Robin Gamba was looking for more than just a gym membership when she decided it was time for her to lose weight.
For years the 47-year-old exercised off and on at Jack Bell’s Absolute FIT in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., but she decided she needed something more than treadmills and free weights if she was going to shave off pounds.
That’s when she decided to try the gym’s new J-Blast program, a combination nutrition and exercise regimen designed to help people lose weight safely.
“I knew that it would be a great jump start to reaching my weight-loss goal,” Ms. Gamba said. “The nutrition part is definitely a plus. It’s nice to have guidelines.”
More than 30 percent of Tennessee adults in 2008 were considered obese, and only 26 percent of adults in the U.S. eat fruits and vegetables at least five times a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The area’s obesity problem prompted several local athletic clubs to begin offering nutritional options in addition to a place to work out.
Jack Bell, owner of Absolute FIT, said he started the first in a series of 30-day J-Blast programs this year to create a way for people to reach their fitness goals.
Nutrition ProgramsName: J-Blast.Facility: Absolute Fit.Cost: $59.Includes: Personalized meal plan, four 90-minute workout classes, on-going coaching and support.For more information visit www.absolutefitinc.com.Name: EvolveFacility: Sports Barn.Cost: $399.Includes: Personalized meal plan, 12 personal training sessions, on-going coaching and support.For more information visit www.sportsbarn.com.Name: 30 Day Diet PlanFacility: Curves.Cost: Free with membership.Includes: Four nutrition counseling classes, focusing on topics such as shopping skills, menu planning and weight management.For more information visit www.curves.com.Name: Microfit.Facility: YMCA.Cost: Free with membership.Includes: Personalized meal plan based on weight loss goals and food interests.For more information visit www.ymcachattanooga.com.Sources: Jack Bell, Absolute FIT; Cameron Brown, Sports Barn downtown; Charlie Galvin, Curves downtown; Bill Rush, YMCA.
“What we hear all the time (from members) is they’ll join a gym, come in and work out a couple weeks or a month, and say, ‘You know, I’m just not losing any kind of weight,'” he said. “So many people are coming to the gym and they don’t really restructure their lifestyle.”
The J-Blast program combines a eating plan with weekly weigh-ins and a weekly 90-minute fitness class.
In Chattanooga, Sports Barn locations have launched a program called Evolve, which is similar to the J-Blast program. The six-week Evolve program combines a tailored meal plan, personal training and coaching support to help people transform their bodies and their lifestyle choices.
The program began at the start of 2010, and many of its participants are already seeing results, said Cameron Brown, membership consultant at Sports Barn downtown.
Participants create their meal plans through an online program called Biometrics, which designs recipes and shopping lists to meet an individual’s weight loss goals, he said. Personal training comes in the form of two sessions each week, for a total of 12 over the six-week period.
Mr. Brown said a program like this is something members of Sports Barn have wanted for some time.
“We were just listening to the market and understanding what people were needing as far as complete health and wellness,” he said.
Chattanooga Curves locations and the downtown YMCA also offer nutrition counseling and meal plan options.
Curves has been offering a free, 30-day nutrition course to its members for about three years, said Charlie Galvin, owner of Curves downtown. She said the class meets once a week and includes topics such as shopping skills, menu planning and weight management.
At the downtown YMCA, members can use Microfit, a nutrition-based program designed to help people create a meal plan based on their food interests and weight-loss goals.
“It’s about coaching, encouraging and supporting people in their desire to make a change,” said Bill Rush, who was the director of the downtown YMCA when the program was introduced.
Mr. Rush said the YMCA surveys all of its new members, and more than half of those who responded in January listed weight loss as their primary goal.