Biggest Winner: Fueling up for energy
Frank Crockard of Monongahela performs Russian twists with a kettlebell while Amanda Valancius of Canonsburg participates in an agility drill during an O-R team workout.
Personal trainer and exercise physiologist Shane Bombara talks to Biggest Winner contestant Nikki Phillips about Quest bars and other nutrition bars.
Amanda Valancius of Canonsburg throws a medicine ball against the wall for cardio and strength training during a training session.
Members of the Observer-Reporter Biggest Winner team participate in a strength and cardio circuit.
The sixth annual Biggest Winner contest is in full swing, and the six-member Observer-Reporter team along with the other participants are being coached on exercise and mindset. But burning calories and building muscle is only half the battle when it comes to shedding pounds and keeping them off. Another pillar of this year’s program focuses on nutrition to fuel the body for energy and weight loss.
Registered dietitians from the Washington Health System Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center met with all participants prior to the start of the program for lipid testing and initial measurements (waist, abdomen, bicep and hip). They also discussed their diet. Jacqueline Ely, registered dietitian and nutrition coach, says the goal is to meet the contestants where they are and discuss reasonable modifications to their meal plan for success.
“It is important to find a plan that works for you not only for weight loss but one you can stick with for life,” says Ely. “Fueling for energy is important, and this refers to eating the right foods. It is not just about calories but where those calories come from.”
Ely explains that highly processed foods tend to be high in salt, sugar, fat or a combination of the three. They come in many shapes and forms and can be marketed as healthy items.
“Even though something is low-calorie does not mean it is giving you the best nutritional bang,” Ely warns. “Take, for example, an apple with peanut butter vs. a peanut butter-flavored protein bar. Both can be around 200 calories, but nutritionally and how our body and brain respond to these foods can be different.”
She says many protein bars contain additives, preservatives, sugars, fats and flavor enhancers while apples offer fiber, vitamins and minerals in a natural form. The peanut butter supplies healthy fats as well as vitamins and minerals.
“This is exactly what our bodies are intended to consume, and you will notice a difference in how you feel when you eat foods that are whole and unprocessed,” she says.
Blood lipid measurements are important for the contestants for the dietitians to see all of the changes taking place in their bodies. “We start to see decreases in blood pressure, lipids and inflammatory responses in the body that can contribute to disease such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more,” explains Ely. “It is more than weight loss with our program, and we want people to see all the good that is taking place. By just measuring the change in your weight you are not seeing the whole picture. This is also why we take measurements. They act as motivators, as well. Sometimes we do not see the change on the scale as fast as we would like, but we see and feel change in other areas.”
Contestants get to choose one additional educational experience as part of this year’s Biggest Winner program. A grocery store tour will highlight foods to incorporate into competitors’ diet and how they impact their health as well as pointing out ingredients and food items that are deceiving.
Ely says, “It is not uncommon to judge a food by the package and assume it is healthy because of the brand or how it is marketed. There are different phrases and words that are used to catch our eye and influence buying decisions. We will focus on what to buy and what to avoid.”
A cooking demonstration will highlight ways to prepare meals easily and efficiently. “Most of the reasons we hear people say they do not cook is because of convenience of eating out or ordering in,” Ely says. “We want to showcase the ways you can save time and money in the kitchen plus the impact it has on your health and your overall home environment.”
Finally, the resting metabolic rate test measures volume of oxygen and baseline calorie level in a rested state. “Then we factor in their weight goal, exercise level, frame size and daily activity level to determine the total calories required to meet their weight goal,” explains Ely. “This test is the gold standard for determining calorie requirements.”
While the teams are following a healthy meal plan during the competition, Ely says it’s important to continue that the rest of your life.
“I always say how you lose the weight is similar to how you will maintain the weight loss,” she says. “You cannot revert back to old habits and think the weight loss is going to stick. That is why it is important to create your own path and find a meal plan and lifestyle that you can continue with.”
She says weight lost by drastically cutting calories or cutting out major food groups cannot be sustained for a long time.
“We see a high rate of regain when individuals make radical changes for a short time period to achieve quick results,” says Ely. “This should be a well-thought-out process and is a lifelong commitment to yourself.”