Hoffman Estates cop sheds 42 pounds to become Fittest Loser

How did the Fittest Loser Challenge change Lisa Notarnicola's life?

Her pants size dropped from 12 to 6. Her cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar all plummeted.

She shed 42½ pounds, or 23 percent of her body weight, and now weighs 142.

And as a Hoffman Estates police officer, she can get in and out of the car to chase the bad guys with no problem.

"I am absolutely a different person," she said. "I feel like a million bucks."

Most importantly, at 46, she's decided on a second career after she retires in a few years as a cop: to become a personal fitness trainer.

"I want to help women my age who can't get motivated," she said. "I'll get them motivated."

If anyone can do it, Notarnicola can. A lifelong athlete, she said from the beginning she was going to win this competition, and made it happen through hard work and determination.

The Fittest Loser Challenge, sponsored by the Daily Herald, its sister health magazine Live Well, and Push Fitness in Schaumburg, had a personal trainer whip five contestants through 12 weeks of the hardest workouts of their lives.

The trainers also taught participants what foods to eat and how much, and had them keep a food journal to stay within a daily calorie count.

Notarnicola won by working out like a fiend and sticking to her diet religiously.

Every Sunday, she would bake two pans of chicken breasts, cut each one in half, and bag it to make a 4-ounce serving for every lunch and dinner.

Then she followed a strict meal schedule:

6:20 a.m.: breakfast of oatmeal with a cup of berries and soy milk.

9:30 a.m.: snack of a fruit (usually grapefruit) with a handful of almonds.

11:30 a.m.: lunch of chicken with peas or salad.

2:30 p.m.: snack of a half cup of cottage cheese with a sliced whole tomato (she loved it).

5:30 p.m.: dinner of chicken or salmon with a steamed vegetable medley.

At night, if she craved anything, she would chew sugarless gum or have another handful of almonds for something crunchy.

The hardest part was after dinner, but she kept in mind her body didn't need to eat at night because that's when she was least active.

"The biggest thing," she said, "is to keep track of your portions."

Then there was the workout sessions with Push certified personal trainer Steve Amsden.

"He killed me three days a week," she said.

Monday and Friday she would lift weights, but keep her heart rate up with a variety of exercises. Wednesday was more aerobic with lighter weights, jumping rope and running stairs.

The rest of the week, she did aerobic workouts on her own on the elliptical machine, treadmill or running outside.

The hardest workout came one day when Amsden took Notarnicola outside with just a medicine ball.

"I'm like, 'How much can you do with a medicine ball?'" Notarnicola remembered. "Then I was twisting with it, throwing it to him, catching it. He had so many things up his sleeve it was amazing."

All along, Amsden pushed her to give 100 percent of whatever she had that day, even if she felt worn out.

Her proudest accomplishment, though, was becoming a runner. She had a hard time running when she started, but now that she's lost weight, she can go three miles nonstop and enjoy it.

Notarnicola learned a "boatload" from Amsden, and wants to become a trainer, she said, because she likes helping people.

"He not only helped my health and physical needs, but he was there for me emotionally, too," she said. "There were so many ups and downs for me. When I was sick or hurting, he kept it positive."

Notarnicola already coaches her 13-year-old daughter, Valerie, and 12-year-old son, Joey, in softball and baseball. And she encourages anyone who needs to lose weight to make a commitment to make it happen.

"If I can do it, anybody can," she said. "You just have to stick to it and be determined to overcome all obstacles."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Fittest Loser prizes</p> <p class="News">The winner of the Fittest Loser Challenge will receive a $1,000 shopping spree from Deer Park Town Center. Contestants also received free training from Push Fitness in Schaumburg, and makeovers from HIP Salon and Essence Photo and Video in Schaumburg.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=260647">New bodies and a new lease on life for Fittest Loser contestants <span class="date">[5/11/09]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=18">Eric Ronzio </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=19">Liesl Ignoffo </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=20">Christine Reiss </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=21">Rob Bohanek </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=16&type=video&item=22">Lisa Notarnicola </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2009/fittest/">More Fittest Loser stories, videos</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>