Silver Lining
I have chosen Mike Davis for providing the Losing IT at the Gym challenge to help the community to get healthy, as my Silver Lining.
Last year’s challenge brought 86 original contestants, 55 who completed the program losing a total of 1,032 pounds, an average of 19 pounds per person.
I decided that I will commit myself to this 10-week challenge. I want to learn how to maintain a healthy way of life and at 43-years old, it isn’t too late to start.
I have to think I am not the only one who feels a little like Alice in Wonderland.
If you had a glimpse into my closet you would know why. I have clothes in a range from size 5 to 12.
Each November when it starts to get cold, I bake lots of goodies that say “eat me” and I do. I then grow and grow until suddenly I start busting out of my clothes.
Then with spring comes me aiming for the diet section of the store, hmmm there is a drink that actually suppresses your appetite and it screams, “drink me.” I do, then I slowly begin to shrink and soon those clothes I was stuffing myself in, start to fit and even become loose.
The problem here is that 20 pounds or so I gain and lose every year has turned into 22, then 25 and I figured I will be well over 250 pounds by the time I am 53 if I keep living this way.
So first thing is first I signed on for Losing It At the Gym and I also signed up for a membership.
At 5 feet 9 inches I weighed in Tuesday at 189 1/2 pounds. My weight goal is set for 169 pounds. Losing 20 pounds doesn’t seem too bad. I have done that many times. Right?
According to Davis. the key here is to gain lean body mass while losing the fat. This will require a delicate balance of nutrition and exercise. Wow something new to me.
Next I had my lean body mass calculated. Trainer Crystal Bonner was kind enough to pinch me with calipers to get this measurement. Mine was 117 and 3/4 pounds. My goal is to get this number up to 126 3/4 pounds. Yes, I need to gain weight in muscle while losing the fat.
Now we get to the “thick” of things, measuring my body fat weight. This rolled in at 71 and 1/4 pounds. And my goal is to get this number down to 42 1/4 pounds.
This means I will need to lose 29 pounds in fat and gain 9 pounds in muscle. This is the Losing It at The Gym challenge in a nut shell.
According to Davis when your lean body mass is higher you burn more calories. Right now in a comatose state, I can burn 1,170 calories in a day. When I reach my goal I will burn 1,260 calories in a day before I do any excesize. So the higher that number the more calories you burn. Seems simple, right?
It will take re-programming myself to eat breakfast (one of my biggest mistakes is not eating in the morning) and having more nutritious food in the day.
Blood sugar is important, according to Davis. When you are in a starvation mode your body will feed off of itself and instead of losing fat you will lose that lean muscle mass.
Insulin plays a critical role in how a person’s body uses food. The digestive system breaks down food into glucose which circulates into the bloodstream, this is called blood sugar.
Problems arise when the body starts creating too much insulin, which can happen after eating high processed, refined carbohydrates like white bread or pasta. The body compensates for this by producing a rush of insulin to clear the blood, this causes blood sugar to surge which ends up with you feeling hungry again in a short amount of time. This is the crash and binge cycle of sugar addiction.
Davis’s goal is to teach people how to turn their body into a factory rather than a warehouse.
According to Davis, total weight loss is not the only goal he wants to see contestants reach.
“With the nutritional logs and exercise, I can help each person lose fat and not lean body mass. This is an important factor in increasing metabolism and maintaining weight after desired weigh t is achieved.”
It is not a requirement to become a member of the gym to participate in the challenge.
According to Davis, the use of supplements is allowed and can stimulate the metabolic rate and gives people the energy boost they may need to do a workout even after a long day.
"I want people to know that they can do this outside of a gym" Davis said. "The gym may be more convenient, but people can get fit anywhere; it is all about lifestyle changes."
“In the program you get cardio, body fat analysis, blood pressure checks and every tool you need to succeed,” said Davis.
"The group support is what creates success,” he continued. "We're all about building each other up and staying positive with each other. It makes a big difference. It is amazing how people in the precious challenge were there helping each other , understanding, motivating, empathizing and the camaraderie is amazing to watch.”
“We just get back to the basics, Davis said. “Weight is just a number, weight loss is meaningless unless you know what it is you are losing.”
The 24-hour gym is vast with circuit training upstairs and downstairs, private heavy lifting rooms places throughout to get a private work-out, spinning class started in January.
Iron’s Mikes offers free consultations prior to becoming a member and tours are available of the gym as well.
Davis has dedicated himself to his clients with personal attention. His hand is on their shoulder as he provides a work out designed to meet the goal of his client and he puts his heart and soul into it. Person by person doing as much as he can to help improve the quality of life for folks in Boundary County.
“I have one shot with every single person who comes in through that door,” said Davis. “If I can convince them that exercise can be fun and rewarding and that a nutrition plan can be done, I am happy; and I treat every customer with the most individual attention I can.”
The preliminary meeting for Losing IT at the Gym was held Tuesday but it is not too late to take the challenge. The cost to sign on is $50 for gym members and $80 for non-members.
I need as many people as possible to keep me motivated so come out and take this challenge with me. I will be writing about my experience as I go through the challenge.
For information, call Iron Mike’s Gym at 267-5299.