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A fitness andweight losssuccess story

FASHIONDIARY2010

runwaypicks

Celebrating 25Years!

Fit andfabulous

A Taste ofThailandRoad tripthroughNew Mexico

Travel

at 50

Over-the-counter

Skin care

weight loss

A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 activeadultmag.com

Iwas nearly 40 before I devel-oped a weight problem.Until that time I thought Iwas blessed with the mytho-logical gene that enables oneto eat anything they wantwithout gaining an ounce.

And I do mean anything. In myyouth, it wasn’t uncommon for me tohave a chocolate bar and coffee forbreakfast, followed by a cigarette ortwo. Not to mention my love of birth-day cake: it didn’t matter if it was mybirthday or not.

For so many years my bad eatingbehaviour continued to reward me. Iam five-foot-two and was then 95pounds.

I coasted along on the assumptionthat other people needed to watchtheir weight, count calories, powerwalk, and generally deny themselvesthe pleasure of foods that I had soreadily indulged in, without athought to my size 2 waistline.

Then, like Humpty Dumpty, mypersonal concept of who I was camecrashing down around me. I was 46

when the wakeup call came loud andclear. Someone reminded me that bothof my parents died in their early fiftiesand I shouldn’t tempt fate by carryingaround so much extra weight.

By my mid-forties I was no longerhovering under 100 pounds. I hadballooned to 171 pounds. And I wasin serious denial.

After it was discovered I hadhypothyroidism, I came to the con-clusion that I was always going tostruggle with my weight. Bittersweet,I now felt I had the perfect excusefor being fat.

I became used to the side effectsof being overweight. The shortnessof breath, acid reflux after eating,snoring in my sleep, aches and painseverywhere, and the mental foggi-

ness. I had no energy, a low libido,and poor self-image. Health-wise Iwas falling apart.

To regain control of my life, Iembarked on a two-tier weight lossprogram that included losing weightwith the help of Herbal Magic andjoining the Fitness Clubs of Canada.After joining Herbal Magic andreviewing the eating program withthe HM coach, I wondered how Icould eat so little and not feel starved.I had to retrain my brain and mystomach to eat healthier than I hadbeen, and to control my portions.

In a few short weeks on the HMprogram, I discovered where themagic was. By following the pre-scribed eating plan, which includes adaily balance of protein, starch, fruits,

looking

It took more than threeyears but I lost 50 inchesfor my 50th birthdayStory by Maureen S. Catania

FEEL ING F IT

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A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

1 Eliminate all triggerfoods from your diet

2 Develop simple, positivebehaviours to supportthe new you

3 If physically capable,commit to a fitnessroutine

4 Seek a weight-lossprogram to suit your needs

5 Join a busy gym; it willmotivate you to workout

6 If you slip up, don’t getdiscouraged, get help

7 Forecast attainableshort-term goals

8 Reward good results withsomething other than food

9 Throw out your “fat” clothesand invest in something new

10 Change your attitude andyou’ll change your life

Maureen’sTop Ten Tips

fabulous

weight loss

A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 activeadultmag.com

vegetables, dairy and healthy fats,plus plenty of water along with thenatural supplements, I was no longerhungry all the time.

I found I could actually stick tothe program and not cheat. Eachweek I lost weight. What helped mestay the course was the constant mon-itoring and weighing in at HerbalMagic, three times a week. I wasaccountable to someone and theywere keeping score.

What I liked most about the pro-gram was it allowed me to pick thefoods I enjoyed and buy them at mylocal supermarket. I eliminated sugar,salt and fried foods from my diet com-pletely, and I stopped buying anythingthat was pre-packaged and processed.I haven’t eaten pizza in three years!Pizza is my trigger food. If I start, Ican’t stop, so I avoid it entirely.

It was seven months into theweight loss program when I joinedthe fitness club. At first, it was a chal-lenge to make the time and put in theeffort, but now I go five times a week.

Six months into the fitness routine,though, I wasn’t seeing the results Iexpected. Then I began working outwith Mike Clements, a professionalbody builder and personal trainer.

Because I have a torn meniscus (acommon knee injury), Clements cus-tomized a safe, results-oriented pro-gram for me. With every workout,he watched my form and pushed meto the limit – beyond what I had doneon my own.

After three years of stayingfocused on my goal, regaining myhealth, and becoming more fit thanI ever dreamed possible, I have lost50 inches, and nearly 50 pounds. Icelebrated my fiftieth birthday danc-ing the rumba in the arms of my

devoted husband Michael.I’ve changed my wardrobe entirely.

I wear dresses and skirts that com-plement my figure and I feel like awoman again. And, I have resumedwearing heels.

When I was overweight I feltinvisible. Now, I feel brand new andready to enjoy another 50 years!

Don’t kid yourself that you can lose weight and then goback to old eating habits. Losing weight and keeping itoff is a lifestyle change, it’s not a short-term application.

Personal TrainerMike Clements

1Success is dependent onthe time frame required

to achieve one's goals. If goals can be achieved in shortertime frames, the chances of positive habits being formedare dramatically increased. This is a major reason whypersonal training is so effective at building positive lifestylechanges.

2It’s better to start 3 days a week rather than every day.The body adapts, mentally and physically, to a new

stimulus.

3Diet is a bad word. In my opinion proper carbohydrateselection to maintain insulin levels in the body, with the

adequate amounts of protein, is the best choice for propernutrition.

4At the start of the program, define how success ismeasured. It’s not always measured in pounds and

inches. Success may be measured in strength, endurance,and even time\duration etc.

5The first 8-10 weeks is a crucial period. You must seeresults during this initial period to build up confidence.

This will lead to an increase in motivation.

6With today's hectic schedules, there is not alwaysenough time for proper and adequate nutrition.

On occasion, I do recommend protein or vitaminsupplementation.

HERBAL MAGICEstablished in 1996Over 350 franchise centres

1.877.237.7225herbalmagic.ca

FITNESS CLUBSOF CANADAExercise & cardio equipmentGroup exerciseSpin classes

Personal training905.727.1100fitnessclubsofcanada.com

A c t i v e JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 activeadultmag.com

Morning StarterI like to start my day with Agnes Ramsay’s BakedApple Oatmeal – it sticks to my ribs and sustainsme all morning. Made with egg whites, gratedapple and skim milk, plus a few other ingredients,I top it with fresh or frozen blueberries and sugar-free apple jam. For the full recipe, visitactiveadultmag.com. Ramsay is a personal trainer.You can contact her at agnes9@sympatico.ca.

After Workout NutritionI enjoy either of these “power” beveragesafter a workout.• Vanilla bean ISO Protein shake with 8 oz.

of Bolthouse Farms 50/50 Berry (fruit &vegetable blend)

• VegeGreens mixed with 4 oz. of cherry juiceand 4 oz. of water

I find that foods rich in nutrients like fruits andveggies work best to sustain me between meals.

On OcassionBecause I still crave chocolate once in a while, Ilimit myself to one Dove Dark Chocolate Square.Honestly, I can eat only one.Each square has 40 caloriesand 2.5 grams of fat.

MORE T I PS FROM MAUREEN

weight loss

Eat Your Heart OutTuesday, March 2Le Treport Convention CentreMississaugaThe 9th Annual Eat YourHeart Out Event, in supportof the Heart and StrokeFoundation, is an event thatcaters to your taste buds andthe health of your heart.Enjoy the creations of some ofMississauga’s finest chefs,featuring heart-healthy foodand wine, while enjoyingmusic, live and silent auctions,and much more. A popularevent, you should make yourreservations soon.

647.500.8478eatyourheartoutevent.com

Teamwork Raises Pain ThresholdWant to work out harder while feeling less pain? Considera sport that involves training as a team. Oxford Universityresearchers tested the pain thresholds of 12 Oxford BoatRace rowers (as measured by how long the athletes couldbear wearing an inflated blood pressure cuff) followingdifferent types of training sessions. While any exercisesignificantly increased their pain thresholds, team memberswere able to tolerate twice as much pain after trainingtogether versus after working out solo.

SOURCE: Biology Letters

A Source of InspirationI look forward to each issue of Clean Eating magazine.There’s always a success story, fitness routines and lotsof mouth-watering, super low-fat recipes. I also referto these companion books: The Eat-Clean Diet andThe Eat-Clean Diet Workout by Tosca Reno, publishedby Robert Kennedy Publishing. To learn more aboutclean eating, visit eatcleandiet.com.