THE RESULTS ARE IN!.......

And in first place we have……..Robyn Miller, losing an astounding 14.67% of her body weight! In order to accomplish this, Robyn attended boot camp three days a week and on the other days worked out at the gym as well. Robyn also made sure to journal everything that went in her mouth.
Way to go Robyn!


Here is a photo of Dr. Shauna congratulating Robyn on her success and rewarding her with a weekend for two at Maria's Bed and Breakfast on Niagara on the Lake.


In second place is Robin Morley. Robin lost a total percentage of 10.74%. She is a dedicated mother of three and has achieved this goal by watching what she ate and exercising a couple of times a week. Good job Robin!!



















And finally in third we have Harvey Crickmore. He has lost a total percentage of 8.02%. Way to go Harvey! He said his number one tip was that he “ate the same food but just a lot less of it, and didn’t pig out on the bad stuff”.



















As well we would like to honour Jason Fletcher. He was a participant of the first Biggest Loser St. George competition and was a great help in the second year, helping out where ever possible. Since the first year ended he has lost another 44 pounds to a total of 108.4 pounds!!! Stop by the hardware store and be sure to congratulate him! Thanks for all your help and motivation Jason!


The second annual Biggest Loser Club competition has come to a close, and we have had a great turn out with approximately 20-25 people each night. We, as a whole have lost a total of 425.4 and are proud of our success. Keep up the good work and we hope to see “less” of you the next time we meet!
Way to go St. George!!

The Grand Finale Tomorrow... Who Will Win??

Well folks... this is it! It all comes down to tomorrow night! Tomorrow we will find out who has acheived the highest percentage of weight loss overall, and who will receive the grand prize! We also have prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, plus certificates of achievement for all participants. So make sure you get everyone out to finish what they started!

Join us for a night of celebrating! Please bring a healthy snack, and also some copies of your favourite healthy recipe for a recipe exchange! I can't wait to see all your achievements and see how those After pictures are compared to your Before pictues! Make sure to get your post-contest body analysis done by Diane as well so you can see how many inches you have lost off your body!

Can't wait to see you there! Who will win?!?

One Week to Go!

Hey guys! Can you believe we only have ONE WEEK LEFT!? That's right folks... next week is our Grand Finale where we will announce who will win our grand prize... a weekend for two to Niagara-on-the-Lake! Get your game on everyone!

Congratulations to our winners from 2 weeks ago; 1. Sara M. with 2.58%, 2. Sarah W. with 2.24%, and 3. Shirley M. with 1.48%.

And from last week; 1. Robyn M. with 4.24%, 2. Bob L. with 3.75% and in third place, Mary M. with 1.88%!

Well done guys! Keep up the good work!

Last week we braved the hot and humid 2nd floor, and got to hear a super interesting talk by Tania Heinemann, Register Holistic Nutritionist. Tania talked about lifestyle tips to promote weight loss, as well as giving us many new recipes to try for healthy snacks! Thanks Tania!

Join us tonight for personal story night as we reflect on the highs and lows of the competition, and also have a quiz on which foods contain more calories.

See you there!

Shauna

This Week's Challenge

Hi everyone! We had a great week last week discussing some tips on how to grocery shop in order to stay healthy and within your budget. Also thanks to Nicolette for showing us her mini greenhouse and showing us how easy it is to start your own vegetable garden!

We were going to have a draw last week from those who have been journalling... however... (ahem) not a SINGLE person had their journal filled out!! So I challenged everyone for this week to do two things... #1. We are going to write down everything we eat in our journal this week, and #2. Everyone is to do 20 minutes of activity at least three times this week, and then we are going to watch the pounds lost go up!! I challenged us to lose 50 lbs this week! Let's stick to it guys and see how we do! You can do it guys! Bring your journals tomorrow for a chance to win the draw!

See you tomorrow as we have a talk on How to Make Healthy Snacks!!

Week Nine, Doin' Fine!

With 8 weigh-ins done and only 4 to go... the end is in sight! You guys are awesome having already lost 315 lbs! We had a minor set-back last week with Mother's Day on the schedule, but we had some great discussion on some tips on how to handle special occasions and eating out.

A special thanks to Ashley for her talk on Eating Out! She suggested many ideas, some of which were to plan ahead by checking the restaurant's nutrition info online or at the restaurant, getting a doggy bag right way and putting half the food in it for the next day, choosing the "Health Check" items from the menu, and if at a friend's or relative's house, offering to help serve the dessert so you can cut your own smaller portion. Hand-outs are available for those who missed last week.

The week before, I did a talk on "The Wellness Lifestyle" that chiropractors promote as a way to prevent health problems. I talked about how proper nutrition, exercise, and regular chiropractic adjustments can help you to maintain a healthy nervous system. And since your spine is like a fuse box that makes your whole body work... you best keep it working properly and free from interference! We also talked about how chiropractors examine patients, including posture exams. We also saw how an extra 40 lbs can really put a strain on your spine and nerves! People were really excited about learning how the body works and I would love to answer any other questions you have!

To summarize the results from the last 2 weeks...

May 5th meeting: The Biggest Losers were 1. Bob L.- 1.61% 2. Kelly B- 1.56% 3. Alisha S.- 1.21%

May 12th: 1. Robyn M.- 2.25% 2. Joanne W.- 1.63% 3. Debbie B. - 1.38%

Way to go guys! A job well done!

I am finding it very interesting this year that every single week we have a different top 3! Last year we could tell who was going to win for sure, but this year... it's anybody's game!!

Just a reminder... you are not just competing for the weekly pot, but also for a weekend for two to Niagara on the Lake!! Good luck guys!

A reminder from Diane from St. George Fitness, make sure to get your "half way thru" body composition done. You can stop by the gym Mon-Thurs 2-6, or Sat 8-12. Thanks again Diane!

We will see you tomorrow night for our weekly meeting which will be on "How to Grocery Shop" and also "How to start your own vegetable garden". See you there!!

p.s. I noticed the pounds being lost is going down... how many people are still journalling their food every day?? = ) Please bring your journals tomorrow for a draw for a prize.

*IMPORTANT!! The bike scavenger hunt has been scheduled for Saturday, June 19th. It is for the whole community, families and friends! So spread the word and come on out at 9:30 AM for a fun way to get some exercise! Bring your digital camera to take pictures of your team at all the clues! So dust off that old bike, or borrow one! Pump up those tires and get ready to go!

Spicin' It Up!!

Last Wednesday we learned how to spice up our cooking with Epicure spices! We had a Delicious Meeting where we got to sample many different ideas... and all low fat and healthy!! Even homemade salad dressings are no problem!

I had recently been introduced to Epicure, which is a unique company offering all-natural spices, free of preservatives, MSG and very low in sodium! They offer neat blends of spices that are easy to add to any recipe and make cooking very fun!

And you guys know me… I am always looking for ways to make our family healthier! I am putting the order in on Thursday so that people had a chance to look thru the catalogue and bring in their money and order forms. You are welcome to take a look at their online catalogue to check out their products. http://www.epicureselections.com/ This site also has awesome recipes you can print out!

Also last week, Sheila introduced us to a nutritional beverage that is rocking the nations... Monavie! A super-juice that gives you 13 servings of fruit in just 4 ounces a day! People drinking Monavie who have low energy levels and health problems are noticing tremendous results! Congrats to Jay for winning the draw for a bottle of Monavie at the meeting! Monavie is available through direct sales only thru networking. I have it available at my office, Sommer Chiropractic Clinic, and I also have info available if you want to learn more. Whether you are just wanting to consume it to receive its amazing health benefits including its antioxidant properties, or whether you are looking for a business opportunity, you are welcome to come in to the clinic to learn more, or ask me at our weekly meetings.

See you this Wednesday for an intense ball work-out with Diane from St. George Fitness!

*IMPORTANT!! Please bring in a stability ball if you have one, and Diane will bring in her extra ones from the gym. Also bring an exercise mat and dress to work-out!



This week we had another great turn-out and St. George is another 56 pounds lighter! (details of winners to follow) Awesome work guys!

Thanks guys! Happy cooking!

Pumped Up and Ready to Go!

Last night was the fourth weigh-in of the Biggest Loser St. George! And what a night it was! I would like to give a big shout out to Emily Sandaj for her explosive talk on the benefits of exericse, followed by an exercise class where she led us in a weight training curcuit that we all can do at home! What a great work-out! How many people were excited to get up and moving after that pep talk?! I know I sure was!

Congratulations to our biggest losers this week. In first place, Jacqueline D. with a 3.14% loss, Robb M. in 2nd with 2.75%, and Kristina T. in 3rd with 2.33%! "Weigh" to go guys! St. George is 56.3 lbs lighter this week! Awesome work!

Join us next week for our first ever healthy cooking class as we Spice It Up with Epicure! See you there!

April 14

See everyone tonight for our first exercise class! Remember to bring small weights or soup cans, and an exercise mat or blanket. Dress comfy! See you there!

The First Week Well Done!

Well hello again! We just had our second weigh-in which means we had our first "Biggest Loser" of the week! Congratulations to Derek, who came in first place with a 4.39% loss and won the weekly pot! In a close second was Gerry with 3.51% loss , and in third was a force to be reckoned with, Jason with a 3.18% loss. This week we lost a total of 92.5 lbs... in just one week! Well done guys! Absolutely amazing!

Our talk last week consisted of a food sorting game as we learned the difference between proteins, fats and carbs, and also how to use our new books to rank each food from the most to least calories per serving.

Make sure to read through the introductory chapters of your books this week as they give you a good baseline of info.

Some concern was raised at the formula given in the book on how to determine the number of calories you should be eating daily. Remember... this is a GUIDELINE ONLY and it is also the number of calories needed to MAINTAIN YOUR GOAL WEIGHT. You could be going on a "diet" and eating very few cals per day. But remember what happens as soon as you stop... the weight goes right back on plus MORE because your body has gone into starvation mode and slowed down its metabolism. This program is designed to teach HEALTHY EATING for a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE and not how to starve yourself on a diet, and lose weight quickly. A safe rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week.

For those who have access to the internet, feel free to sign up at http://www.caloriecount.about.com/
This site will be able to give you a suggested intake per day based on more details related to your lifestyle. This is the site used and recommended by Jay from the hardware store. Always remember however to consult with your doctor before starting any exercise or diet program.

Please join us this Wednesday night for a talk that is crucial for everyone to hear... "How to Read Nutrition Labels" will teach you to finally be able to decode that little box on the side of all food packaging.

** Important... PLEASE BRING 2 or more labels with you to practice on!!
***We need your help!! Does anyone have an easel and white/black board that we could use for the nutritional talks?? If you do please let one of us know!**

Next week (April 14th) will be our first exercise class so please try to get a mat before then. And if you have little weights (1-3 lbs), those would be handy as well. If not... 2 soup cans will do the trick! Join us a we learn a basic strength training circuit that you can do at home.

See you at 8:30 at Memorial Hall!

Week 2!

Hi Everyone!
Tonight we will be learning about proteins, fats, and carbs. Are you able to identify them? Come out tonight and test your knowledge! Please bring a calculator and your food journal as we will be using the book to track food.
Last week we had 33 people register and together we weigh 6880 lbs.!!!!! We also raised $330.00 for Help a Child Smile. Way to go!
Who will be the biggest loser tonight and win the pot?? Only those who attend the meeting are eligible so don't miss your chance to win!
Please bring your $1.00 to weigh-in and $10.00 for the book if you want one. (Highly recommended)

Back by Popular Demand!

Hi everyone!
We are so excited about doing the "Biggest Loser, St. George" again!! We will be kicking off Biggest Loser on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. This year most of our meetings will be held at the Memorial Hall in St. George on Main St. across from the Post Office, beside the Party Supply Store! We have great events planned for this year with another awesome prize that will be going to the contestant with the highest percentage lost!

** IMPORTANT!! Please note this year's changes to the contest. We want to help others as we help ourselves, so this year there will be a $10.00 entry fee to register, which will be donated to Help a Child Smile! Each week, there will be a $1.00 weigh-in fee, and the biggest loser of the week will win the pot! (no person may win more than 2 weeks in a row and must attend the meeting. Remember... research shows that people who attend meetings lose 80% more weight!)

The Biggest Loser club will meet for 12 weeks on Wednesdays, starting March 24, 2010 and have two weigh-in times each week, as well as a 20-30 minute Health Talk or exercise class. Keep checking the blog to find out where the class will be held each week!

Please drop by the office during our business hours to sign up.
Mon: 2:30-7:00 pm Wed: 7:30-10:30 am and 6:00-8:30 pm Thurs: 2:00-6:00 pm.

It is also important to get your Body Composition Analysis done, and Diane of St. George Fitness has generously agreed to do this for us! You will need to get a "Before" measurement done, and when Biggest Loser is completed, an "After" body composition analysis (BCA) which will help you to see your progress. This can be done on opening night during the meeting, or at the gym Mon-Thurs 2:30-7:00 and on Saturday morning 8:00-12:00.

Weigh-in times:Wednesday: 10:15-11:15 AM at Sommer Chiropractic Clinic (75 Main St. S. Unit C, behind Dentist and Pharmacy) or 7:45-8:30 PM at the Memorial Hall (across from Post Office beside Party Supply Store) Health Talk: 8:30

We have put together a tentative schedule as follows:
March 24, 2010 - Kick-off -- Registration, Come out and discover how Jay from the Hardware Store lost 100 lbs.!
March 31, 2010 - Nutritional Talk - What are proteins, fats and carbs?
April 7, 2010 - How to Read Nutritional Labels
April 14, 2010 - Exercise Class - How to get started - basic circuit
April 21, 2010 - Cooking Class- Spice it Up with Epicure!
April 28, 2010 - Ball Class - dress comfortably! Prepare to WORK OUT!!
May 5, 2010 - The Wellness Lifestyle with Dr. Shauna Sommer
May 12, 2010 - Nutritional Talk - undetermined
May 19, 2010 - How to Grocery Shop
May 26, 2010 - Nutritionist - Tania Heinemann
June 2, 2010 - To be determined
Grande Finale: Wednesday, June 9 2010

Prize: The winner will be the person with the highest percentage of weight lost, and will win a Weekend for Two to Niagara-on-the-Lake!(generously donated by Sommer Chiropractic Clinic.)

And The Winner Is... Dan Slezsak !!

BEFORE


Dan receiving his prize from Dr. Shauna at the awards ceremony






AFTER

When Dan entered the Biggest Loser St George, he was taking 10-12 diabetic pills a day and high blood pressure medication. By the finale 12 weeks later, he was 48.5 lbs lighter, an 18.8% percent weight loss! He lost 28 inches off his body, his blood pressure has normalized and he is down to taking only 2 diabetic pills per day! Dan Slezsak won first prize, a two nights stay at Maria’s B & B in Niagara-on-the-Lake, donated by Sommer Chiropractic Clinic. He and his wife Gail were an inspiration to us all with their dedication, passion and enthusiasm for success! Well done guys!

A special thank you to all our participants in the Biggest Loser St. George. I applaud all your efforts in your quest for health and wish you all the best as you continue to strive towards living a healthy, active lifestyle. Together twenty-five of us lost 467 pounds in 12 weeks! Amazing. That is all I have to say.

Please feel free to leave your comments and tesimonials in the comment section. We would love to hear from you!

In Health,
Dr. Shauna Sommer