Dear Mr. DeFendis, Four years ago I lost my father to heart disease and this year I lost my mother to cancer. I was my mother’s caretaker for the past two years. For the first time in my life I am scared and I need your advice. I am about 100 pounds overweight and so [...]

Dear Mr. DeFendis, I am a 46 year old mother of 3 boys (26, 23 and 20)  and I had gained weight after each pregnancy. The worst news is that I fell into a depression after my two oldest sons got married and moved out and my 20 year old son left for the service last [...]

January is well underway and it’s time to stop procrastinating. Weren’t you the one who promised yourself you’d lose 20 pounds as your New Year’s resolution? Let’s get that body into gear and get started! The first step toward meeting your goal is to find a good fitness center and join it. You will achieve [...]

Losing weight and getting in shape is nice. We feel better, our clothes fit better and we have more confidence. I love to help people lose weight and achieve their goals, but more importantly I thrive on helping individuals who have become obese and need to lose weight for their health. Obesity kills! And people [...]

Dear Mr. DeFendis: I have read several of your columns and researched your name on the Internet, and found it interesting that you chose Greenville and Anderson to relocate to, after living in Palm Beach. I would think there is more fitness business in Florida because of the beaches and people being more conscious about [...]

Dear John: My friend Stuart and I agree that weight training is the best way to stay lean, strong and in shape. I prefer to perform isolation movements to look shapely and firm, rather than big and bulky. Stuart says the best results come from compound exercises because they work more than one muscle group [...]

Dear Mr. DeFendis: I am 5 feet 6 and weigh 223 pounds. I would like to lose 50 pounds but have been having a hard time getting results. For the past three months I have been walking 45 minutes a day and I try not to eat a lot of calories, but have only lost [...]

Dear Mr. DeFendis: I have been overweight a good part of my life and just went through a break-up with my fiance, which has left me depressed. I have decided I must lose weight so I can be happy and more confident. My friends suggested I join Weight Watchers. I heard about your Ultra Fit [...]

Dear Readers: Here are the answers to last week’s Weight Loss and Fitness Quiz. 1. False. Lean ground beef has 8 grams per 4 oz. serving but lean ground turkey has 10 grams. 2. False. Healthy Choice Dinners have approximately 600 mgs. of sodium each while the spaghetti sauce has almost 400 mgs. per serving. [...]

Q: Would your Ultra Fit exercise regimen be any different for a senior than a younger person? — Anonymous, Anderson A: We have clients in their 80s who are doing well on our “Fit After 50” and Anti-Aging programs. Some in their 60s are in better shape than other clients in their 40s. We know [...]