Biggest Losers Bring you a 90 Day Challenge
“THE 90-DAY FITNESS CHALLENGE” BY PHIL AND AMY PARHAM
NBC’s The Biggest Loser Stars Reveal Program for Better Health and Lasting Weight Loss in New Book and DVD
NEW YORK, NY, March 15 , 2010 — According to the most recent study by the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion adults are overweight – and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. The United States ranks in the Top 10 fattest countries in the world, with more than 30 percent of men and women considered obese. Americans are widening their waists by the minute, and we need help.
Phil and Amy Parham knew the obstacles of weight loss after years of battling it. In spring 2008, the husband and wife team was chosen out of 300,000 applicants to be contestants on Season Six of NBC’s hit reality show, “The Biggest Loser” and together, they lost over 256 pounds. The 90 Day Fitness Challenge (Harvest House Publishers: ISBN: 9780736929493) addresses their journey to healthy weight loss and inspires readers on how to achieve similar goals. This faith-based, informative and motivational book will encourage those fighting the “battle of the bulge” to transform their lives and fulfill their dreams of being healthier and happier.
The couple has also developed their first DVD, The 90 Day Fitness Challenge (ISBN: 9780736929806) bringing their inspiring, “you can do it” style on screen. Hitting stores June 1st, the inspirational videodisc emphasizes a step-by-step program which outlines continual progress. They present the “Challenge” in twelve short, 15-minute sessions (180 minutes total) detailing cooking and exercise tips that will help viewers maintain long-term results.
“We wrote this book with real people in mind – those who want to lose weight, as well as for families and friends who want to motivate those who need to deal with this serious issue,” Phil and Amy commented. “We are not nutritionists, or lifestyle experts in the health and wellness field. We wrote about our experiences on the show and we hope to help encourage others to change their thinking about weight loss and healthy living. This is not a diet book for temporary change, but a manual for permanent transformation.”
Part of the foundation of Phil and Amy’s success were the weight loss principles they developed for themselves called the DREAM PRINCIPLE. This model of better health is based on five key messages they believe are most important to lose weight:
Dream about what you want your life to be;
Recognize where you are today;
Eat to live;
Activate your body;
Make a difference in the lives of others.
Endorsements of The 90 Day Fitness Challenge include several accolades from members of “The Biggest Loser” family including Bill Germanakos (Season Four winner), Tara Costa (Season Seven Finalist), Julie Hadden (Season Four Finalist), Danny Cahill (Season 8 Winner), Pete Thomas (Season Two “At Home” Winner) and Devin Alexander (Author, “The Biggest Loser Cookbook”) as well as Lt. Andre Bauer, Lt. Governor, State of South Carolina.
Germanakos remarks: “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge is a wonderful compilation of the principles, anecdotes and information that not only helped to change the lives of my friends, Phil and Amy Parham, but can serve to change the lives of its readers as well. The D-R-E-A-M principle and the daily mini-challenges and tips, combined with their refreshing take on faith, inspirational quotes and noteworthy statistics, Phil and Amy provide guidance for anyone looking to get on the path to a healthy lifestyle.”
Phil and Amy Parham were contestants on Season Six of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” from May 2008 to December 2008. Over this seven month period, they lost over 256 pounds together, bringing Phil down to a trim 180 pounds and Amy to a stunning 124 pounds. To this day, they recorded the highest percentage weight loss of any couple in the program’s history. Married for over 20 years, Phil and Amy live in South Carolina with their three sons.
I received a galley copy of this book, and it is sensible. I loathe plans, diets, books and “experts” who tout unrealistic goals with even wackier ideas on how to lose weight or get fit. I was not a big fan of the religious undertones of the book, but that’s just me. I don’t believe that in one breathe you can discuss the efforts needed to accomplish a task such as weight loss, eating less and exercising more and in the same breathe also say that G-d will provide a way to do this – such as being chosen for the Biggest Loser – or that with Christ you can lose weight. I think we need less of reliance on others, whoever they are, and more gumption and reliance on ourselves. We need to expect more from ourselves and do more – end of story, no excuses, no pointing the proverbial finger that “he” didn’t come through for us.
That out of the way – the format of the book is very self-help. You can read the book all the way through as I did, or day by day as a pick me up and inspiration. There is space to fill in your food/water intake – albeit very small, a place for your exercise and thoughts – again small (this needed to be bigger and on better paper to fill out otherwise there is bleed through) and a challenge of the day as well as tip of the day.
I was not a fan of layout as a personal trainer and weight loss coach I know that people are better able to stick to a program if it is easy to access. Had each day of the “challenge” actually had the menu / workout with it instead of as an appendix in the back, I think it would be more effective. People hate to flip around and they hate to have to figure out what they should be doing when. You are asked to circle the intensity of your workout and chose what strength training you did “lower body, upper body or core”. I guarantee on the set of the show there is no room for choice, it is chosen for contestants and everything is laid out for them – no room for mistakes. Again, some people aren’t ready to take control and take charge and any excuse such as “the book is hard to navigate” will do – so this is a sticking point for me.
The stories and photos were inspiring, but all in all the book could have been half its length of 343 pages if it cut out the personal dairy and life story of “Phil and Amy” but again this is their book, and this is what sets it apart. The information they provide is nothing shocking or new, it just is their story of weight loss. They aren’t personal trainers, they are nutritionists – they are just a couple who had access to tools to lose weight and are sharing their story, couple this with their TV show notoriety and I assume this book will be a bestseller in weight loss and self help.
