Dave Nielsen, left, participates in an introductory fitness class with employees Jean Cooper, center, and Tara Linehart at the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee fitness center in Chattanooga. Nielsen and his twin sister, Rebecca, both former contestants on the television show “Extreme Weight Loss,” participated in fitness classes with employees to help draw new people to try a class at the fitness center.NEILSENS’ WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
• Find partners: Find people who support your weight loss. Be accountable to them.• Adopt the 90/10 rule: Eat right, exercise right 90 percent of the time, allow yourself 10 percent wiggle room.• Allow high-intake days: Give yourself a higher-calorie intake day, and work out harder the next day to offset the extra calories.• Remember stumble doesn’t equal fail: Don’t let a slip-up derail your entire effort. Bounce back, continue good habits.• Gain momentum: Get positive momentum and keep it. Maintenance is hard, but keep making progress.
David Nielsen and his twin sister Rebecca together tipped the scales at 850 pounds when they bravely agreed to participate on ABC’s reality show “Extreme Weight Loss” more than a year ago.
The siblings, who dropped a combined 418 pounds, told employees at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee on Tuesday that none of the weight loss journey was easy, and no one should expect it to be.
“Your problems don’t go away just because you lose the weight,” Rebecca said. “Everyday we live our life like an alcoholic who has to live in a bar.”
BlueCross employees shook their heads, sometimes in agreement, sometimes in pity and sometimes in disbelief as the Nielsens — Prairie View, Wis., natives — shared their story.