Losing weight is always one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions on everyone’s list. The Jewish Community Center is beginning a program next week that can help people who made that resolution — and those who didn’t but should have — take some positive action toward fulfilling it.
“It’s a weight-loss program designed to really help people get a hold of healthy, mindful eating,” said Heidi Campain, the JCC’s St. Luke’s wellness coordinator.
The Smartest Loser eight-week program is the JCC’s version of NBC’s hit TV show, “The Biggest Loser.” As does the show, the individual with the greatest percent of weight loss will be crowned JCC’s Smartest Loser and win an assortment of prizes.
Campain said the JCC staff came up with this program because they know a number of their members are interested in losing weight but need support to do it successfully.
“Sometimes when people try to lose weight on their own they just don’t have the same accountability as when they are doing it with a group of people,” she said. “We’ve seen the success of the Biggest Loser program, and when you start putting a little competitive fire under people they tend to have a little bit more motivation.”
Partnering with professionals from Harvard University, the University of Kansas and Iowa University, Campain notes that the class will stress healthy weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“We’re not going to have these people losing 10 or 15 pounds in one week,” she said.
The class will be offered at two different times, and each session can accommodate 30 people. Wednesday night sessions will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. from Feb. 9 through April 6. Thursday morning sessions, which begin Feb. 17 and continue through April 14, will be held from 9 to 10:15 a.m. The cost is $75 for members of $115 for non-members.
Registered dietician Paige Gerson will teach the class. She earned a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Kansas State University in 1993, graduating cum laude. She counsels adults, adolescents, children and seniors to reach their weight-loss goals through personalized nutrition plans. Her expertise allows her to work with people who have a variety of health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, food allergies and elevated cholesterol.
Gerson notes she has personal experience in the area of weight loss, having successfully kept off 70 pounds for more than 20 years.
During the eight-week class, participants will set weight-loss and activity goals, learn mindful eating habits and make long-term lifestyle changes, including engaging in physical activity.
