By Chase Antunes

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Get ready to win with DEEM’s Biggest Loser

Nov 7, 2024 | 3:08 PM

The Biggest Loser has arrived in Vernon, and they’re looking for locals who are ready to lose weight and gain muscle.

Mikkie Nettles-Pollon is the owner of DEEM, which stands for Diet, Exercise, Education, and Mindset. While her local gym is relatively new, it was at her Kamloops facility that she first saw the success people can have with The Biggest Loser.

How it works

Participants are placed into teams, with a personal trainer and group leader. Mikkie takes participants’ measurements, designs individual nutrition plans, and oversees the program overall.

“It’s not just cookie cutter,” said Mikkie, who is also a holistic/sports nutritionist. “I’m not going to give a 6’5” guy the same as a 5’2” woman. Or menopausal women have different nutritional needs, right? So it’s really a personalized nutrition plan.”

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Another consideration is what someone’s lifestyle allows. One participant was a truck driver who was always on the road. Mikkie began by teaching him how to best shop out of convenience stores as well as supermarkets for ready-made rotisserie chickens, boiled eggs, veggies, and even the right fast food options such as a grilled chicken burger. “You start where the person needs to start. Because if I tell them you gotta do this, and they simply can’t, then they won’t have success. So they have to learn what they can do within their busy life.”

Like the individual food plans, exercise programs are also designed for each participant. They begin the Biggest Loser with a baseline. Because some

people are coming in new to exercise or with a past injury, Mikkie says activities are modified to their capabilities.

Regular assessments, weekly stats, and support and encouragement are all built into the program. Individual and team challenges add even more motivation.

The real win  

While the Biggest Loser has a start and an end, the goal is lifelong changes. The win is based on percentage of weight loss, but they also need to keep their lean body mass high. “We’re about a healthy change.” stated Mikkie.

The winners are announced at the three-month mark, but they need to keep it off for a fourth month to complete the win. This final phase reinforces that the program is about learning the lifestyle and building healthy habits.

Join the Challenge

Losing between 30 and 50 pounds is typical for those who win the Biggest Loser. While it’s meant for people with a significant amount of weight to lose, it’s open to anyone who is ready to jump in.

Mikkie is even planning to have a fully virtual team, which she first did during the pandemic. She’s since had online participants as far away as France.

“If you’re ready for encouragement, accountability, camaraderie and coaching, I invite you to try it. There are many, many success stories that we can share with you that prove it works.” Mikkie added, “It’s a small setting that’s very welcoming and really feels like a community. We’d love to have you join The Biggest Loser!”

The next Biggest Loser begins January 2025. For details, call DEEM Health + Fitness at (250) 541-0411 or book your free consultation at deemhealth.ca.