DETROIT, Michigan -- Detroit is to be one of nine stops where people have the chance to audition for ABC's show, "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition." 

"Although this may not be in your immediate area, we are hoping to have some candidates travel the short distance to meet with us in an attempt to change their lives," a representative wrote in an email. Candidates can either attend the casting call in person or send in a home tape. 

The show will follow the lives of people who are "super-obese," (meaning those who exceed their estimated ideal weight by 225 percent and are about 200 pounds overweight) as they seek to lose half their body weight in the course of one year. 

Personal trainer and "transformation specialist" Chris Powell guides the participants by moving into their homes and helping them throughout their daily lives. 

The casting in Detroit is February 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gardner White Furniture, 39453 Ford Road, Canton MI. For more information go to extrememakeovercasting.com. 

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"Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" to hold casting in Detroit

Would you take weight-loss advice from a doctor who hasn't got control of his own size?

Monica Rodriguez / Getty Images

It inspires confidence when a dentist has good teeth, or a hairstylist has a chic ‘do, or when the salesperson at a boutique has an immaculate sense of personal style. The same may be true of doctors who maintain a healthy weight — which may help explain why those who are overweight are less likely to broach the topic of weight loss with their patients.

In a study of 500 primary care physicians around the country, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that a doctor’s own size influenced how he or she cared for patients with weight problems. Overweight or obese physicians were less likely to discuss weight loss with heavy patients: only 18% of these doctors discussed losing weight with their patients while 30% of normal weight physicians did.

What’s more, the researchers found that 93% of doctors diagnosed obesity in their patients only if they believed their own weight was equal to or less than that of their patients; only 7% of doctors who believed their weight exceeded that of their patients diagnosed obesity.

“I was totally surprised by the findings,” says lead author Sara Bleich, an assistant professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

PHOTOS: Obesity Rehab

The study builds on earlier work that analyzed how doctors’ own smoking habits affected their advice to patients; there, too, researchers found that physicians who lit up were less likely to recommend smoking cessation for their smoking patients, most likely because of the hypocritical nature of their telling patients to quit while they continued to puff away themselves.

But the results also shed light on the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship, especially concerning obesity, and suggest that anti-obesity efforts that focus nearly exclusively on patients may be too one-sided. Indeed, doctors are just as heavy as the rest of Americans: the Johns Hopkins study found that 53% of the physicians were overweight or obese, which tracks with the 64% of U.S. adults who fall in the same categories.

That means that doctors’ weight may be playing an indirect role in perpetuating the obesity epidemic on several levels. First, by not addressing healthy weight with their patients, these physicians are passing up an opportunity to help people improve their health and avoid chronic weight-related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and joint disorders. Second, overweight doctors are putting their own health at risk. And third, they may be sending the wrong message about weight to their patients, who might rationalize their own prodigious size if their doctors look the same as they do.

“For me, the results raise a lot of questions,” says Bleich. “I’d be surprised if this behavior is intentional. I think a lot of it is subconscious. What this study suggests is that physical attributes of physicians have a much bigger contribution to their care of patients than I realized before.”

MORE: America’s Obesity Crisis: Eating Behavior: Why We Eat

In the study, when overweight or obese doctors did address obesity, they were more likely than their normal weight counterparts to prescribe anti-obesity medications (26% vs. 18%), rather than lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. That may reflect a lack of confidence in these approaches to weight loss, either because of the physicians’ own personal experiences or because of their subconscious concern that such advice wouldn’t appear reliable to patients coming from someone who wasn’t slim.

Most experts say that changes in diet and exercise habits are a crucial part of any long-term weight-loss strategy, even if patients use medications initially to kick-start weight loss.

Compared with overweight doctors, slim physicians were more confident in their ability to dispense advice about diet and exercise to heavier patients, and 72% believed that they should be models of healthy weight for their patients. Only 56% of heavy doctors said the same.

The results represent yet another challenge in the war against obesity — doctors are notoriously bad at taking care of themselves and at being good patients — but the study also signals an opportunity. “If we improve physician well-being, and improve their lifestyles toward weight loss or weight maintenance, that can go a long way toward influencing the care they provide their patients,” says Bleich.

Doctors who have successfully lost weight and who eat well and exercise regularly may be more likely to share their own experiences with patients, making it more likely that their patients will in turn follow their advice, Bleich says. “By making physicians healthier, we are making patients healthier, and helping two groups at one time,” she says.

MORE from TIME: The Upside of Being an Introvert (And Why Extroverts Are Underrated)

Alice Park is a writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @aliceparkny. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

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Fat Doctors Are Less Likely to Help Patients Lose Weight

Before Peter Frumenti lost 200 pounds, he lost his business, his house, his wife and any direction of how to live a happy life. 

The more he gained weight, the more he retreated. And Frumenti gained a lot of weight: at 440 pounds and

5-foot-11, the doctors said he was morbidly obese.

Feeling defeated, Frumenti, 34, came to Butte knowing something had to change. Quite a few things did, as he gradually replaced television with mountain hikes and fast food with marathons.

But, in order to get his body back in shape, Frumenti had to get his mind back in shape. What he found in the Mining City - the outdoors, and the community support - helped him believe he could lose the weight.

With that mentality, Frumenti slimmed down to 245 pounds. He plans to start an online business this year, and travel to South America.

"It's about making life an adventure," Frumenti said. "I can truly say I'm happy now, because if I want to do something, I won't let anything stand in my way."

WHAT'S EXPECTED

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Frumenti focused more on the things he felt were expected of him.

He graduated from high school in

1996, and later married his high school sweetheart. He attended San Jose State University, but didn't quite finish his degree in business finance.

Frumenti and his wife earned their real estate licenses, and spent three years working in the field. Together, they made good money.

But something was wrong. As Frumenti felt more and more unhappy with himself, he watched the pounds add up. As the pounds added up, he lost confidence.

Losing confidence in the real estate game means losing clients. And losing clients means losing money. Frumenti went months without a sale.

"I didn't want to go out and meet new people," he said. "It was getting into this cycle."

Frumenti filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The bank foreclosed on his house, and repossessed one of his cars.

Later that year, Frumenti's wife admitted she did not love him anymore and asked for a divorce.

"I was stunned ... just completely blown away," Frumenti said.

COMING TO BUTTE

Frumenti knew he had to drop the weight.

In school, the kids called him "big guy." They didn't tease him, but he always knew he was bigger. It bothered him.

Only after his divorce did Frumenti finally hit the wall. He came to Butte just before Labor Day in 2009, where he knew Max Detjens of Silver Bow Property Management.

Detjens, an old friend, encouraged Frumenti to come north and start anew.

"He was living of a life of expectation, instead of what he really wanted," Detjens said. "When you're young, you don't necessarily know how to prioritize things correctly."

With all new scenery and support, Frumenti started hiking local trails. Over time, he would push himself a little harder and did some jogging.

"The biggest thing that really got me in the right mindset was being out on those hikes," he said. "It's a lot easier to quiet some of those things you have going on in your life by getting out on a trail."

Frumenti also works out at the Butte Family Y, and floats nearby rivers including the Big Hole and Madison.

Recently, he ran his first marathon in Honolulu and hiked 11 miles in and out of the Kalalau Trail in Hawaii.

"I just started doing the things I loved," Frumenti said.

PATH TO AWESOME

The pounds melted away, and Frumenti felt his story could inspire others.

He posts his activities on a blog titled "Path to Awesome" that has attracted about 30 members. Frumenti hopes to inspire one million people, he said.

"It's become my life's work. I want this to be how I give back," Frumenti said.

Frumenti knows he is still overweight. He would like to get down to 190 pounds, but is more concerned with dropping his body fat below 10 percent.

His goal is to do a triathlon this year, and he spends five or six days per week training.

"If you want something, and believe enough that you can do it, and dedicate yourself to doing it, you can do anything you put your mind to," Frumenti said.

Detjens has also noticed the change in his friend, and believes the turnaround can serve as a model in the community.

"He didn't have access to any special resources. He made a decision to make some real changes in his life," Detjens said. "He's become a much more balanced and happy person."

In addition to his part-time jobs, the online gig will get Frumenti back into business networking and coaching, with much more flexibility.

After all, happiness to Frumenti means living in the moment.

"I just want to inspire people to go after what they want, and not live by someone else's rules," he said.

- Reporter George Plaven may be reached at 496-5597, or via email at george.plaven@lee.net. Follow him at Twitter.com/@George_Plaven.

SOME THOUGHTS FROM PETER ON HOW HE CHANGED HIS EATING HABITS:

My eating habits were bad before with high sugar, high calorie dessert being an every night thing along with fast food very regularly.  The biggest thing I did was cut out dessert and almost all fast food except Subway.  A big thing was learning to listen to my body.  I learned to eat slowly...Mindset was  a large part of this in that I was present during meals and enjoyed each bite and stopped when my body was satisfied.  I tried lots of different diet plans and read lots of books and implemented pieces from each of the things I learned but being present, listening to my body and eating foods that made me feel good was a big part of a total lifestyle change. 

Overall the most successful thing I did was reduce the "bad carbs" (typically white) and increase the amount of protein and vegetables.  I also found that taking breaks occasionally was good to not feel I was depriving myself.  One of the many books I read was The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferris.  He recommends a cheat day where you literally binge all day.  I found this was good because when I did it I felt bad physically and then stayed on track for a while.  When starting up after a break I might do this for a week or two but then I found myself taking more of a cheat meal rather than a whole day and I wanted to binge much less. 

The key thing I want to point out for people is that trying to find a fad diet is not going to work.  If you want to master anything in your life, in this case health, you have to make it a focus.  I had to become a student of my own body.  I studied the different diets, learned about the body and overall health and by trial and error found the foods that worked for my body as well as kept me satisfied.  The key thing is not what you eat or how you diet but making being healthy a conscious effort.  One final thought is tracking something.  What you eat, your weight, your body fat percentage but by just tracking SOMETHING you increase the likelihood of success.

 

 

Originally posted here:
Mining City inspires 200-pound weight loss