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Posts tagged ‘obesity’

May 4

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Weight maintenance is hard, rewarding & totally doable!

If…and when…you’re in your equation…
Do NOT be discouraged in weight loss by The Biggest Loser Study

ITE_Before-After_Insta

My before & after

On Monday, the New York Times published an article on the science of fat titled: After the Biggest Loser, Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight.”

Google search #biggestloser and you can read a lot of hullabaloo over the study with everyone from past The Biggest Loser contestants to so called weight-loss experts weighing in. I was hesitant to comment because, well, I’m no expert. But, I am living with the joys and struggles of weight maintenance. For me, it’s real life. And in two weeks, I will be celebrating my 4-year anniversary of keeping off 200 pounds. ( I know, cool, right?!)

Since the obesity research was published in the NYT, I’ve had no less than 10 people send me the article and ask me to comment on how I am able to keep the weight off. Others have messaged privately and asked what I thought of the study.

For those who haven’t read it yet, the research showed a significant slowing of the metabolism for The Biggest Loser contestants that has persisted for years, causing their resting rate metabolism to plummet so they burn far fewer calories when their bodies are at rest as compared to someone their size who did not have dramatic weight loss. It’s more nuanced than that and you can read the full article here.

The questions I was asked:  What do you think? Are you experiencing the same thing? Read more

Mar 19

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Podcast: Lori Schaefer turns 48, loses 211 lbs

014-Lori-SchaeferAfter I shared the short version of my transformation story on NBC’s The Biggest Loser, I had the privilege of sharing a much longer version with Brett Fairell who started the podcast and website titled: “Your Way Weight Loss.”

I met Brett at the Biggest Loser after-party where we swapped transformation stories. Brett lost 173 lbs and his way was the Paleo diet. Like me, Brett is paying it forward, and asked me to be interviewed for his podcast. Here is my full interview titled: Lori Schaefer Turns 48, loses 211 lbs. Read more

May 18

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We overeat because we’re fat

New York Times article asserts what might be a game changer in fighting obesity. Hope?!

LoriSchaefer-BeforeandAfterMost people you talk to about the obesity epidemic in America, or their own personal struggle to lose weight, subscribe to the theory that it’s a “calories in, calories out” formula that determines our weight. It’s simple, they assert, to lose weight, eat fewer calories than your body burns. It then becomes a test of willpower.

I used to subscribe to that theory because that’s what we as a society are taught. And I used to feel like a failure for not being able to assert enough willpower to stop overeating and lose weight.

Then, I got healthy. I lost 200+ pounds with the help of a crack nutrition and wellness team, and learned that it DOES absolutely matter what’s in those calories. Quality matters as much or more than quantity — along with a host of other factors. It’s NOT that “a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.” Our bodies react to certain calories and types of food way differently, and the hormone insulin is a/the leading culprit in our skyrocketing obesity rates. Read more

Mar 25

New nutrition labels. Will they help?

Revamping food labels a big step forward. Consumers need to CARE/READ/ACT!

E8XE_Nutrition_Facts_dual___RGBHow many of you actually read labels when buying your food in the grocery store? I’d love to do my own research on this question.

I was NOT a label reader until I decided to change my life and get healthy just a few years ago. (In fact, before this, I didn’t know fruit was a carbohydrate!) Now, I never consume anything without reading the label and trying to understand what’s really in it. I avoid processed food as much as possible, and specifically read labels for sugar content and hidden/added sugars, which is really hard to decipher on current food labels.

Well, that’s about to change. And I applaud this effort!

Last month, the White House and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first major revamp in 20 years of how nutrition information is displayed on our food labels. Here’s the press release from the FDA with an overview of the proposed label changes. Read more

Feb 6

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Too thin? Unhealthy? Who decides?

rachel-biggest-loser

This is Rachel Frederickson before and after at the Biggest Loser finale.

Since NBC TV’s Biggest Loser finale on Tuesday night, there’s been a firestorm in the media over Rachel Frederickson’s final weight. Rachel, a native Minnesotan, lost 155 pounds and nearly 60% of her body weight to win the reality TV show’s weight loss challenge. She weighed in at 105  pounds to claim the $250,000 prize and the title of Biggest Loser. And, I believe she lost more percentage of body weight than any other Biggest Loser contestant, ever!

The firestorm is the public debate about whether she went to far and is too thin and unhealthy. Twitter and Facebook exploded with viewer comments ranging from she looked  “frighteningly emaciated,” to “she’s anorexic,” to “shame on NBC for allowing this to happen.” And the media lit up over the controversy with everyone from People Magazine, to Time, to entertainment news weighing in.

I watched the Biggest Loser finale with several girlfriends and, admittedly, we all had the same reaction — shock at how thin and frail Rachel looked, combined with surprise that a contestant could get that thin (not muscular or fit) without NBC’s show producers intervening. It turns out, that our reactions were typical. Perhaps the natural initial human response. Even the show’s famous trainer’s Bob and Jillian were captured in a photo looking shocked. Read more

May 9

What a privilege to help my mentor O’Neal Hampton launch his foundation

Hampton&Schaefer_Before&After1This coming Saturday, May 11, my friend, inspiration and mentor – O’Neal Hampton Jr. of Season 9 Biggest Loser – is officially launching the O’Neal Hampton Health & Wellness Foundation at a wellness fair at the Ramada in Bloomington, MN, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Click here for event details. Read more

Jun 29

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A magic diet pill?

In all the big news of late – including Obamacare upheld by the Supreme Court – the headline about Belvig (a new weight-loss pill) being approved by the FDA may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Read more

Mar 9

Balance for Life

Today, we had a fun photo shoot with two members of my personal-transformation team: Julie Gronquist, owner of Balance for Life Fitness Center, and Sandra Swami, my amazing personal trainer.

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