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ST. GEORGE, Utah - USA TODAY has teamed with WE: Women's Entertainment
to track the journey of six dieters who have been put on well-known
but very different weight-loss programs.
Rush, 50, of Greenwood, S.C., was so sick of being heavy that
he applied to be a participant in this year's USA TODAY Weight-Loss
Challenge. The annual challenge was started in 2004 to give
readers access to expert information, recipes and dieter profiles
both in the newspaper and at USATODAY.com.
This year, the challenge is accompanied by a TV series produced
by USA TODAY Live, the newspaper's television arm. The series,
hosted by actress Kim Coles, airs on WE: Women's Entertainment
network.
Rush is one of six people selected from videos they submitted.
Each had lost some weight but needed help to continue losing.
He and the other dieters spent a whirlwind weekend in early
March here at the Red Mountain Spa, considered one of the
top weight-loss resorts in the country. The goal was to help
them jump-start their weight loss, meet each other and tape
the first episode of the TV series.
Each dieter had a support person - a family member or friend
- who accompanied him or her to the spa and has helped the
dieter stay on track. Over a long weekend, the dieters and
their support people hiked during a rare snowstorm, took an
exercise class and shared low-calorie meals. They then went
home to follow different eating and exercise programs.
USA TODAY will follow their progress in stories that will
appear in the Life section every Monday through July. In the
three months since the dieters first met, they have lost a
total of 140 pounds; Rush alone has lost 59 pounds.
Studies show dieters drop the most weight in the first 12
weeks because they closely adhere to their programs, and they
may continue to lose more slowly in the second three months.
"If you can stay focused for 90 days, you can achieve
a significant weight loss," says Edith Howard Hogan,
a registered dietitian in Washington, D.C., who helped select
the challenge participants. "After that, you just need
to reset your goals for the final sprint to the finish line.
You want to go forward to keep off what you've lost and, hopefully,
lose more."
Like these six dieters, many Americans desperately want to
trim down. About 25% of Americans say they are on a diet to
lose weight, and they would like to lose an average of almost
30 pounds, according a recent survey from the Pew Research
Center. Nutritionists say one key to success is having a powerful
motivation.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com
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