Merritt Clubs Blog

New Year’s is quickly fading away. As we sit here today, 8% of our year is already gone.  Most people who set resolutions this year are scratching their heads, struggling or have already abandoned the goal. 

"Keeping a strict workout routine at Merritt Athletic Club in Eldersburg of four-hour sessions five-days-a-week, Kendir cut all carbohydrates from his diet and replaced them with protein and vegetables.

One year later, Kendir is now 120 pounds lighter and in the best shape of his life.

“It’s a huge euphoria,” he said. “I can’t even explain how amazing it feels. After 120 pounds, I’m a completely different person.”

The weight loss sparked to a holistic change in his life. Kendir is a lot more confident, those social issues have evaporated, and he feels great physically, emotionally and mentally.

It all began with the New Year’s resolution one year ago.

Resolutions are a big driver of new members at the Eldersburg Merritt Athletic Club, according to programs manager Andrew Dibble.

The gym sees an annual influx of members in the first few weeks of the new year, as people are holding true to their resolutions of weight loss and increased health, Dibble said.

Kendir’s success story is one that can give anyone hope, Dibble said.

“Stories like his are what make people walk through the door every day. It gives that belief that anybody can do it,” Dibble said.

Kendir now works as a staff member at the place he lost all that weight.

As for a 2013 New Year’s resolution, Kendir is still pondering his next self-made promise.

“It’s hard to come up with one, I have accomplished so much in the last year that, you know, what do I set for myself now? So I haven’t set any yet,” he said."

-Brett Lake, Carroll County Times

Diets are temporary and, in many cases, when we return to our regular eating habits we gain the weight back that we lost while dieting, if not more. Diets also frequently deprive us of much needed calories and can lower our metabolism. Thus, when we eat things that are not on our diet, we cannot burn off the calories as quickly and effectively. For these reasons, I suggest we “just eat right!”

So how do we eat right? Here are some tips:

• Switch to whole grain rice, breads, and pastas.

• Eat every two to three hours. Your body is an engine; it needs fuel to function properly and at its best.

• Eat at least 5 servings of veggies and fruits each day.

• Consume a starchy carb, fibrous carb, and protein each time you eat.

• Substitute healthy fats for not-so-healthy fats. So, avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.

• Eat out less. When you do eat out and need fast food, choose restaurants such as subway. For sit down restaurants, look for the low fat menu items or only eat half of your meal and take the rest home.

• Drink as much water as possible! Your goal is to drink more water today then you did yesterday.

• Eat breakfast.

• Don’t buy junk! If it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it.

– Stephanie Carrigo, Personal Training Manager at Eldersburg