Inspiration for weight loss
Area woman finds 'Biggest Loser' show motivation to drop pounds
November 23, 2004
By Lisa Loeffler
Faith Stover identifies with the contestants on NBC's new weight loss reality series "The Biggest Loser."
In fact, the 41-year-old Zanesville woman aspires to be one of them.
"It's inspiring," she said of the Tuesday night show. "When I watch it I feel motivated."
After a lifetime of being overweight, Stover hasn't been lacking motivation in recent months. With help from the local support group TOPS -- Taking Off Pounds Sensibly -- Stover has dropped from 360 pounds in January to her current 319 pounds.
She's hoping the producers of "The Biggest Loser" will select her as a contestant for the series' next season after they see her application tape chronicling the difficulties of being morbidly obese. Stover said she needs a special chair for her work as a receptionist for Genesis HealthCare System, shops from catalogs rather than stores because she can't find clothes in town in her size and sometimes has to use handicapped restrooms just for the space.
"I don't know what it's like to be skinny," Stover said. "I've always tried, and I've always struggled."
Although some who feared it would be derogatory toward overweight people has criticized the TV show, Stover and other local health care professionals say that's not the case.
"I haven't taken it that way at all," Stover said.
The show started with 12 overweight contestants coached
by fitness trainers and health experts to help them
lose
weight in a healthy way. The contestants are divided
into two teams who compete to lose the most weight each
week; each team follows a different eating plan overseen
by a professional. The team that collectively loses
the least weight each week must vote off one of its
members. The fifth episode airs from 8-9 p.m. tonight
on NBC.
In the first week, contestants lost from a few pounds to 22 pounds each. The following week's weigh-in revealed only a few pounds lost per person, if that. The third week showed some bigger losses once again. According to the show's Web site, contestants were supervised by doctors and their diet and exercise regimen was specifically suited to their medical status and needs.
Brenda Hoffman, physical therapist assistant at Genesis HealthCare System's Center for Occupational and Outpatient Rehabilitation, said she's watched and enjoyed the show.
"I think that whatever it takes, that's great," she said.
Hoffman said she hasn't found the show demeaning to overweight people and said it's important to remember the contestants volunteered for the national exposure. Willingness to address their problems and commit to working on them are important traits that would help anyone in weight loss, she said.
Given how many people in the United States are overweight, Hoffman said it's not a bad thing to see a show like this highlight some ways to get in shape. She stressed, however, the importance of talking to your own doctor before taking on any such regimen. Hoffman noted that there are many options out there to help people in this area who want to be healthier, and doctors are a good starting place to find them.
Registered dietician Sarah Brauning has not seen the show, but was not surprised to hear that contestants lost a lot of weight the first week and then not nearly so much. After a rapid initial loss of water and muscle weight, Brauning said it's healthy only for people to lose about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of body fat a week. Hoffman echoed that and said people shouldn't be discouraged if they do not lose weight as rapidly as they would like.
Brauning was not sure if the television contestants would be able to keep up the regimen they are using on the show, including several hours of exercise each day. If it's not realistic that they will do the same work at home in the course of their normal lives, she was not optimistic they would continue to lose weight.
"You have to take on behaviors that you can carry on," Brauning said.
When Brauning works with new patients, she makes sure they are willing to take the challenge for the long haul and include exercise as well as healthy eating.
"My first question is, 'Are you willing to exercise and be active?'" she said. "It can't be one or the other."
Stover said it's taken her a long time to come to grips with what she needs to do to be healthier and improve her self-esteem.
"I don't feel good about myself. I always think somebody's talking about me," she said. Stover said insecurities about her weight have created problems in past relationships. For a four-year period she didn't even try to date because she didn't think it was worth it. She's now been happily married for two years.
"It took me a long time to learn a lot of things," she said. "There's no trick. You drink your water. You exercise. You eat sensibly."
At the local TOPS group, which meets Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30 at Immanuel United Church of Christ, 105 S. 7th St., Stover even started a contest to mirror "The Biggest Loser" -- during a six-week session, the person who loses the most weight gets $15 to go toward a Thanksgiving turkey.
Faith Stover
Source:www.coshoctontribune.com
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