New bodies and a new lease on life for Fittest Loser contestants

Posted May 10, 2009 11:00 pm

By Robert McCoppin Daily Herald Staff

Life-changing.

That's how contestants in the Daily Herald's Fittest Loser Challenge described the 12-week weight loss competition.

Not only did they each lose from 17 to 57 pounds, they also lowered blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol and a host of other markers.

More importantly, they say, they learned how to diet and work out to stay healthy the rest of their lives.

Instead of eating whenever and whatever was convenient and rarely getting exercise, the Fittest Losers planned and prepared healthy meals and snacks each day and worked out intensely six or seven days a week.

The key, they said, was committing to the weight-loss plan, and having trainers from Push Fitness in Schaumburg teach and motivate them.

"The number on the scale is important," Push co-owner Mark Trapp said, "but we wanted to make sure everyone was getting healthier."

With those goals in mind, the contestants kept track of every calorie they ate by writing it down in a food journal.

The diets concentrated on small but frequent servings of chicken or turkey, vegetables, nuts, healthy oils and whole grains. Contestants said they were eating so often - three meals and two snacks a day - that they never felt too hungry.

Participants cut out simple carbohydrates and saturated fats, especially sugar, sweets, pasta, dairy and alcohol, but ate a balance of protein with good carbs and fats.

Chiropractor Paul Mikulski of Proactive Natural Medicine in Schaumburg, who counsels patients on diet and nutrition, tested each participant's blood before and after the contest. He said their success shows how quickly people who are overweight can take control of their health, using diet and exercise instead of pills.

"These guys are entirely different people," he said. "It shows you can achieve a lot in a short time if you put in the work to do it. You cannot only add years to your life but quality to your years."

Most noticeably, Rob Bohanek, the principal of Holmes Junior high School in Mount Prospect, went from a diabetic blood sugar level of 156 to a healthy 88.

Rob lost 54 pounds, exceeding his own goal of 40. His resting heart rate went from near 100 down to around 80.

"It was a lot of fun," he said. "It was a learning experience."

It took self-control. Co-workers once brought in a lunch of Italian beef with cookies and brownies he had to resist but also cited him as an example for students learning how to exercise and control their diet.

"Before, I felt things were controlling me," he said. "Now I feel I'm controlling them."

Liesl Ignoffo, a business executive, lost 25 pounds on a no-dairy, no-grains, whey shake protein-veggie diet.

She dropped from a size 14 to an 8 and can fit into pants she hasn't worn since before her daughter was born 12 years ago.

The first three days of the competition, she had a migraine headache from a sugar withdrawal. But since then, she feels much better and has lots of energy.

She sleeps better, says her nails are stronger and hair healthier and shinier, and got "the look" back from her husband.

He supported her by eating the same foods she did and working out whenever she did. By doing so, he lost 35 pounds himself.

"It's been life-changing," she said. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have done this."

Her advice to others is to make small goals each step of the way and to persevere.

Christine Reiss, a 28-year-old single mother, lost 17 pounds, and shifted her cellular fluid from the level of a 65-year-old to a healthy level for her own age.

"It was really hard - harder than I thought it would be, physically and emotionally - but overall it was awesome."

She had never been a runner and initially had problems with her calves cramping badly, but she now runs every day without a problem.

She also can play with her daughter, playing tag and teaching her how to climb monkey bars.

Her advice?

"Just do it. Don't say, 'I'm going to start next week.' Stick with it - you'll see results."

The contestant who lost the most weight, Eric Ronzio, a former college basketball player from Arlington Heights, dropped an incredible 57 pounds, or one-fifth of his body weight. He led the competition most of the way, but since the winner was determined by percentage weight loss, he finished second.

Still, he's happy he significantly lowered his blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

At the end of the contest, he went out with his family for a celebratory dinner of risotto he'd been missing, but could only eat half of it because he's not used to eating so much on a 2,000-calorie a day diet.

He had always skipped breakfast and snacks before, then would eat too much, so spreading his food throughout the day kept him from overindulging.

Perhaps the most telling improvement for all the contestants is that now they can play with their children, like kids themselves.

"I feel light on my feet," Ronzio marveled. "Instead of watching the kids play, I keep up with them."

Fittest Losers: By the numbers Rob Bohanek Age: 45 Height: 5'9" Original weight: 288 Final weight: 233.5 Weight loss: 54.5 % weight loss: 19 percent Blood pressure: from 142/96 to 138/88 Total cholesterol: 174 Blood sugar: from 156 to 88 Liesl Ignoffo Age: Height: Original wieght: Final weight: Weight loss: % weight loss: Blood pressure: Total cholesterol: Blood sugar: Lisa Notarnicola Age: 46 Height: 5'4" Original weight: 185 Final weight: 142.5 Weight loss: 42.5 % weight loss: 23 percent Blood pressure change: from 110/74 to 102/72 Total cholesterol: 181 Blood sugar: from 96 to 91 Christine Reiss Age: 28 Height: 5'3" Original weight: 186 Final weight: 169 Weight loss: 17 % weight loss: 9 percent Blood presure: from 110/70 to 110/72 Total cholesterol: 186 Blood sugar: from 96 to 89 Eric Ronzio Age: 35 Height: 6'4" Original weight: 276 Final weight: 218.50 Weight loss: 57.5 % weight loss: 21 percent Blood pressure: from 130/86 to 110/70 Total cholesterol: 150 Blood sugar: from 94 to 80 <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <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> </div> </div> </div>

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