Lewes Man Loses 54 Pounds -

Hecksher combines diet with exercise, by Rob Kunzig, Cape Gazette, February 2nd, 2010.

Last October, Brian Hecksher entered Quest Fitness a little uneasy. At over 400 pounds, he was easily the biggest guy in the room – the fattest kid in gym class, he said. He was afraid of being judged for his obesity.

Three months and 54 lost pounds later, Hecksher moves around Quest with focus and vigor. He sticks to a regimen of upper body, core and cardio workouts designed by Matt Carter, Quest owner.

“I actually have biceps now!” he said, sounding much younger than his 45 years. Settling into a pull-down machine to work his arms, the Lewes Auto Gallery owner said he started doing three sets of 15 repetitions, with the weight set at 10 pounds. Now, he sets the pin at 90.

While pumping iron gets sweat out, what Hecksher puts in his body is equally important. To help manage his diet, Hecksher consults with nutritionist Lisa Harkins and health food guru Andy Meddick.

“Lisa prepared me very well,” Hecksher said. “I now have all the tools that I need.”

The dietary changes are small but many. No fast food. No appetizers. No mayonnaise, because of the oil and eggs involved; instead, mustard. He eats a healthy breakfast so he doesn’t overeat in the afternoon. He packs his lunch instead of ordering a cheese steak. If a restaurant’s portion is too big, ask for a to-go box.

“He’s been doing great,” Harkins said. “He’s been following the plan pretty closely and experimenting on his own.”

Hecksher said eating smart has nudged him out of his culinary comfort zone. He’s found some unlikely favorites at Meddick’s Good For You Natural Market, like vegetarian meatballs, made from diced mushrooms. And hummus, a chickpea paste high in protein.

“Hummus has become a very good friend of mine,” Hecksher said.

As he seeks out good foods, he takes care to avoid the bad. Hidden calories abound in everything, Hecksher said – anything prepared in butter, for instance, comes pre-loaded with calories. Flavored creamers, too. Close reading of nutrition labels has caused Hecksher to banish a number of former favorites from his diet.

“The key thing I taught Brian was how to read labels,” Harkins said. “I told him, if you look at anything, look at the calories and serving size and the number of calories per serving.”

By the numbers, Carter said, Hecksher is doing well – he’s shaved inches off his neck, legs and waist. He can cruise on the treadmill at a 4.9 setting for 30 minutes. Hecksher’s stamina has improved exponentially; they started with 15-minute workouts, after which Hecksher would be utterly spent. Now, he can work for more than an hour.

But it’s the unquantifiable gains that matter most, Carter said. His heightened endurance extends beyond Quest. He takes his dog for longer walks. He cleans his garage by himself.

“That’s huge,” Carter said. “The weight, the number, is just a secondary thing.”

Most important is the sense of empowerment Hecksher said he feels. Some days, he said, he leaves Quest on a natural high, and when he climbs into his car, his stomach no longer touches the steering wheel. The feeling of progress is so invigorating, he said he sometimes wonders why he didn’t do this sooner. Maintaining his body took too much effort, he said. It was much simpler to bury himself in work and eat on impulse.

“It was easier to please others than it was myself,” he said. “But I was really unhealthy. Let’s face it – I was literally obese.”

Hecksher said it’s a matter of open-mindedness and determination. People must be willing to alter their lives, he said, and make the time to be healthy – whether this means preparing their own meals or getting up early to work out.

Hecksher said his father had four gastric bypasses. He’s only had one and was fortunate to skirt any complications. But next time, he said, he might not be so lucky.

”It’s worth taking the healthier step,” Hecksher said. “Take any step to do it.”

There is a downside to weight loss, he said – he’s having to constantly refresh his wardrobe.

“I mean, you can only poke so many holes in your belt,” he said.

The Project Big Guy Team (l to r): Matt Carter, owner, Quest Fitness, Lisa Harkins, owner, Ideal Nutrition and Fitness, Bryan Hecksher, and Andy Meddick, owner, Good for You Market. 

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Happy New You!

A special edition insert celebrating health and fitness in the Cape Gazette, December 30, 2009 (featuring Quest Fitness, Forever Fit and Ideal Nutrition and Fitness).

http://delawarebeachguides.com/guides/newyou.pdf

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Kayaking, Pedaling Event Benefit Park Friends, Cape Gazette,  November 6th, 2009.

Dogfish Head Bewings and Eats, Lewes Cycle Sports and Quest Fitness partnered recently to promote healthy recreation and raise funds for the Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park organization.

Dogfish Head took the lead in the initiative which included a kayak trip from the Canalfront Park in Lewes to Rehoboth Beach, lunch at Dogfish Head’s Rehoboth Beach restaurant and then a return trip to Lewes on bicycles provided by Lewes Cycle Sports via the Junction and Breakwater Trail.

The trip represented the first organized kayak trip from the launching ramp at the Canalfront Park underwritten by the brewing company.

The kayakers carried the current of a rising tide toward Rehoboth Beach and al-so enjoyed a northwest wind at their backs. Quest Fitness provided 40 kayaks for the adventure, which drew people from the local area and as far away as New York City. Many of them are shown here in the Lewes- Rehoboth Canal after passing beneath the Savannah Road drawbridge in Lewes.

The trip raised several hundred dollars for the friends group.

Man on a quest: Lose 70 pounds by new year-Auto Gallery owner already down 22, by Rob Kunzig, Cape Gazette, October 27, 2009.

Brian Hecksher is making changes. He now packs his lunch instead of ordering food with his coworkers. He breakfasts on or-ganic instant oatmeal. He eats Greek yogurt.

“ My entire relationship with food has changed,” he said.

Hecksher, 45 and 408 pounds, is the Big Guy in Project Big Guy, an effort combining the talents of a nutritionist, a health-food vendor and a personal trainer to help Hecksher lose weight.

Hecksher, owner of the Auto Gallery in Lewes, intends to lose 70 pounds by New Year’s Eve; next summer, he said, he plans to be fit enough to take a kayak trip down the Lewes- Rehoboth Canal.

After three weeks’ dieting and exercise, Project Big Guy is off to a great start – he’s already lost 22 pounds. “ I can feel the difference already,” he said. “ Things like tying my shoes or walking up and down steps.”

Hecksher starts his mornings by going to Quest Fitness, where he meets owner Matt Carter.

Hecksher says Carter runs him through a different routine every day, making sure he doesn’t over-work his muscles or otherwise injure himself.

Hecksher looks forward to rowing exercises, but crunches, not so much.

“Nobody likes crunches,” he said, laughing. “ But it’s some-thing I have to do.”

Carter said Hecksher is increasingly able to work out longer and harder.

“His stamina has dramatically increased,” Carter said. “That’s the most important part.”

Hecksher said he was initially afraid of stumbling into a temple of gym rats. He was relieved to find that Quest was full of people like him, simply endeavoring to keep fit. “It’s a good experience, rather than a fearful one,” he said.

Nutritionist Lisa Harkins, owner of Ideal Nutrition and Fitness, monitors Hecksher’s eating.

She emphasizes whole foods: Hecksher eats nothing processed, and eats mostly fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish.

The regimen is less about total abstention, Harkins said, than thoughtful portioning.

“He can eat foods he likes, just in the right portions,” she said.

“Even an egg sandwich is allow-able sometimes.”

Hecksher buys all of his groceries from Good For You Market in Lewes, owned by Andy Medick.

After three weeks, Hecksher feels confident he’ll hit his year-end goal. He even has a strategy for Thanksgiving, the great all­American pig-out: smaller portions of healthier dishes and easy on the gravy. Leftovers will be given away, removing the temptation of seconds, thirds and fourths.

“It’s easy,” Hecksher said. “ In fact, Lisa just gave me a course on how to eat healthy during the holidays.”

Harkins said Hecksher is on target to lose 70 pounds in time for 2010, but she said she’d be happy with less.

“I’m going to be content if he loses 60,” she said. “ It’s not about being on the cover of Men’s Fitness. It’s about feeling comfortable in your clothes.”

Local Health Experts are combining their talents to help Auto Gallery owner Bryan Hecksher lose weight. Shown l to r are: Matt Carter, owner of Quest Fitness, Lisa Harkins, RD, LDN, owner of Ideal Nutrition and Fitness LLC, and Andy Medick, owner of Good For You Natural Market. Submitted Photo.

Out of the Mouths of Our Members: 

"Believe me! Quest is so much more than just a gym.  Ask anyone who goes there. Quest is a lifestyle.  So many different avenues. Matt and staff are very supportive,  the definition of Quest – in pursuit- helping you stay motivated and moving forward, always encouraging you to try new things and actually doing it with you. In my experience, no gym can beat it!"

~Sally Chaney