Deep down, dieters probably already know: Get-fit-quick schemes just don't work. At least, not in the long term.
After all, if they were effective, why do obesity rates continue to climb all across the nation and even in Colorado --; a place often associated with active, outdoor lifestyles and good health?
"Colorado tends to be one of the healthiest states but, you look at obesity across the country and ... general obesity is increasing," said Dr. Richard Bishop, with New West Physicians Broomfield in Westminster. "It's really becoming a significant health concern, almost to the point that it's a health crisis."
And yet, knowing a problem exists and knowing the quick fix can't be the answer, Bishop said people still spend "millions, billions of dollars even" on the latest fads.
"Human nature is such that people want that quick fix," he said. "But I'm convinced the lifestyle kind of program is the only thing that has any sustainability.
"The way healthcare is going, if we don't take care of ourselves, we're going to be in trouble in 10 years," Bishop added. "I don't think there's going to be any fancy treatment for all these chronic diseases, but I think we can prevent them."
A comprehensive approach
So does Michael Proffitt. He and his wife, Beata, own Lighten Up Fitness in Thornton. Despite the presence of the word "fitness" in the name, the Proffitts say the nearly 3,500-square-foot facility located just east of the Orchard Town Center at 144th Avenue and I-25 is not exactly a fitness center.
"What we're trying to do is change the concept of fitness centers," Proffitt said. "There's a place in the world for fitness centers or for weight loss centers or for nutrition. But what we're trying to do is bring that all under one roof, into what we call a lifestyle improvement center.
"There's a ton of fitness centers, a ton of weight-loss centers out there," he added. "But there was no one talking about balance, no one talking about lifestyle."
The concept of "lifestyle improvement" was gently introduced to Michael by his wife after the birth of their first child, when Michael --; who had dealt with obesity as a child --; ballooned to nearly 300 pounds. Beata suggested there had to be a better path to weight loss and fitness that goes beyond what Michael and so many others had previously practiced: extreme diets and exercise.
"Beata had a lot of thoughts regarding preparing food and eating in moderation and drinking water instead of juice or soda," Michael said.
"Before that, when I wanted to lose weight I would just hit the gym and it sort of compensated for my fork," he added. "But, you can't outrun your fork. And if you eat in moderation, you can actually go to the gym and enjoy yourself, not kill yourself every single time you go. I thought, 'That sounds like balance.'"
And balance is the name of Lighten Up Fitness's game.
Only about half of Lighten Up Fitness is dedicated to actual fitness, in so much as there's about 2,000 square feet of exercise equipment, including treadmills, spin bikes, weights and other typical gym fare.
In addition, the lifestyle improvement center offers several private rooms dedicated solely to "health coaching" --; in other words, discussing poor eating and other habits that feed into an unhealthy life cycle.
"From the emotional perspective, we talk a lot about negative self-talk," Proffitt said. "We constantly get barraged by talk from inside our head that says 'Stop! You don't have to do this.' But the body is truly more powerful than the mind. And as long as we continue to listen more intently and more mindfully to what our body is telling us, then we can hear what it is really saying."
Also on site is a multi-purpose general room, which serves as a place for cardio fitness activities key to good health, but also acts as a gathering place for clients or an area for cooking demonstrations and other presentations related to good eating and healthy living.
"What we're trying to achieve is a healthy balance between physical, nutritional and emotional," Proffitt said. "We believe that's what clients need to achieve their weight loss."
A fad worth following
Arvada-based personal trainer Jennifer Cavallaro agrees. She sees a clear connection between physical fitness, nutrition and state of mind.
"The old-school definition of personal training is changing," she said, adding that aspects like incorporating nutrition and listening more to the client seem to be gaining traction in her profession.
When it comes to her routines with clients, Cavallaro starts with transparency, asking new clients to keep a food diary for a few days.
"I see where people are at," she said.
And though she's no therapist, Cavallaro said sessions seem to go better when clients "get a few things off their chest." Knowing more about her clients, the big events in their lives, for example, informs how Cavallaro can best approach helping them reach their health and fitness goals.
"(Big events) affect your eating, it affects everything," she said.
Again, Proffitt can relate from a personal point of view, and wife Beata said that's why they focus at Lighten Up Fitness on behavior modification.
"Behavior modification is the number one thing we stress here," said Michael Proffitt. "Unless you own it, unless you change the behavior that's getting you to the point where you're not healthy, you'll just yo-yo over and over and over again."
Slow and steady approach
The Proffitts, Cavallaro and Bishop have all drawn the same conclusion: A slow and steady approach is the only way to realistically reach weight-loss goals.
The reasons are more science than the average person seeking to lose weight might care to understand --; simply put, Proffitt said a lot of get-fit-fast diets shed water weight that is often bound to return. But what is important, they all agree, is moderation and personal comfort, not extremism and distress.
"Your body wants balance," Cavallaro said of fad diets.
She said depriving the body of one thing or the other inevitably leads to cravings and diet failure. Better, she said, to add in healthier food options that can eventually replace the unhealthy.
Proffitt said quick-fix diets can also create unrealistic, and equally unhealthy, expectations.
"If you lose five or 10 pounds a week, you're building up expectations," he said. "And then, as you get further and further along, you're going to stumble. And it's easier to stumble with the expectation of losing one or two pounds a week than when you stumble losing five to 10 pounds a week. Because usually when you stumble, it's extreme."
In the opinion of Dr. Bishop, the slow approach is more sustainable because change itself happens slowly.
"I think it is a far better approach. I think we're creatures of habit --; good, bad and ugly," Bishop said. "And we can change our habits, but it's a very difficult thing.
"You don't just wake up one morning and say, 'I'm going to eat healthier,' " he said. "You have to have a plan and a lot of sticktoitiveness."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Trimming-the-fat-physically-and-metaphorically,234520
