X-Weighted's Executive Producer, Margaret Mardirossian, Talks About the Challenge

Margaret Mardirossian, the Executive Producer of X-Weighted, wanted an opportunity to tell you why she is doing the Challenge, and how she and the team at Anaid Productions will take part...

Are you going to be taking part?

Most definitely! I’ve been packing on the pounds over the past year and it’s time to shed it off. Unfortunately, I’m not eligible for the great prizes - I would LOVE a workout weekend with Paul in Canmore or a dream-shopping trip with Fred!

A group of us at Anaid Productions and the X-Weighted team are taking the challenge. Things get a little hectic when we’re filming and putting the shows together and sometimes healthy diets and exercise are tossed, like the cupboard purge. This challenge gives all of us the opportunity to put our health first again. Dr. Macklin and I will be at the Toronto Yonge Street Extreme Fitness gym on Saturday. I’m looking forward to the fitness test but extremely anxious about getting on the scale.

So what’s your strategy for the 26 weeks? What plan will you be following?

XWeighted.com allows us to follow a nutritional plan of our choice so I’m going to focus on clean eating:  lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, plenty of fresh fruit and veggies and most importantly, controlling portion sizes. And I guess I am going to have to step away from the chocolates! So long to my extended love affair with Bernard Callebaut and Thomas Haas. Sugar is OUT; oatmeal is IN.

Treats: a glass of red wine or champagne for special occasions. Can’t give up the Veuve.

The XWeighted.com site will allow us to post and share recipes and menu plans. The web designers came up with a great one during the test period. The country salad – ingredients: tomato, lettuce. Mix together. Eat in the country. They are so funny… and superbly talented! I'm looking forward to the recipe posts.

If you’re looking for a custom meal plan, check out Paul Plakas’s website or Dr. Macklin’s Weightcare clinic.

As for a fitness goal, I’m turning 50 in July so my plan is weight training and body sculpting.  I’ve witnessed the remarkable results in participants who have focused on weight training as part of their fit plan.  It really helps speed up ones metabolism and maximizes calorie burning…just look at Paul Plakas. He can eat three times the amount I can and burns it off just breathing. Female role model: Tosca Reno. And she’s Canadian!!

I’m also declaring my COMMITMENT to attending Yoga more than once a month. It works wonders on flexibility and I always feel so great afterwards. So why do I deprive myself of this???? Why????

X-Weighted.com will provide lots of assistance through our 26-week guide and you’ll find a wealth of fitness and nutritional tips and suggestions on the blog.

What plans are some of the X-Weighted and Anaid team following?

BREE, Associate Producer (Business Affairs), and her husband Riley are both signing up for the challenge. They are focusing on reducing saturated fat intake, eating lean protein, cutting out sugary snacks and eating lots of whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Bree will be attending weekly Yoga and Pilates classes as well as running and her husband, Riley, will hit the gym 3-4 times a week.

ERIN, Supervising Producer of X-Weighted.com, and her husband, Mark, don’t have a nutritional plan in place yet – they will be checking out your plans and ideas on xweighted.com for inspiration. Erin’s exercise plan will be focused on training for her fitness goal: a mini triathlon while Mark will be getting into shape for his fitness goal: the grueling Grouse Grind hike.

LISA, Executive Assistant, is determined to lose 20 pounds over the next six months. Her plan is to focus on portion control, not eating after dinner and watching out for sweet attacks. She plans to incorporate swimming, walking and Pilates into her weekly routine.

CHLOE, Creative Assistant on X-Weighted, and her husband, Ryan, are going to focus on eating mostly local whole foods and cut out restaurant eating as much as possible.

Chloe will be doing yoga 3x a week and running 3x a week. Ryan is going to play basketball, squash and volleyball each week.  In between sports he’ll be lifting weights.  On weekends, they’ll try to do at least one outdoor activity such as snowboarding and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking and swimming in the summer.

BRIANNE, Intern Assistant to the Producers, is already pretty healthy and active so she’ll continue with her mostly vegetarian diet and cycling to work every day.  She is going to use the challenge to keep herself on track and will be training to run a half marathon as her fitness goal. We’re hoping she’ll share her healthy recipes with the rest of us at Anaid and all of you online.

Any final words before the Challenge starts?

Life is not a spectator sport. Go to XWeighted.com and register for the National Challenge this Saturday, January 9^th.  It’s FREE (!!) and it’s a once in a lifetime chance to make a change. We want you to be the next X-Weighted success story.

Follow the Anaid Productions National Challenge Group HERE.