Public safety officials slim down - Daily Republic

Some might question the sustainability of a system that drops weight quickly, but it won't be Davison County Chief Deputy Steve Brink.

"I've done them all — the South Beach Diet, the Atkins Diet and the cabbage soup diet — and they all work, but keeping the weight off is tough. This diet is healthy, and if I can do it," he said, "anyone can do it."

Brink was talking about the Ideal Protein Weight Method that helped him lose 85 pounds. At his heaviest, Brink said, he was pushing 300 pounds. That was too much, he said, even for his large, 6-foot-2-inch-frame.

"It got to the point when I was at the courthouse I never took the stairs. My knees hurt too much."

Contrast that with bounding up two flights of stairs with ease during a recent response to a domestic disturbance call. The biggest benefit has been a vastly increased energy level, he said.

The weight loss also staved off a looming threat of diabetes, said Brink's wife, Kathy, who also lost 45 pounds on the program and now works as a part-time coach for the Ideal Body Weight Loss Center, in Mitchell, which promotes the low carbohydrate, high-protein weight-loss plan based on the work of Dr. Chanh Tran Tien, a native of Vietnam, who now lives in Paris.

The program uses a proprietary protein blend to prevent the loss of muscle mass during the weight-loss process.

Kathy Brink said the medically supervised program helped her and her husband to toss their prescription medications. As a part-time coach, she sees the program helping others on a daily basis.

"It's fun to see people get their self-esteem, confidence and health back," she said.

Clients also appreciate that the weight-loss consulting and coaching is done privately — there are no public weigh-ins, which is the case with some other programs.

The program has other supporters at the Davison County Public Safety Center, too.

Davison County Sheriff Dave Miles, who knocked off more than 40 pounds using the program, says his target is to drop 60 pounds.

The rapid weight loss of the county's top law officers had some wondering if the entire department was involved in some mandated weight loss program.

"Nah," Miles said, "but everybody's looking at it; it's an easy diet to stay on."

Miles said the success of others on the program drew him in.

"I watched those guys lose, and I said, 'I gotta do that,' and they kept bugging me."

Under the positive peer pressure, Miles eventually signed up.

"I've lost 45 pounds already and I've got 15 pounds to go," he said. "I'm down two sizes on pants, two sizes on shirts, and I feel good."

Besides peer pressure, what provided the final nudge?

"I was too darn fat," Miles said candidly. He blamed his weight gain on the sedentary nature of desk work and poor eating choices.

The extra weight may not have hampered his work, Miles said, but he didn't feel well and was plagued with back and leg problems.

Miles compared the extra beef he carried to toting a 50-to 60-pound bale of hay around all day.

The Public Safety Center weight-loss wave, Steve Brink said, began with Jeff McEntee, a Mitchell resident who is a wildlife investigator with the state Game, Fish and Parks Department, who has an office in the building.

"It just snowballed," Brink said.

McEntee said he was impressed by the weight loss successes of GF&P officers in Sioux Falls.

They took the program at the Ideal Weight Loss Center in Hartford, before the Mitchell center was open for business.

The fact that the high-protein, low-fat, low-carb program had a defined timeline with a beginning and end appealed to him, McEntee said.

Once he set the time aside, he committed to see it through. McEntee started Jan. 4 and ended March 4.

"Like any program, it requires discipline," he said, "but for me, it was fast, healthy and very effective. I lost 75 pounds and I've kept it off — so far," he said.

McEntee's blood pressure wasn't medicated, but it was creeping up, a fact that provided additional motivation to lose weight.

"My doctor was thoroughly impressed, and he's referring patients," McEntee said. "My blood pressure, which was getting high, went down to high school levels, and my cholesterol's way down."

Jeff's son, Tyler, a sophomore at South Dakota State University, also lost considerable weight on the program, said his father.

"I required more protein packets because I'm a larger-frame guy," McEntee said. "I figure it cost me about $1,000 over the three-month period."

Initial program costs are about $300 for most people, an amount that includes a consultation fee and the cost of the protein powder and other supplements used in the program. After that, it costs about $60-$80 a week, depending on the individual.

Jeff's father, Tom, who farms south of Mitchell, lost more than 60 pounds on the weight loss plan.

Tom McEntee's only misgiving is that the weight loss plan rolled into the summer months, where it cramped his ability to eat fruit and other seasonal delights. The program cuts all fruit and sugary foods in its initial phase.

"I can't even eat sweet corn," he grumped, "and I grow it."

Tom McEntee will reach his goal — he declined to say what that goal is — with the loss of 10 more pounds.

Participants say they aren't hungry on the diet and the plan has taught them to make better food choices.

Steve Brink said the diet, like any weight loss plan, takes commitment.

"It pretty much takes the fun out of eating during the first few months," Steve Brink said, "but I figure you can take most anything for three to four months."

Several months into the plan, Brink's commitment was tested when a blood test taken during a routine physical exam showed an elevated PSA. Another test confirmed early stage prostate cancer. Successful surgery followed.

Brink credits the 50 pounds lost in the months leading up to his illness with lessening the trauma of the surgery and contributing to its success. His physician agreed.

Brink suspended participation in the weight loss plan during his cancer treatment but resumed the plan after his successful treatment.

Terry Behl, owner of the Ideal Body Weight Loss Center at 515 Havens Ave. in Mitchell, works as a physician's assistant.

Behl said she first heard about the program from a patient and used the program, with enthusiastic physician approval, at the clinic where she is employed. When the clinic was sold, the new management decided to eliminate the plan. Behl, who was sold on the weight loss plan, made the decision to start her own part-time clinic in Mitchell.

Response to the program has been so strong that she's considering expanding the clinic's hours, she said.

She described the program as "a muscle-sparing fat-loss program that allows dieters to lose an average of three to seven pounds of fat per week. The diet has four phases, with a beginning and an end. It is followed by stabilization education for maintenance in which you are taught lifetime skills for maintaining your weight loss."

The program limits exercise during the first few weeks, she said, until the body adjusts to physical changes, and then clients can return to whatever exercise suits them.

Tags: weight loss, news, local, mitchell, business, cops

11 Oct, 2011

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