, she said. The new mom pledged to make her own health a priority. She was determined to lose the weight and get to the gym. She says orders from a tortuous trainer were exactly what she needed. Did she keep her commitment? She is doing great with her eating, her personal trainer said. She’s very disciplined, very persistent. She makes sure that she makes it in here three times a week. In month one, Julie dropped 3 percent of her body fat, an inch off her waist and 7 lbs. That’s not enough for Julie. I’ve only lost about 7 lbs., and I was kind of disappointed about that. Her personal trainer is turning up the intensity. One hundred calorie chocolate delite bars from Medi-Weightloss made the more extreme elements of the plan bearable for Torii. I really know very few women who don’t like chocolate, she said. Her doctor Quint Jardine says Torii is doing fantastic one month into the challenge, but Torii says she sometimes longs for her old food choices. You kinda miss mashed potatos and things like that. I have just gotten on the internet and found new ways to cook chicken and just spice it up a little bit. At the end of the first month, Torii dropped 1 percent of her body fat, 5 inches from her waist and 15 lbs. off her frame. My clothes are starting to be too big so that feeling right there is tremendous. Cati started off her weight loss plan on a high; she lost weight on her own with a little help from her iPhone application. It was so exciting and whatever I did to fall off the wagon is just so depressing, she said. The stresses of life got to Cati. I worked from 1:00 p.m. Sunday to 8:30 a.m. Monday, she says. Sweets, like cinnamon rolls, became a comfort. If you eat one it’s 170 calories, but I’m not gonna lie, I eat like two, maybe three. With her erratic work schedule, exercising dropped off too. Instead of walking the dogs, they head to the backyard. One month into the weightloss challenge, Cati’s body fat is up .3 percent, 2 more inches are on her waist and she’s gained 2 lbs. It’s discouraging, but it’s not the end of the world, she said. I’ll work on it. It’ll be better at the end. FINAL WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS AFTER TWO MONTHS LOCAL 15 News followed Julie, Torii and Cati for two months. Who lost the weight? Who gained? What did it cost them? There were some bumps in the road in Julie’s final month. It’s been long, she said. It became hard for her to keep her commitment. We met a few times but not consistently the past two weeks, her trainer said. Having kids and daily life makes some things more difficult, Julie said. Her eating stayed healthy but without exercise, did she keep losing? In month two, Julie kept the same body fat percentage, lost 2 more inches from her waist and dropped 2 lbs. Her two month challenge total: a 3 percent reduction in body fat, 3 inches off the waist and 9 lbs. gone. Any positive direction, it makes me happy, Julie said. She spent about $810 for her trainer transformation. While Julie still has final say about making it to the gym, she says she needs and wants her trainer’s extra motivation. I definitely think that it’s worth it because you have accountability on days that I wouldn’t want to get out of bed and come. The intensity of the Medi-Weightloss program may not work for everybody, but Torii says it was a perfect fit for her. Her doctor did have some concerns going into month two. She’s actually lost some muscle mass which was more than I would like, he said. He upped Torii’s calories. A neck injury also cut her workouts short. In month two, Torii lost 1 percent of her body fat, her waist stayed the same and she dropped seven more lbs. Her two month challenge total: a 2 percent reduction in body fat, 5 inches off her waist and 22 lns. gone. Torii spent about $1100 for her two month transformation with Dr. Jardine, but she says it was worth every penny. I plan to keep on coming to Medi and continue their program because I know that I’ve seen the results for myself, Torri said. At the start, Cati stuck with her weightloss plan, but the stresses of life got to her and she fell off the wagon. In month two, Cati says she tried harder. It is doable on your own. You just really, really have to stick with it, she said. For me the biggest is the portion control. In the last month, Cati lost 1 percent of her body fat, cut 1 inch from her waist and dropped 2 lbs. Her two month challenge total: a 1 percent reduction in body fat, 1 inch added to her waist and she’s back to her starting weight. I’m sure there are some people that lose tons of weight in a week or two, but these small steps are great for me, she says. And while Cati says a little outside motivation may be helpful, she says she can keep shedding pounds without paying big bucks. In this challenge, the biggest transformation came with the heftiest price tag. Some of the biggest factors identified by Julie, Torii and Cati were motivation, self control, weightloss knowledge and their budget. What may work for one, may not be the best option for another.

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