How I'll win the Biggest Loser 2009

No, not that Biggest Loser. Tomorrow begins the XGym's Biggest Loser contest, and I'm going to win it.

Huh??

Anyone that knows me will probably be saying at this point: "But wait, you're not fat!". And that's true. In fact, by most standards I'm in pretty good shape! It's exactly this fact that makes the XGym's contest so interesting - unlike its NBC namesake, the XGym's Biggest Loser does not focus on scale weight. Rather, winning is solely a function of percent body fat lost. The competitor who loses the greatest percentage of their own body fat wins, plain and simple. Besides ending the competition with the body one's always wanted, the winner gets an expense-paid trip to Vegas (woohoo!).

The numbers

Tomorrow is the official weigh-in that kicks off the contest, but as of this morning I'm at 14.5% body fat. In order to win, I'll take myself steadily down to a lean and mean 5%. losing 9.5 of an initial 14.5 works out to a nearly 66% change, and will be as tough to beat as it will be for me to acheive. As a point of reference, the biggest losers in previous years have won with loss percentages in the 40s and 50s, but rarely 60s. I believe a 5% final weigh-in will be a lock for the win.

The contest is seven months long, starting January 7th and ending August 7th. There are elimination brackets every two months throughout, so this won't be something anyone can win in a last-ditch effort.

How I'll do it

Eat less and excercise more, right? Not quite. I'll be eating differently, but will actually be upping my caloric intake. I will be working out more than I usually do, but with a focus on working out even harder than usual. Let me 'splain:


Food

For the last six months, I've centered my diet around grass-fed organic beef. Mainly, I make and eat 2-3 times per day a recipe called Fat Furnace Fritatta (so delish). I've lost fat and gained considerable muscle over that time, but I've supplemented that diet with a heapin' helpin' of beer, wine and other carb-rich foods that tend to keep the fat hanging around. As I begin the contest tomorrow, those foods will be out for the next seven months. No alcohol, no processed starches, etc. However, I get to eat as much as I want of some of the best stuff on earth: tasty beef dishes, endless amounts of broccoli, lowfat cottage cheese, blueberries, protein shakes, jerky, fish (sashimi, here I come!). Bottom line: high-volume, high-quality protein, good fats (like CLA in the beef), and no processed carbs or sugars. A note: this low-carb approach has nothing to do trying to acheive ketosis (for those familiar with Atkins diet stuff). I'll get plenty of good carbs through eating berries and greens. I assume at this point I will eat between 3000 and 3500 calories per day of these foods.

Oh, did I mention I really love beer? That's a tough one to say farewell to, especially after I just found the best IPA on the planet, but I figure that if my wife will someday be willing to go nine months without the stuff while making a baby, I can surely go seven.

In the end, it's really exciting to make these changes. Going cold turkey on the drink is daunting, but the challenge makes it worth it. I know I won't regret missing a drop when I look in the mirror seven months from now!


Water

Proper hydration is key to optimizing the fat loss process, and I'll be taking my intake up to roughly 2 gallons per day. That's quite a bit, but not nearly too much. It works out to around 20oz per waking hour (and a lot of trips to the bathroom). I have done this for brief stints before, and I like the experience. It's a very clean feeling having that much water go through you, and if nothing else, it gets me up from my desk at regular intervals.

I'll also be cutting caffeine, at least from coffee and diet sodas. Instead of coffee (even decaf), I'm going to go with green tea and yerba mate. Coffee is more habit than passion for me, and I really like the effect of green and mate teas - the 'pick me up' is much gentler and sustained.


Cardio

For months now, I've been doing what I believe is the best cardio training out there: stair climbing. Twice a week, a crew of us from the gym run up the WaMu Tower here in seattle. It's 56 grueling floors, and the idea is to push it as hard as you can to make it up as fast as you can. My times have improved, but they can get a lot better. Over these next seven months, I'll take my current time of 9:10 down into the 7-minute range. Nothing burns fat like stairs, but as a supplement to it I'm doing two sessions per week of a 9-minute high-intensity circuit training. To make absolutely sure I hit my goal, I'll also be adding in two 20-minute interval sessions on an elliptical machine per week.


Strength Training

The XGym is famous here in Seattle for having the most intense and effective personal training. As a customer for the last couple of years, I can definitely attest to that. The idea is that losing fat is only half the game; gaining muscle is the other. By gaining muscle two things happen: one, it positively effects the lean vs. fat ratio, and two, because muscle is calorically expensive you burn more while resting. The regimen is two 20-minute, one-on-one sessions with a trainer per week. I travel a lot, so can often only make one, but always bring with me my trusty TRX straps, and I always push to get a hotel with a proper gym.


Mental Conditioning

All of the above doesn't mean a thing if I'm not in good mental shape for the challenge. It's one thing to do all the work to get in great shape, and it's another to regard onself as permanently lean for life. The untrained mind is a crafty saboteur, and I don't intend to let it wreak havoc with me as I go through this. I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence somewhat chubby, and have been in and out of good shape during my adult life. I'll be spending a few minutes each day visualizing my future body (this is fun - I've already started), and giving myself affirmations about succeeding. This is all toward the goal of retraining my perception of myself to someone who is fit as a way of being. This naturally leads to acting (eating, excercising, etc) like a fit person.


Going 'all in'

I've wanted to get in the best possible shape for a long time, I daresay nearly my whole life. I've flirted with it, and done much work to prepare for getting there, but these next seven months represent the opportunity for me. When I say I'm going to win this contest, it's not because I'm so arrogant or can see the future, it's because that is exactly how I'm going to live these next seven months - like there is no other possibility. Going all in makes all the difference!

Next steps

As I mentioned above, the initial weigh-in is tomorrow. I'll post my before photo and experiences along the way. 5% or bust!