New Year’s resolution: Physical therapist intentionally gains weight to help people lose it – Livingston Daily

Jeff Cremonte, a physical therapist and president of LEAP Health, leads his father, Tom Cremonte, left, in a exercise at the Hamburg Fitness Center, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. He'll lead a free Facebook-based weight loss challenge.(Photo: Jennifer Timar/Livingston Daily)

If your New Year's resolution is to meet yourweight loss and physical fitness goals in 2020, you're not alone.

Dropping unwanted weight tops lists of the most common New Year's resolutions, but most people will abandon their quests or fail to reach their goals.

Jeff Cremonte, a doctor of physical therapy and founder of LEAP Health, which operates out of Grand Rapids and Hamburg Township, said he wants to help people stick to their weight loss resolutions in 2020.

Cremonte gained more than 20 pounds in the last few months so he can workto lose it along with other people.

"I wanted to gain weight to show my confidence in the scientific method," said Cremonte, 26,who splits his time living at his family home in Brighton and a place he shares with roommates in Grand Rapids."I wanted to put my own body on the line. My personal goal is to be down to my normal weight at the end of the challenge. We can be accountable together."

He said he normally weighs around 165 pounds and is now nearly 190 pounds.

He will beposting videos and other free informational materialson a Facebook group, "Drop withDoc." To join the group, submit a request atwww.facebook.com/groups/dropwithdoc.

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The Pinckney nativesaid he hopes to harness the power of social media to provide the five-monthweight loss challenge and educational series.

Over the course of five months, he will cover topics includinggoal setting, exercise, nutrition andlifestyle modification.

He said he has scientific, expert advice to shareas a professional physical therapist and fitness business owner.

He received his doctorate in physical therapy from the Duke University School of Medicine.

"In a world of social media, fads and a lot of weight loss diets, it's important to have a reliable source of information," he said.

Cremonte said putting on weight was a struggle, just like dropping weight can be.

"It's all caloric management, energy management," he said. "I changed to calorie-dense foods. To gain weight, you have to intake more calories. I was eating in surplus, at least 1,000 more calories a day consistently for about three months."

LEAP Health President Jeff Cremonte, left, helps his father, Tom Cremonte, do an exercise at the Hamburg Fitness Center, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. He will launch a free Facebook-based weight loss challenge on New Year's Day.(Photo: Jennifer Timar/Livingston Daily)

"Drop with Doc" will showcase hisown weight loss progress. He'll reverse his weight-gaining habits to weight-losing habits.

"I'm going to show you how I am going about it," he said.

Cremonte said his "Drop with Doc" program will ask participants to not rush into working out.

"At the beginning, we're going to take a step back, learn how to set goals and learn emotional strategies to remove barriers to being healthier. I'm not going to suggest people start working out until a week or two into the program," he said. "We'll be planning, like making house blue prints."

He willpost tips about meal preparation, changing daily habits and behaviors, exercises for weight loss and other related topics.

"It will primarily be videos, some of them more instructional, like me in front of a whiteboard. Other videos will give a live look, like I'll be at the store and I'm deciding between two foods, one healthy, one not," he said.

He said he hopes many of the Facebook group's members will post questions, progress updates and success stories, but he said there is no pressure to actively comment.

"If you want to join just to pick up a few pointers and check in and see what's going on, that's good too," he said. "They have the community there for accountability if they want it."

Cremonte said everyone's body is different when it comes to weight loss.

"Five months seems like a long time, but when it comes to real weight loss, that can take longer," he said.

"If you can lose a pound a week or even a pound every two weeks, that's a win," he said. "You want to set goals for behaviors, not results, because what you can control are your behaviors. I want to say, by May, that I worked out and ate correctly for the last five months, because that's something I can control. The weight isn't in your control. If you change the behaviors, the results will eventually come. Whether it takes five months or five years, over the long term, you're going to be successful."

USA Today reported that most people give up on fitness-related New Year's resolutions mere weeks into January, but some stick to them.

About 80%of resolutions fail by the second week of February each year, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Statisticportal Statista surveyed more than 2,000 adults in the country about their 2020 resolutions.Eating healthier tied with better managing finances, with 51% of survey respondents identifying one or both of those as goals. About 50% resolved to be more active and 42% want to loss weight.

LEAP Health is a business Cremonte founded in the summer of 2019. It offers one-on-one fitness, performance and preventative medicine services. Clients can work with Cremonte and other fitness professionals at their home, office or at one of two partnering gyms, Hamburg Fitness Center and Grand Rapids City Gym. More information is available at http://www.leaphealthy.com

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ContactLivingston Daily reporterJennifer Timar at 517-548-7148 or at jtimar@livingstondaily.com.Follow her on Facebook @Jennifer.Timar99 and Twitter @JenTimar99.

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New Year's resolution: Physical therapist intentionally gains weight to help people lose it - Livingston Daily