Five Seasons Burr Ridge's "Be a Loser" Winner Sheds 70 Pounds in 2015, Is Resolved to Continue Building On Health Gains

Until a year ago, one of Nader Najjar’s biggest challenges was succumbing to the temptation of helping himself to double helpings of food at meal—and just about any—time.

Now, he’s on the receiving end of double-takes, as people who haven’t seen him in a while barely recognize him. That’s what losing 70 pounds will do. And that’s only one of the differences that have made 2015 an especially memorable and life-altering year for the 35-year-old Willowbrook man.

Since his selection last December in the “Be a Loser” contest at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge, Najjar has transformed not only his body, but even more importantly his mindset toward exercise, nutrition and food. And he couldn’t have done it, he says, without Five Seasons and its nutritionist, personal training staff and all-around support via a family membership that were part of his “Be a Loser” package of perks.

Nader received a one-year family membership to the club, two one-hour training sessions per week, an activity tracker, nutrition counseling, Five Seasons fitness gear and a weekly goal-setting workshop. The experience has had a profoundly positive impact on his entire family, from his wife Sandra to their three daughters (11, 9 and 5 years old) and two sons, who are 7 and 1 ½ years old. All are more conscious of unhealthy foods and making better dietary decisions.

“I have been extremely happy with my progress,” said Najjar. “Five Seasons has been such a supportive environment for me and my family.”

Najjar intensified his efforts the last two months, frequently working out twice daily and sometimes three times. His commitment was rewarded when he weighed himself on December 22nd—the first time he checked his weight in six weeks—and he learned he had dropped to 197 pounds, his first time below 200 in more than a decade.

“Success is so much more than a number, and it’s clear that Nader gets that,” said Five Seasons Chief Operating Officer Thomas Deere. “He has been so consistent in converting from unhealthy to healthy habits and pursuing goals that will serve him well in so many facets of his life. We applaud what he’s done so far and look forward to continue supporting him in his health-and-fitness journey.”

Beyond the weight loss, Najjar’s physical conditioning is far superior to the shape he was in when he was at a similar weight years ago during his gradual weight gain. “As trainers have told me, you can be a ‘fat skinny,’ where your body is not in the best shape even if the scale shows a lower number,” Najjar noted. “I want to keep going. I’m feeling great.”

And the outlook for continued improvement is bright: Najjar is confident that through the education and principles he has learned through Five Seasons’ professionals, his weight will not “yo-yo” as in previous attempts at dropping pounds. His goal is to drop another 30 pounds, though he also realizes that target figure may change over time.

When he enrolled in the program, his weight had soared to 267 pounds on his 5-foot-8 frame. In addition to weighing in now at 197, his waist has thinned from 51 ½ inches to 35 inches.

“It has really been about reaching a sort of steady stability where I’m losing weight, but not in an obsessive way where I see it as ‘being done’ when I hit a certain goal,” said Najjar. “I don’t want to yo-yo anymore and I am incorporating what I have learned in my daily routine. After this year is over, I have been thinking about, ‘How can I practice these longer-term principles of good diet and fitness so that they stay with me?’”

Between his parenting, work and other responsibilities, Najjar’s discretionary time is limited. So he usually works out at the club, 6901 S. Madison, before or after his work as a special-education teacher in Downers Grove.

Other signs of progress are not so numerical but no less encouraging: he has needed to drill extra holes in his belt, on a visit to his sisters in California they were “pleasantly shocked” at his physical change, and he recently donated clothes “that I don’t want to ever fit into again.”

And then there was the experience he had at the school where he was a teacher as recently as 18 months ago. Najjar paid a return visit in mid-December and more than a few colleagues and parents had the same kind of reaction.

“A lot of people would say, ‘Hi,’ and pass by,” he recalled. “Then they would come back: ‘Mr. Najjar, is that you? I didn’t even recognize you—you’ve changed so much.’”

The “Be a Loser” program is under way at all six Five Seasons sites in the Midwest. Among the other participants is a 55-year-old woman in Northbrook who has lost nearly 100 pounds and a 35-year-old woman, with five young children, who has shed 50 pounds with support from the Five Seasons in Dayton, Ohio.

The mission of “Be a Loser” is to help individuals lose a significant amount of weight through consistent exercise, dietary changes and increased knowledge in the ways of nutrition and fitness.

In addition to Five Seasons Burr Ridge, the other clubs are in Northbrook, Ill., Indianapolis, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

Five Seasons is at 6901 S. Madison and is online at http://fiveseasonssportsclub.com/burrridge and can be reached at 630-570-5200.