IN CASE you hadn't noticed, the From Flab to Fab Fitness Challenge team is slimming down fabulously, with weight loss totals of as much as 20 pounds during the first month of the challenge.
Losing weight must be as easy as 1, 2, 3, right?
Wrong.
Winning at the losing game requires determination - and conscious living. But the Fab Five have clearly demonstrated that while never easy, losing weight and toning up is possible with this simple, time-proven method:
EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE!
B.J. vs. the Cheesesteak
In addition to huffing, puffing and sweating off the pounds, the Fab Five also had to make serious changes in their eating habits and, in the process, retrain their palates.
B.J. Wilson's resolve has clearly been challenged. Until the contest began, his idea of a vegetable was french fries. He is seriously missing his cheesesteaks,too.
B.J.'s diet used to look something like this:
Breakfast:Nothing.
Snack: Sandwich and stuff from Wawa.
Lunch/dinner: Sandwich and soup from Wawa.
Snack: Vending machine chips, pretzels, Twix and (his favorite) Snickers bars.
Much to his trainer Jim Hart's chagrin, B.J. does not cook, nor does he eat green vegetables. Hart worked around this obvious handicap by introducing strict portion control while allowing B.J. to eat some of the foods and snacks he loves.
B.J.'s diet now:
Breakfast: Couple of pieces of fruit.
Snack: Breakfast cereal, plus fruit.
Lunch: Portion-controlled frozen meal.
Dinner: Portion-controlled frozen meal.
Snack: Bowl of soup and fruit.
Nothing tastes as good as she looks
Before the challenge, Cynthia Santiago was a tired, constipated, self-proclaimed junk-food junkie.
She was a regular at Dunkin' Donuts, picking up either a croissant or, when she was "being good," a bran muffin. Those good-for-you bran muffins sure taste good. They should. A typical bran muffin has the same ingredients as any good cake - plenty of flour, sugar and loads of artery-clogging fat. Yum!
Ironically, the Dunkin' Donuts bran muffin has 210 more calories than its eclair (480 vs. 270), according to the company Web site.
Here's a peek at Cynthia's former diet:
Breakfast: Black coffee with sugar substitute, Dunkin' Donuts croissant or muffin or, for a treat, eggs, bacon, home fries and toast.
Snack:Chips, crackers or candy.
Lunch: Fast food, hoagie, or, when she was being "good," a fish hoagie.
Snack: Jordan almonds (candied almonds).
Dinner: Fried or sauteed chicken, rice, beans and corn.
Snack: Bowl of cereal with whole milk.
Now, Cynthia's new diet:
Breakfast: Coffee, cup of oatmeal ( ｽ cup raw oats) or an egg white omelet, and a piece of fruit.
Snack: Apple or half a grapefruit or a half-cup of berries or carrots.
Lunch: Typically, salad with teriyaki salmon, broccoli, asparagus, green beans.
Snack: Piece of fruit.
Dinner: Chicken, or baked salmon with tons of green veggies.
Worth repeating...
I've said it once and I'll say it again, permanent weight loss comes down to:
� Portion control, and
� Exercise.
If you're exercising and not losing weight, don't blame it on carbs or fat. The bottom line is, it's all about total calories consumed.
Stop believing you can eat whatever you want because the label says "low-carb" or "low-fat." You can eat whatever you want in moderation, as long as you don't go over your body's caloric budget.
Whenever you eat more calories than your body needs, you'll store those calories as fat.
Period.
And remember, it's easy to eat more than you exercise. For example, a measly, 150-calorie, 1-ounce serving of potato chips would take the average woman 30 to 40 minutes to burn off by walking. A weekend binge can set you back an entire week.
In the end, you must count, slash and burn those excess calories. Read nutrition labels like you would a contract - look at the small print on the back, not the big-print "sizzle" on the front label.
There's no such thing as a "healthy" cheesecake or cheese-steak. French fries are unattractive fashion accessories. Come on, join the Fab Five and win at the losing game! *
Daily News fitness guru Kimberly Garrison is issuing the "Flab to Fab Fitness Challenge," a 12-week wellness program designed to provide five lucky Daily News readers with the tools to live a healthy and fit life.