Ellington

Julian Kaufman, owner of Fitness Together on the North Shore, has just three words for dieters: “Eat real food.” Counting points, popping pills, swigging diet sodas — Kaufman rejects them all. Instead, he says he takes a cue from his Italian mom and the latest science.

The best diet, says Kaufman, is no diet. To maintain a healthy weight, he tells his clients to shop for local food, start a garden, buy pastured beef and prepare meals with family and friends. “Real food is self-correcting,” he adds. "There’s no need to count calories.”

Kaufman, an instructor in fitness and sports training at Baylor School, has specialized in wellness and exercise for 15 years, establishing three Fitness Together operations in Chattanooga. Headquartered in Colorado, the parent company operates nearly 400 personal training studios around the world. Fitness Together offers customized, private one-on-one personal training for any person in any stage of life, from 14 to 84, notes Kaufman.

During scheduled, one hour appointments, clients enjoy their own fully equipped, private sessions. “Our philosophy centers on quality of life,” adds Kaufman, who chose Fitness Together because he is able to personally shape programs. His scientific approach to eating and exercise plans includes assessments in cardiovascular health, muscular endurance and strength, flexibility, body fat percentages, girth measurements and body weight.

Rachel Reeves, Kaufman’s counterpart at Fitness Together in East Brainerd, is a sports lover and former general manager of L.A. Fitness of South Florida, who also chose to draw on her Christian faith and escape the “superficial focus” of many other gyms and studios. Instead of beautiful biceps, she and her staff aim to increase energy, maintain or improve good health and lose weight if necessary while enjoying a full life. “Here, everyone’s beautiful when they walk in the door,” she says.

For its June issue, Chatter sat down with Kaufman and Reeves to chat about wellness and the “real food” lifestyle they advocate:

What is “real food?”

KAUFMAN: I like to look at soda versus corn. All the calories in a typical soda come from corn syrup, but the soda has no protein, no fiber, no vitamins. Corn contains protein, fat, fiber, vitamins A, B, C, iron and something science can’t yet account for. There’s a mystery to it. When you eat corn — as opposed to drinking Coke — you’re delivering nutrients to 300 billion cells. You’re delivering wellness. Humans have thrived on real food for thousands of years. We can trust it. We know it works.

How do clients react to this?

REEVES: Mostly they breathe a huge sigh of relief. The average client has been on anywhere from 3 to 7 diets over 30 to 40 years. After the diet they go back to their normal eating behaviors. Our program requires effort up front, but that’s how you get long-term results. You don’t have a yo-yo diet and you sustain the results until the day you die.

Are there dangers to dieting?

REEVES: I grew up in south Miami and it’s all about vanity, all about sex appeal. In college I played tennis and did fitness competitions (similar to bodybuilding events). It wasn’t about fitness, it was about how good you look, how good can you make your body look. That set me up at a very young age for a lot of battles with over-exercising and eating disorders.

What do clients most fear?

KAUFMAN: That they’ll have to give up something. But there is nothing you have to give up. If you love cheeseburgers, choose grass-fed hamburger and cheese (for the right balance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids), and a whole grain bun. If you like Diet Coke, try sparkling mineral water (for fizz) with fruit juice (for sugar and flavor) and a bit of chocolate (for caffeine) on the side.

Isn’t it expensive?

KAUFMAN: You have to have a deeper sense of economics. The product that seems less expensive may cost you your health. I try to shift people to choose quality over quantity. Instead of buying 48 pork chops at Sam’s and eating 2 or 3 in one night, I say: buy one palm-sized pork chop at the Main Street Market. You’ll get the right amount of calories and nutrients for the same or a lower price. I can spend $4 to $6 at Greenlife, going to the hot or cold bar and drinking the complimentary cucumber water, and get enough to eat for less than I would spend at a fast-food restaurant.

What surprises your clients?

KAUFMAN: Grown sustainably, in good soil, people discover they like the food God put on this planet. And the summer months are a bountiful time for vegetables and fruits. This is a great time to discover all the different colors, textures and flavors we can celebrate and enjoy.

Seriously, how can I lose weight without counting calories?

KAUFMAN: Real food is self-correcting. Nutritious food satisfies you. It doesn’t set you, for instance, on a rollercoaster cycle of rising and falling blood sugar the way drinking sugar-loaded soda all day does. Eating is a behavior; it’s not genetic. We set goals, such as adding in one vegetable per meal one week, then add another, then another. We don’t get rid of anything. Eventually the good things push out the bad.

What’s the bottom line — can I be beautiful and enjoy eating?

REEVES: Yes. When it comes down to it, long-term, it’s about quality of life, having a functional body that will allow you to enjoy your family, enjoy your career, enjoy your hobbies, enjoy balance in your life.