Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/542735
"Not everyone thinks it is a great idea to have a reality show at an academic institution." But she saw it as an opportunity to showcase the state-of-the-art center and convey to a national audience a message often overlooked in the pursuit of weight loss: that mindset matters. "Everyone focuses on the 'what?' and the 'how?' – What you should eat; how many minutes you should exercise," she says. "That's important, but it's just as important to get at the 'why?' Why exactly are you doing this? What is your internal motivation? That's what sets us apart." The show aired in May 2014, and inspired viewers were soon clamoring for a similar chance. The first four boot camps, totaling 133 tourists, sold out by fall. In March, another 32 tourists – including the Robinsons – arrived for a week-long, $4,000-per-person camp, complete with cooking and nutrition classes, grueling three-hour workouts, a steep five-mile hike, and classes on how to "excuse-proof" your day. (See sidebox). Online coaching and group support is provided for one year post-camp. Set for Success On day one, participants slip into a "Bod-pod," which measures their body-fat composition, and receive a DEXA scan, which shows that composition in vivid color, with fat in yellow, lean muscle in red, and bones in blue. "It was a shocker," recalls Kim Pigott, a 40-year-old chemical engineer from Houston who arrived at camp in October 2014 weighing 231 pounds, with 39.7 percent, or 90 pounds of it, fat. "I had a lot of yellow, but you could almost see this little lean person inside there. It was powerful." She was also shown a computer-generated image of what her body and face would look like if she achieved her goal weight. Then, through a series of probing group discussions, she was asked to identify her "Why?" – the internal motivator that would help her stick with her weight-loss plan this time. "I am a confident woman in my work and home life. But I had a hate for my body," recalls Pigott. "I realized that my WHY was to have my outside match my inside – to be truly happy with my whole self." Today, Pigott weighs 182 pounds and is training for her first 5K. She recently gave away all the clothes that are now too big for her. "This is about more than weight loss. This is the new me," she says. Bruce Pitcher, a 29-year-old football coach from Utah, arrived at the CU campus as a contestant on the show in 2014 weighing 382 pounds and grappling with some deep-seated emotional problems from a childhood he says was plagued with physical and sexual abuse from his father. (His father is now serving life in prison). He has since lost 172 pounds and now serves as a motivational coach for the boot camp. His key message to campers: Have integrity, especially to yourself. "That is the Two participants (left) encourage each other as they stop midway to catch their breath. A coach (right) and former participant pumps people up before the hike. 58