What's Up With the Food in Utah?

I'm finishing up my first week at Fitness Ridge (now The Biggest Loser Resort) in Utah - with three weeks to go. The workouts continue to be intense with 2 hour hikes every morning and 4-5 additional classes throughout the rest of the day.

I have been so tired by the end of the day - I've been sleep before 10 every night! But it's amazing what your body can do and mine has been surprising me every day - burning thousands of calories. Just when you think you can't do one more squat, one more set, or even one more stretch, your body delivers!

So what are they fueling us with? All I can say - it's a good thing I went vegan/vegetarian a year ago! Otherwise, my body and tastebuds may have revolted!

Well, let me start by telling you what they are NOT feeding us. They do not have caffeine anywhere - no coffee, soda, or tea. Oh yeah - no juice. What do we drink? You either have water or herbal tea! Period. That's okay for me because I was already drinking green tea or water for the most part anyway. But the coffee and soda drinkers have had to deal with the headaches that come from withdrawel.

They don't use any meat except turkey/chicken/salmon - and out of 21 meals for the week, they use them 3-5 times. Since I don't eat meat and rarely eat seafood, they replace my meat with a bocaburger or just vegetables!

There is no dairy at the resort - that's right. They will use egg whites a couple of times a week, but everything else is soy. (They made a chocolate parfait with tofu - and it was pretty good!)
Looking for something white? Flour, bread, sugar, pasta? Nope. Not here.
So how much food do we get? 1200 calories. That's for the whole day - breakfast, lunch and dinner including dessert.

What's 1200 calories equal to? It's equal to a quarter pounder with cheese, large fries and a medium soda. Or 2/3 of an PERSONAL cheese pizza from Uno's. (That's right, you can't eat the whole personal pizza!) You could also have a Caesar salad, dressing, rustic bread, and large soda from COSI Sandwich and Salad shop.

Still, I have yet to be hungry! What have I been eating? French toast, pancakes, egg mcmuffin, bocaburgers, teriyaki bowls, meatloaf, stuffed potatoes, pasta, lots of good soup, sandwiches, fruit cobbler, and banana cake.

Now, none of these things taste like what you think they would, but nonetheless, if you want to make a change in your eating - things will not taste the same. That doesn't mean that they won't be good - they just won't be what you're used to. And I have to say that I've liked just about all the food.

If getting healthier is on your "to-do" list, why not start with your next meal? Whatever you choose - make it healthy!