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Biggest Winner of all

Sun reporter beat out media opponents in Club Fit weight-loss challenge
I wont lie. The first few weeks were tough on my jiggly physique. But I persisted during Dawes merciless w eigh t - tr a ining sessions. I even tossed in countless hours of calorie-burning cardio, and I stayed fairly consistent with my new and improved diet even through Halloween, Christmas, my 34th birthday and New Years Eve. My supportive wife, Krista, encouraged me and prepared many of my meals. holding me accountable and keeping me on track. When the dust had finally settled after three gruelling months, I was a much more svelte 224 pounds down 36 pounds from my starting weight. My body fat percentage dipped 6.2%, while my energy levels skyrocketed. But wait. I didnt just flatten my protruding paunch. I flattened the competition, too. In the immortal words of Stewie from Family Guy: Victory is mine! Although none of my media adversaries matched my results, they should all get credit for giving this fitness challenge the ol college try. And if they continue with their healthier lifestyles, then theyre all winners in my book. Rob Hislop, from Citytvs Breakfast Television, put up a valiant effort, before dropping out of the competition around Christmas due to a back injury. I was basically halfway to my goal of losing 20 pounds, he told me. Fearless Fred Kennedy, from 100.3 The Bear, was pleased with his progress. I gained a fair bit of muscle and my strength improved by leaps and bounds, said Kennedy, who didnt see a huge change on the scale. Tim Schutz, from Cool 880, counted greater strength and improved mobility among his results, not to mention another cool benefit of exercise stress relief. It wiped away all the stress of the day and made me feel invigorated, said Schutz, who lost two pounds in the process. Jackie Rae Greening, from

edmontonsun.canoe.ca

Edmonton Sun YOUR

HEALTH Monday, March 12, 2007

I was the biggest loser. And that makes me the Biggest Winner. Huh? Let me explain. Late last fall, I entered Club Fits firstever Biggest Winner Contest. The 12-week fitness challenge pitted entrants Cary in two categories the general public and the KEEPING FIT media in a lifechanging battle to melt away flab and pack on muscle. Weighing in at a Toledogroaning 260 pounds at fivefoot-10, this not-so-pleas antly-plump scribe saw a perfect opportunity to flatten his Buddha belly, tighten his dimpled gluteus maximus and firm up his sagging pectorals. At the start of the threemonth Sun-sponsored contest, competitors were set up with personal trainers and given easy-to-follow nutritional programs designed for each individual. Helping me on my life-altering odyssey was fitness guru Adam Dawe the greatest trainer since Zeus, in my humble opinion. Admittedly, I was somewhat nervous after Dawe sent me an e-mail to introduce himself and set up our three weekly training sessions at the southside Club Fit. I hope you arent averse to pain and hard work, ya know blood, sweat and tears, the good stuff, he wrote in that fateful e-mail. Gulp.

Castagna

This not-sopleasantly-plump scribe saw a perfect opportunity to flatten his Buddha belly, tighten his dimpled gluteus maximus and firm up his sagging pectorals.
She also put up with my mood swings and tolerated the sight of me posing in front of the bathroom mirror in my underwear. Those bathroom posedowns were necessary for me to gauge my progress, but she hated them. Sorry, honey. Meanwhile, I chronicled my progress regularly in this space and in two blogs, which went a long way in

RYAN JACKSON/Special to Sun Media

Reporter Cary Castagna was the media winner in the Sun-sponsored Biggest Winner Contest to lose fat and build muscle.
Big Earl 96.3, shed five pounds while discovering the joy of pumping iron. What surprised me the most was how much I enjoyed getting into shape, she said. I had never joined a gym before, but now its part of my routine and I look forward to it. And Robbie (The Intern) Gibson, from 91.7 The Bounce, dropped exactly 11 pounds, while improving his one-rep max in the bench press from 185 to 225 pounds. My body is more defined, but I lost inches all around. Its true that size doesnt reflect strength, he said. Now that the Biggest Winner Contest is history, Id certainly like to keep up my healthier lifestyle. Frankly, I still have a few more pounds to lose yet. I know Im on the right track. But can I do it without the glare of the Biggest Winner spotlight? Only time will tell. The victor in the Biggest Winner Contest for the general public will be featured later this month. The female grand-prize winner was actually a bigger loser than me.

Obese people get more energy from food

RICHARD BELIVEAU Special to Sun Media
The bacteria living in the intestines of obese people extract more energy from food than those living in thin people. Our body is a fragile ecosystem whose balance can be greatly disrupted by our diet. I t i s e st im a t ed t h a t a h u m a n ca n ho us e u p t o one t ho us a nd b illion (thats 1,000,000,000,000) bacteria per millilitre, just at colon level. In addition to their major role in the proper function of the immune system, intestinal bacteria are essential to degrade substances we are unable to digest by ourselves, like dietary fibres. This digestion facilitates the extraction of sugars to provide a source of energy to the body. Studies conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Gordons team at Washington University and recently published in the prestigious British periodical Nature highlight the importance of intestinal bacteria in weight control. Scientists have observed significant differences in the proportions of the two main divisions of bacteria that dominate intestinal bacterial flora, namely Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes.

More fat stored

While thin people host about 75% Firmicutes and 25% Bacteroidetes, these percentages tend to be

around 90%/10% respectively in heavier individuals. Even if these differences may seem trivial, they are not without consequence. Researchers extracted bacteria from the intestine of obese and thin mice and injected them in the intestine of mice maintained in a sterile environment since their birth. The results were spectacular: The mice who received the bacteria from the overweight lot stored over 50% more fat reserves in 14 days.

These observations confirm that the intestinal bacteria in obese individuals are more efficient in extracting energy from foods than those of thin people, and that this difference significantly contributes to amplifying the storage of body fat.

Lifestyle change
There is no doubt that the obesity epidemic currently striking across the globe has a lot to do with drastic modifications to our lifestyle.

Excess intake of high energetic density foods coupled with a marked decrease in exercise both contribute to the accumulation of this energy surplus in the form of body fat. It goes to show that our body is a direct reflection of our dietary habits, both inside and out. Even the type of bacteria that cohabit with us in our intestine vary based on our dietary habits. We are, quite literally, what we eat!