exercise | Vegas Vitality Nutrition

I sent out a press release a few months ago titled Fat Broke and Feel nearly Dead. It detailed a new fitness pilot program for underserved individuals. The first group was chosen and the life changing program ReNew Life Las Vegas has begun! This week, Iyan Breese CPT and I (Crystal Petrello MS, RD) entered into a 6-month life changing commitment with four deserving Las Vegans. Starting on a Saturday morning we weighed-in at local restaurant the Heart Attack Grill, which features an industrial scale necessary for larger-than-usual weight measurements. The group totaled about a half a ton! The participants proceeded to the Professional Fitness Institute (“PFI” at South Pecos Road and East Tropicana) for measurements, fitness tests, and preliminary paperwork. BodPod Las Vegas joined us and donated sessions to all participants. They all got a chance in the BodPod capsule to determine their body fat percentage and resting metabolic rate (RMR). It was a long day, but the group was ready for the first week of training ahead.

For six days, or Week One in our program, the group trained with Iyan. It was a 6 a.m. show time. Talk about motivation! Also during this first week, I met with them for their first nutrition education and counseling session. Using the RMR numbers from BodPod, I created a nutrition profile for each of the participants. The group was stunned to find out how much they were allowed and encouraged to eat. They discussed how this correlated to popular fad diets and misleading food marketing they have battled with their whole lives. I then showcased how they can build their meals with the proper amount of carbohydrates, fat, and protein while focusing primarily on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Wine-Trax donated beautiful food plates to everyone as a tool to help visualize proper food portions. The group will be keeping food diaries for the next two weeks using the plates, weighing their food, and measuring portions. The purpose of this process is to recognize how healthy serving sizes look on the plate. The goal for their balanced nutrition will consist of three meals and at least two snacks a day! Again, it was more food than they thought they’d get to eat.

Continue watching the Informer in the next six months to see Melissa, Pamela, Reginald and Karen’s challenges, triumphs and changes. You might get inspired too!