DenverPost.com: Taking Steps to Fight Colorado’s Child Obesity

Originally published on DenverPost.com.

Reality show relocates to “fittest state” to focus on outsize statistic.

EWL-Jeff-Juliana-Macht

HIGHLANDS RANCH ? When Jeff Macht heard about local auditions for “Extreme Weight Loss,” ABC’s 13-episode reality TV show that puts seriously overweight participants through a year that changes their approach to diet and exercise, he decided to give it a shot.

“I’d gotten to the point of thinking about bypass surgery, so I went to the audition in Northfield,” said Macht, director of education for the Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain.

“They interviewed all us applicants as a group. Then I got called back to come for an on-camera interview. So I went there, did that, and got up to leave. And they said, ‘Here’s the next thing you have to do.’ ”

Suddenly, Macht was one of the finalists for season 4, which premieres May 27. The first episode features the story of Charita Jean Smith, a Colorado Springs mother of three boys who began at 310 pounds.

When the casting crew learned that Macht’s teenage daughter, Juliana, also struggled with a weight problem, it sealed the deal: The two of them would be season 4 participants.

“Colorado is always the fittest state in those Centers for Disease Control obesity statistics, but it’s also one of the top states in increasing childhood obesity,” said Chris Powell,a California-based personal trainer. With his wife, Heidi, he oversees the participants on “Extreme Weight Loss.”

“It’s interesting to see the polar opposites in Colorado. The adults are healthy, but the kids are not. We talk about that on the show, with Juliana, and I’m hoping that it will make the final cut. The more statistics we can get out there, that’s what drives change.”

Unlike “The Biggest Loser,” “Extreme Weight Loss” is not a competition. Each episode follows the story of an obese person (and sometimes a family member) determined to lose weight. The drama lies in whether that person can rise to the challenge. Not all participants succeed.

For the first time, “Extreme Weight Loss” is shifting its home base from California to Colorado. The Powells and the show producers wanted a location where weather and scenery made outdoor workouts look appealing, or at least handsome on-camera.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center fit the bill, Chris Powell said. “It’s one of the top research facilities in the world, in terms of obesity and behavioral science,” he said.

“It seemed like a wonderful fit. And our backyard is the mountains, a perfect playground for fitness. So many things to do! The stairs at Red Rocks!”

Yeah, about the stairs. Chris and Heidi Powell found out about them from Jeff Macht, who regretted it almost the moment he opened his mouth.

“Yeah, I told ’em about the stairs at Red Rocks, and that became a ‘fight or flight’ challenge for me on the show,” he said.

“And then it was a regular part of our workout.”

That workout included a three-month jump-start program that used the Anschutz facility as its indoor base, and the Colorado foothills and mountains as the site of outdoor challenges.

EWL-Charita

“We did so many hikes,” Charita Jean Smith said.

“We hated them at the beginning. It was boot camp. We were sequestered. No vehicles. No freedom. In a typical day, we exercised at least four hours a day. There were early mornings, and no early evenings. There were shredder workouts, circuits where we’d do push-ups, sit-ups, weights, lunges, planks, jumping jacks, jumping rope, running, cycling and yoga. And I personally was not a big fan of yoga.”

No spoilers here; you’ll have to watch the show to see how Smith and the Machts did in their respective battles. But it’s safe to allow Smith to say this:

“Before the show, I was the type of person who didn’t want people to know how heavy I really was,” she said.

“So I tried to run up the stairs like I was in better shape than I was. I’m not embarrassed to take the stairs now. And now, if I want to take an escalator, I will, but now I don’t want to. Now I want to take the stairs.”

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