ARTICLE 1 ... Dec/2004

LITTLE BY LITTLE; HE'S GETTING FIT
By JOANNE RICHARD
SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN ... Mon. Dec. 13, 2004

MARK LITTLE plans to be a loser over the holidays ... and he's well on his way. In the past month, the 47-year-old financial advisor, who's morbidly obese and completely out of shape, has dropped 28 pounds from his 313-pound frame -- and has no plans to "fall off the wagon and pig out on Christmas goodies."

Little is well on his way to big changes through small and doable dietary and activity modifications to lose 118 pounds by next year with a plan devised and monitored by the experts at SHAPE Health and Wellness Centre on Avenue Rd.

Actually, he's ahead of schedule by 17 pounds and is feeling great about his progress.

"Next time you're at Loblaws, try carrying around a 50-pound bag of dog food under each arm up and down a few aisles. Then you'll know what it's like to be over 100 pounds overweight. It's exhausting."

His weight-loss success has come from e-mailing his dietician every single morsel of food as he eats it, plus he meets with his dietician once a week, and he works out up to five times a week.

Little says he finally embarked on his weight loss venture not only because of his physical appearance but medical condition as well -- diabetes.

"I've been overweight since my late 20s and have been very upset with myself for my uncomfortable and unsightly weight problem -- it's agonizing," he says. "I look terrible. I hate having to shop at the 'big and fat' store."

He says, "I do not feel very appealing while I'm fat. It's one of the worst parts of being overweight -- the fear of being alone as you grow older.

"I remember having to cut the day short at Canada's Wonderland this past summer because I just couldn't go any further."

By next year at this time, Little looks forward to being a slimmer, healthier man. "I'll feel better and look better. It will definitely improve my self-confidence; it is one of the only areas of my life in which I haven't excelled."

Adds Dr. Sender Deutsch, director of SHAPE: " Mark is not only changing his body, he is changing his life. He is revolutionizing his lifestyle in a way that will not only add years to his life but life to his years!"

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ARTICLE 2 ... Jan/2005

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES ....
A DETERMINED MAN'S TRANSFORMATION IS ON TRACK
By JOANNE RICHARD
SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN ... Mon, Jan. 10, 2005

LITTLE BY LITTLE, Mark Little is getting slimmer. In two months, the 47-year-old financial adviser has dropped 47 pounds off his formerly morbidly obese frame. He's gone down six inches in pant waist size -- from a 50-inch waist to 44 inch.

"It may not sound like much, but I was absolutely stunned when Sender had me actually jogging on the treadmill. Not walking, not trotting ... running. I would never have thought it possible this quickly," Little says.

Dr. Sender Deutsch is overseeing Little's complete transformation, including dietary and activity modifications. Deutsch is just one of the experts at SHAPE Health and Wellness Centre on Avenue Rd. helping Little implement maintainable lifestyle changes.

Little has resolved to drop 118 pounds by November -- it's a goal, not a resolution. "I believe New Year's resolutions are kind of bogus -- they are promises meant to be broken. What I have embarked upon is a subtle but significant lifestyle change that appears on track to getting me to my most fit physical condition since I was in my early 20s," Little says.

Deutsch agrees: "Resolutions are like diets -- they don't work. It's a fad that you go through at this time of year, every year. Rather you must change your lifestyle and make exercising and eating healthy a routine, not a resolution."

He says people tend to set their standards too high in terms of resolutions "Use moderation and common sense. It should be more about taking small steps to making a change."

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is simple -- eat less and exercise more, states Deutsch, director of SHAPE. "No fad diets, no magic pills, no cosmetic surgery -- just watch what you eat and get your heart rate up for a minimum of 30 minutes a day."

According to Deutsch, exercise is a great preventative medicine. "It is a miracle drug to which everyone should become addicted. It truly enhances your quality of life."

Little is already reaping the benefits: "I need less sleep now, I have more energy and a big victory was a month ago when I didn't need a seatbelt extender on airplanes anymore. I'm more normal sized now."

He can't wait to take his daughter back to Canada's Wonderland this summer. Last summer, the emotional pain of obesity burdened him greatly: "Last summer I was turned away from two rides at Wonderland because they couldn't close the safety device -- my belly was too big. Embarrassing would be putting it mildly -- it was humiliating. Unlikely that will happen this summer!"

Little says the changes he has made are subtle -- "not painful at all. Sometimes I feel the sacrifice, but I never go hungry." Little even indulged in a few Christmas goodies over the holiday season and still lost weight.

He even got in some exercise: "I probably wouldn't have, but the e-mail from Sender on Christmas day was all it took. I figured if he cared enough to think about my future fitness goals and me on his holiday, than I should care at least as much. I couldn't have him caring more about my goals than me."

Little chalks it up to accountability. "I e-mail them every bite I eat, on my Blackberry, just as I'm eating it -- that has me making better food choices. Honesty is the key, but it's not about honesty to my dietitian, Denis Collier, it's about being honest to myself.

"I eat anything I want, however I watch calories and fat content, which is more about portion control than it is food avoidance. Frankly I don't miss many things, though. I just eat much smaller portions of all the foods I've always enjoyed -- other than cheese.

According to Little, it's a lifestyle change involving better, healthier, more balanced food choices. "Instead of eating candy or cookies when I'm hungry for sweets, now I'll eat something like a bowl of wild berries with fat free banana yogurt on top -- like a parfait. It's really great tasting, nutritious, very filling and best of all, it's sweet."

According to dietitian Denis Collier, the toughest obstacles tend to occur when people don't make it a priority or are not being supported by their family and friends. "Support is key."

Little's amazing support team at SHAPE has been key to his success by helping him stay motivated and implementing realistic changes and expectations: "They've done a great job of preparing me for future weight plateaus so I won't be discouraged and I'll stay on track if progress slows."

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ARTICLE 3 ... June/2005

LITTLE BY LITTLE ... WE CONTINUE OUR INSPIRING STORY OF A DETERMINED DIETER WHO RECENTLY SHED MORE THAN 100 POUNDS
By JOANNE RICHARD
SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN ... Fri. June 3, 2005

LITTLE BY LITTLE, Mark Little has done it. He has shed over 100 pounds from his once morbidly obese frame. The Sun has been following Little since early November 2004 through his triumphs and weigh-ins as the 6-foot-1, 47-year-old financial advisor went from a 50-inch waist size to a 35-inch waist and dropped from 313 pounds to 208 pounds. He's six months ahead of schedule -- it was supposed to take him a year to lose all the excess fat.

"I fit in normal places now, like airplanes and cars," says Little. "I'll sit in booths in restaurants now and I can't wait to go to Canada's Wonderland now -- since I was kicked off a ride last year because they couldn't close the safety bar over my belly." And he's barely recognizable: "There are big-time double-takes when people haven't seen me in awhile. People are astonished at the rapid results."

He's now working on getting down to his target weight of 185-190 pounds and his body fat below 16% -- it was 33% when he started. "I'm happy, healthy and much lighter," says Little, who wants to get a bit leaner and a whole lot more toned, as well as "explore all the new physical activities I can now do."

In order to lose, he simply pushed back from the dinner table before feeling stuffed and started going to the gym three times a week -- instead of just talking about it. "I've sacrificed cheese and cookies but have never gone hungry," says Little, who intakes 2,100 calories a day. Little credits his coaching team from SHAPE Health and Wellness Centre with helping him achieve his goals by implementing maintainable lifestyle changes through a customized program.

"The biggest effort was making the decision to actually implement the advice given by my team at SHAPE. Once I resolved to do it, the actual changes in my lifestyle were minimal -- but with amazing results."

"His outlook on life has totally changed," says Dr. Sender Deutsch, director of SHAPE. "He exudes a new confidence that can be seen through his posture and energy."

Deutsch says anyone can lose as long as they are ready to make change, are dedicated and committed to being held accountable and adhering to a personalized health and wellness program.

"They must really want to do it," adds Denis Collier. "No one is immune to the laws of thermo- dynamics! If a human being expends more calories than they consume for an extended period of time, they will lose weight."

Little's unwavering dedication is the biggest factor in his success, says Collier, registered dietitian and exercise physiologist. "How's this for dedication? Since beginning this program on November 3, Mark has e-mailed me every single item of food he has eaten. He has not missed one day, one meal, one snack!

"He still eats whenever he is hungry; he by no means feels as if he is sacrificing enjoying food. He is simply eating a well-balanced diet," says Collier, who adds that Little ate approximately 30% more than originally recommended. And he still lost weight. Collier says it's not common to lose this much weight and keep it off. "Yo-yo-like weight fluctuations are probably the norm. This is unfortunate because studies show the more of these fluctuations the body undergoes, the harder it becomes to lose weight in subsequent attempts."

But Little is on a fail-proof plan in order to avoid relapses: "Mark is committed to following a maintenance-style diet and exercise regime even after the one-year time period is over. Should he begin to slip above a pre-determined weight range, he goes right back on the intense regime again. We have set things up to make it very difficult to fail," says Collier.

Because the plan is specifically devised for Little, he's a winner at losing: "In my opinion, this is the single biggest drawback of the myriad of fad diets flooding the marketplace. By definition, if these diets are to become the next multi-million dollar best seller, they must adopt a one-size fits all approach. But of course, one size does not fit all. Every individual has different likes, dislikes, needs and wants ... This type of one-on-one, customized approach has been integral to Mark's success," says Collier. Adds Little, "Ultimately, if the SHAPE team did not care so strongly about me as an individual and allowing me to live, I would not have succeeded in accomplishing my goal."

HEY BIG LOSER
Be a loser by:
Eating less than normal.
Eat healthy.
Have a supervised exercise program.
Exercise six days per week.
SHAPE Health and Wellness Centre