A friend of mine spent an entire month participating in a live-in healthy weight loss program last summer. The group met with a nutritionist every day and had healthy balanced meals prepared for them on-site. A trainer worked them out six days a week, five to six hours a day both indoors and out.
I was very proud of him that he made a lifetime commitment to his health (and lost a few pounds,) however, the clinic just didn’t seem like much fun especially for an entire month. I thought to myself, instead of booking a month at a boring weight loss clinic, why not put together your own weight loss skiing plan for a month at Deer Valley ski resort? Let’s face it, skiing is a blast and burns a boatload of calories.
Personally, I didn’t lose any weight this ski season. When I stepped on the scale, the needle never budged. But everyone kept asking me if I lost weight. I didn’t but what I lost this ski season was inches — two pant sizes to be exact. Even my feet have shrunk, (which is kind of creepy by the way) and I am buying shoes a half size smaller. Seriously, who cares what the scale says!
The weird thing is I haven’t done anything differently … except for skiing. I still am addicted to pretzels and wheat thins. I drink wine, eat pizza, cookies and chocolate — all in moderation. No deprivation diets in my house! Even so, my pants hang on me and my suits need altering. My body composition has changed with fat being replaced by muscle which is not reflected in the scale. The only explanation I have for this phenomenon is skiing.
Since I had so much fun this ski season, I skied whenever I possibly could even when it was five degrees or snowing. Once I was there, I stayed out until I absolutely had to come in — my inner child wanted to continue playing in the snow! This practice helped me lose inches without even noticing and could work easily for everyone. Anyone wanting to lose their “muffin top” could put together a do-it-yourself weight loss plan and call it the “playing in the snow” program.
According to Livestrong, downhill skiing with moderate effort for a 150 pound person burns about 400 calories per hour. Taking into account the downtime riding the lift, you could easily ski three full hours in a day even with frequent breaks and burn about 1,200 calories a day. You only need a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. So with a ski program, you could lose inches without severely limiting calories.
Here are some ideas on how to put it together:
Ski three days on and take a rest day the fourth day – repeat for an entire month.
Try cross country classic or skate skiing to mix it up and burn even more calories.
Improve your skills and book some Max-4 lessons.
Incorporate a specialty clinic like the women’s ski weekend where you ski three days in a row with the same group and same instructor.
Eat healthy lunches like the “natural salad bar” or “turkey chili” at Silver Lake Lodge or Snow Park.
Pile your plate high with good healthy delicious food at the Seafood Buffet or Fireside Dining.
If you want to eat the cherry pie, ski an extra half hour that day and indulge with a small portion.
On your rest day, go to the spa at Montage, Stein Eriksen Lodge or St. Regis and get a massage, sit in the sauna, and/or steam room to relax, revitalize tired muscles and pamper yourself.
Now that’s my kind of a weight loss program! You learn a new sport or improve your skills. When you are having fun, of course, you are going to get out there earlier and stay longer. Getting slim by playing in the snow worked for me. Do you think it might work for you?
As my instructor, Mary Lou, rode the lift with my group to our first run, I explained my challenges with speed (which were obvious from the warm up) and my goal of enjoying intermediate runs with my friends. Her reply took me by surprise, “You need to slow down to speed up.” Instead of skiing fast, we worked on controlling speed using the entire turn. I had been doing quick back-and-forth stop-and-start turns which were not working at all.
Last year during my Max 4 lessons, my instructor gave me some poignant advice. While trying to keep up with the two guys in my group, I fell. He counseled, “Nancy, skiing is an individual sport; always ski at your own pace. We will wait for you at the bottom.” Since then, I have not had a problem skiing alone. I often grab my equipment and ski for a couple of hours by myself.
With the latte as an icebreaker, we chatted it up. When they found I was skiing alone, they invited me to ski with them. Turns out, Ron was someone I wanted to meet anyway since he is a ski technician in the Rossignol Demo Ski Yurt near Empire Canyon Lodge. You can try before you buy so you know what you like when you are ready to make a purchase. “Sure I’ll ski a few runs with you guys,” was my answer.
My new friends skied all the way to Snow Park with me to “walk me home” and as we said goodbye, they said, “It’s good that you were slow since it’s Paul’s first day out and you helped him to pace himself.” They were being kind, of course, but their gesture was appreciated.
Since moving to Park City, I suddenly find that I am extremely popular with my out-of-town friends. This could be due to my outgoing personality or wonderful hospitality but it’s doubtful. The real reason for the sudden surge in attention is my location—Park City, my home, is the host city of the Sundance Film Festival. I don’t take this personally instead I simply roll with it and enjoy having so many visitors. My husband and I are never lonely.
