The Biggest Loser "Summer Edition"

For the first time, we decided to try a "Summer Edition" of The Biggest Loser at Hampton Hill and what a turn out we had!

We have six teams filled with people excited, and of course nervous, about their new lifestyles. It JUST started this past Sunday with our first meeting that included weigh ins, beginning photos and measurements for each person. So many of our participants dread that part BUT at the end, it is worth it! The changes to their bodies are remarkable!

The first challenge for all of our BL's is to complete 13 of the 13 different types of group exercise classes offered at Hampton Hill in 5 weeks/by our next mandatory meeting/weigh in. Those classes include BodyPump, BodyStep, BodyFlow, BodyJam, BodyCombat, Sh'Bam, BodyAttack, Total Body Training (TBT), Power Circuit, Yoga, Spinning, Extreme Core, and Pilate's! You can go to www.hamptonhill.com to see the group schedules.

We have also added a new challenge for this edition of TBL...That is a "Pound for Pound" challenge. For every pound lost, we will donate the same amount of pounds in food to the Harvest Hope Food Bank!

Look at this guy! Billy Smith not only lost 87.8 pounds in our last edition of The Biggest Loser, he also donated 1 hour of his time as a volunteer to Harvest Hope Food bank. That is incredible!

Survey Results from our 5th edition of TBL

Ok, I have finally had the chance to review ALL of the surveys that were filled out by you at the finale of TBL. Thank you SO MUCH for your valuable feedback! That only helps our program get stronger and better!

There were a few things that were brought to my attention by a number of you and I want to share them with you!

#1. The challenges seemed unorganized and chaotic at times. You are exactly right! We had some problems with calculating the scores not only for the challenges but also with the final results. As you probably noticed, by the final weigh in that was all straightened out. We will be putting certain things in place to make sure this doesn't happen in the future.

#2.  Do the challenges with your team. I agree and in the future we will do that! We need to do a better job at the beginning trying to balance out the teams more (if possible) The problem was that we had as few as 3 people on one team and 15 on another. Maybe instead of "splitting" up the teams we combine the smaller ones with the more medium sized teams.

#3. Provide more nutritional information. For the most part, it seems that most of you that commented on this topic want more nutritional information regarding eating out, recipes, cooking for your families,  etc. We will definitely make "nutrition" be more of a focus all the way around with our next and future Biggest Loser programs.

Those were the top 3 issues that were discussed the most in the "areas that we could improve the program." There were a lot of great points brought up in additon to these and I have paid close attention to each and every one of them.

Again, thank you so much for your feedback!

The Biggest Loser on NBC

Are ya'll watching The Biggest Loser? Do you love this show as much as I do??!!

Who do you think will win????

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Check out our 3rd place Biggest Loser!

Inga finished in 3rd place for our 5th edition of The Biggest Loser! She lost 23% of her total body weight! Congratulations Inga!

Record-Breaking Weight Loss for The Biggest Loser!

1,482 TOTAL POUNDS LOST!!!

Congratulations to Jennie Lee! Our 5th Biggest Loser! In just 12 weeks she lost a total of 26.3% of her total body weight! That is incredible!

Check out the rest of our top 10 Biggest Losers!

2.  Billy Smith - 25.5%

3.  Inga Borkowski - 23%

4.  Rakale Smith - 19.605

5.  Chris Daly - 19.30%

6.  Krista DeLong - 19.20%

7.  Scarlette Herbkersman - 18.60%

8.  Christine Koutrakos - 17.80%

9.  Quentin Squirewell - 16.80%

GREAT JOB to EVERYONE that participated in The Biggest Loser program! Again, 1,482 pounds lost!!!

FINAL WEIGH IN FOR THE BIGGEST LOSER IS TODAY!

What a perfect day for our last weigh in and meeting for the 5th edition of The Biggest Loser!

I have seen many of you in the club this week and I can't believe the transformation I am seeing! You people are what makes this program so great and I am proud that you have represented Hampton Hill so well! Thank you!!!

NOW comes the hard part...life AFTER The Biggest Loser when you are on your own. Our goal throughout the program is to teach you how, through proper diet and exercise, to live a healthier lifestyle on a daily basis. The Biggest Loser is about a "lifestyle" change, not a 12-week program.

That being said, many people are fine on their own with diet and exercise but like the "group" training aspect of The Biggest Loser and other special programs that HHAC offers. As you know, a "Spring Training" program is beginning this week and will run for 6 weeks. (Finishes right before Memorial Day) If you haven't already done so, you can still sign up tonight at our final meeting. ALSO, The Biggest Loser "Summer Edition" will begin June 5th and run right up until our next, fall Biggest Loser program. I will be getting that information to you in the next couple of weeks.

Have a great afternoon and I will see you today at 5:00!

This Sunday is our final weigh in!

Gosh! I am sorry it has been so long in between posts! Between Spring Break and being out of town things have just been crazy!

Well, Sunday is our final weigh in and meeting for the 5th edition of The Biggest Loser. I can't wait to see the results. It is ALWAYS so much fun! Remember to wear athletic clothing similar to what you wore at the beginning so we can better compare the before and after photos. (after photos will be taken on Sunday) I will get these up in the lobby of the club as soon as possible along with the final results.

I have had a couple of you asked if we could indeed to a physical challenge on Sunday but the general consensus was, instead of doing a challenge have some of you guys give "testimonials," etc. I would love to hear from any or all of you! Please be thinking between now and then and we will do more of an "open floor" forum.

So, we will gather at 5:00 in the large group room and begin weigh ins as well as "after" photos. After that we will all gather and start "talking." After "you" have spoken, we will give out the awards. Although I wish I could award ALL of you, the awards will be given to the following...

• The top 3 overall with the MOST TOTAL weight lost
• #2 - #10 Biggest Loser's based on weight loss percentage
• #1 - THE BIGGEST LOSER

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!!!

Feedback regarding the Finale of TBL

These are the comments I have gotten so far regarding the finale on April 17:

"I would love to hear from the participants that have done TBL more than once. we have some that have done it 3 & 4 times - What keeps them coming back - What have they accomplished? We always hear from the coach's. Let's hear from the rest of them."

"I say take the photos, let teams weigh in when they get there, let the coach's share about their teams' highs and lows, give out awards..."

"I think we should spend time with the participants sharing the take-aways from their journey. What's going to keep them motivated beyond TBL?"

"Love the idea of letting the "Losers" talk a bit too! Though I am always glad to give accolades to my team members and speak on their behalf."

"I think it would be great for 1 or 2 people off of each team get up and talk about their positive experience with TBL."

So as you can see, it looks like the vote is to not only hear the coach's speak a few words but also have TBL's speak as well! I LOVE that idea!!!

Biggest Loser Finale

With just a little over 2 weeks left until our final weigh in I am having a hard time deciding if we should do another challenge OR do we want to spend the time recognizing all the teams, accomplishments, struggles, hurdles, etc. Hmmmmm. Any ideas or feedback from The Biggest Losers???

Of course we will have weigh ins and will recognize the top 10 participants with the greatest weight loss percentage, the TEAM with the greatest weight loss percentage AND the top 3 participants with the greatest total weigh lost. We will also take "after" photos to post in the gym lobby!

What would you guys like to see on our final day on April 17th??

Minor change to the "6-Week Program"

We decided to offer one night time class for the 6 week program instead of two because the "night" teams were pretty light with this current Biggest Loser program. For now, we will only offer the Tu/Th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm class. If the demand is such, we will add M/W back as well!

The trainers are as follows:

M/W  5:30am - 6:30am  Patrick
T/TH  5:30am - 6:30am  Suzi
T/TH  10:30am - 11:30am Andrea & Kathy
T/TH  5:30pm - 6:30pm  Fulton

Again, the days and times are subject to change based on demand.

Visit HHAC's front counter or call to sign up! 776.8780

The O Run

Congratulations to Paige Edwards (Purple Team Trainer), Brennen Long (Red Team Trainer), Lee Robinson and Elizabeth Brewer for finishing The O Run in Florence yesterday. Paige described it like the Mud Run...a 4-mile obstacle course but without the mud! Good job Ladies!! 

6-Week Program after TBL...open to everyone!

Less than 4 weeks to go!

Well, there is less than 4 weeks to go with our 5th edition of The Biggest Loser and I can't wait to see the final results!

I got a great suggestion from one our participants! She asked if we could award the top 3 for overall weight lost. (She even offered to help compensate for the awards!!) I think that is a great idea because many times someone will lose A LOT of weight but because he or she weighed a great deal more to begin with it is often hard to impossible to win based on weight loss percentage. Now, Billy Smith on the black team has lost 60 plus pounds and was the 2nd Biggest Loser at our last weigh in based on weight loss percentage BUT again, there are great losses and often that person never gets recognized. At our final weigh in on April 17, we will award and honor our top 3 greatest weight loss people! Thanks for the suggestion!

Results from our 2nd weigh in and challenge!

Wow! How great was last night!!!

We started the evening with the weigh ins and then followed with our challenge. The challenge was pretty much what the group expected but with a slightly different twist. As most of you know, Hampton Hill Athletic Club sits on the top of "Hampton Hill." With our 4 previous editions of The Biggest Loser the teams were sent on a 2-mile loop around The Shoppes at Woodhill, down Pelham Road until it runs into Rosewood. A right turn is made on Rosewood and then another right sending you straight up Garners Ferry, ending with a right turn back into The Shoppes at Woodhill parking lot. This time, we divided each of the eight teams in half. One half goes the "normal" way and the other half runs it "backwards." The trainers and participants decided who goes which way. Well, I think many thought..."If I run it backwards I can avoid that ginormous hill!" Well, the group that ran it backwards found out that the last 3/4 of a mile is a gradual incline all the way to the finish line! Both are challenging in different ways!

And by the way, the first and second place finishers were a husband and wife team that ran opposite directions! (Chris and Jessica Daly) How about that!?! Also, the group as a whole had the fastest finishing times than our previous Biggest Loser programs! Everyone finished under 31 minutes! That is fantastic!!!

Finally, came the results of the weigh ins! Remember is has been 8 weeks since we started the program and we still have 4 weeks to go!

Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments! The total weight loss so far is 1,180 pounds!!! 

Top 10 Biggest Losers...

10.  Christine Koutrakos  13.10%
  9.  Fran McFall  13.4%
  8.  Sheryl McAlister  13.5%
  7.  Scarlette Harbkersman  13.86%
  6.  Rakale Smith  13.89%
  5.  Krista DeLong  14.77%
  4.  Inga Borkowski  14.78%
  3.  Chris Daly  15.10%
  2.  Billy Smith  18.30%
  #1. JENNIE LEE 19.2%

Great job to all of our Biggest Losers!!!

Tomorrow is the 2nd weigh in and challenge for TBL!

Wow! Today is a beautiful day to be outside!

Are our Biggest Losers outside exercising today? Did anyone do 8:15 spin this morning or  do another class in one of our other 2 group exercise studios? Whatever they are doing today, tomorrow is our 2nd weigh in and challenge for The Biggest Loser at Hampton Hill!

Tomorrow is the 8-week mark of the program and I can't wait to see how much weight has been lost once again! 4 weeks ago our Biggest Loser had lost over 8% of her total body weight! Will we hit 14% this time? 15% or even 16%?? We will see!

As for the challenge tomorrow...the group can expect to be outside but things will change a bit compared to what they are used to. Also, the weather will be approximately 20 degrees colder than today. 66 degrees is still nice BUT we may see some rain from what "Ben" (tanner) is reporting. Rain or shine it's a GO! We won't melt!!!

Come join us at 5:00pm tomorrow!!!

Stay tuned for the latest update on our 5th edition of The Biggest Loser!

2nd weigh in and challenge is this Sunday!

Well, this Sunday will be 8 weeks since we started our 5th edition of The Biggest Loser at Hampton Hill! The teams have been working hard and are ready to go!!!

As most of our past and present Biggest Loser's know, for our 2nd challenge we usually run the 2-mile loop around Hampton Hill. I have had so many people ask me if that will be the challenge once again on THIS Sunday. Well, maybe or maybe not. May be the same or not so much. Will they do the challenge with their teams as they know them or will they be different again? Hmmmmmm....

Let's put it this way, they can expect to run but not necessarily the way they are used to!

Come out on Sunday at 5:00pm to watch or even join us!!!

Great thought...Is "obesity" contagious and visa versa is a "healthy lifestyle" contagious?

Joe Moore: If Obesity is Contagious, is a Healthy Lifestyle?


IHRSA (International Health, Raquet and Sports Association) President and CEO Joe Moore responds in the Boston Herald to a recent Harvard study that suggests obesity is contagious. Moore's argument: If obesity is a social epidemic, can a healthy lifestyle spread through the societal ranks, too?

Obesity, argues Moore, is more than just an unpleasant fact of life:

"...our collective complacency about the impact that sedentary lifestyles and poor food choices have on our health must end. Obesity is a chronic disease. It destroys lives. And it kills.

Harvard’s findings may be true. But if each of us acts, individually and together, we can break the social cycle of obesity and right the course of America’s health."

You can read the entire Op-Ed at BostonHerald.com.

What's happens after April 17?

Those of you that are participating in our 5th edition of TBL knows that it ends on Sunday April 17 at our last weigh in. AND as you know, our goal is to teach you a new lifestyle that incorporates healthy eating and exercise for LIFE.

However, many of our participants want something after the program. Something to continue on, if you will, with their journey. Whether it is a "boot camp" style class, a class to lose some additional weight, a class for the sake of "accountability", whatever the reason is, we have been asked to continue something in between our Biggest Loser programs. Some have moved on past The Biggest Loser and ONLY train in a continuing education type group class.

That being said, I am throwing around some ideas and want to get your thoughts and feedback...There will be 18 weeks between our 5th and 6th Biggest Loser programs and this is what I am thinking so far. (Obviously these are just "thoughts" right now to get feedback)

Plans

1.  The Just-in-Time-for-Summer Plan: 6 week program . April 18 - May 27 . meet 2 times per week . (days, times and trainers to be determined) This will start the week right after our final weigh in on the 17th in order to get 6 weeks in before Memorial Day. Cost: $225 members, $275 non members
2. The Burning Up the Summer Plan: 12 week program . April 25 - July 15 . meet 2 times per week. (days, times and trainers to be determined) There will be one week off after our last weigh in before starting the next 12 weeks. Costs: members - $350 members - $475 non members
3. The Bring it on! Plan: 18 week program . April 25th - August 26 . meet 2 times per week. (days, time and trainers to be determined) There will be one week off after our final weigh in and run through the Friday before the 6th edition of TBL starts. Cost: $550 members, $700 non members

These programs will be taught by our Biggest Loser trainers and will be much of the same of what you have been doing over the past weeks with your current trainer and team mates. However, all trainers are different and offer various methods and ideas concerning nutrition and training. Although we are all on the same page with the general information it is nice to get different points of view, ideas, etc... 

We will open this up to the entire club but please let me know your feedback as far as interest level, times, days, etc.

Thanks!