Weight Loss Spa or Hotel Vacation

Has anyone here ever been on a 1 or 2 week weight loss vacation?

I am talking about a nice hotel that offers not only an extensive work out program but also calorie reduced / counting meals and some spa services and also nutritional and medical supervision.

I heard about the Biggest Loser Retreat in Utah last night on the show and it sparked the idea of going on a 2 week vacation somewhere nice ....

So I was wondering:

1. Have you ever done that?

2. Was it good? Did you enjoy it? Did it work?

3. Where did you go and would you recommend the place?

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The biggest loser retreat in Utah is actually quite expensive. 2k for the first week. 1800 $ for every additional week in a room for yourself.

A shared room would be a little less... 1,595 $ for the first week, 1,400 $ for every additional week.

Would anyone be interested in joining me there next spring? Say over Easter in April? I am just thinking about it now and wouldnt book anything before January... but wouldnt it be nice?!?

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Cheers Brigit

Wow that is some serious dough!  and where is the vacation part of it?  Sight seeing, shows, gambling etc??  You can go on a carnival cruise and they have on their menu and buffets what they call their spa selections (really good but lo cal) and they have a gym, and aerobic classes etc.  And they have a wonderful spa.  They have a running track around the ship, swimming, suffle board and lots of stuff to do on the ship.  You can sight see at ports o call and it will feel like a vacation.  We could probably get really good group rates if their were enough of us that wanted to go.

True - a normal hotel might do it too... but the gyms of regular hotels are usually crappy (basement, dark, cold, yuck) and a normal buffet - even with healthy choices - would probably kill me.... I don't have that much will power to withstand fried goodies!

I really look forward to some little butt-kicking! And enjoying the nature around. I don't think I am a cruise person either... any kind of entertainment shows I find highly annoying...

Anyway - has anyone else experience with weight loss vacation or dieting at nice spas somewhere in Canada or the US? Preferably on the east coast?

Slim Fast, Alli, Clenses, Fads, Weight-loss Hotels, pills = gimmicks.
In my opinion, Don't waste your money. During this time of your life, you should be learning how to do this on your own.  What skills will you learn after you come back? I think real world solutions are the only successful way to lose, and they're easy, free and stick with you for life!

Count your calories, and move more.  That's it!

If you go, let us know how it went when you get back and a month after too.

Good luck!

Does the 2 grand a week include being verbally abused by incompetant trainers? or does that cost extra?

I had thought about doing a similar thing before...but when I priced it out, it was really too high for me.  So, instead, I spent my vacation week doing what I called my "biggest loser" week.  I worked out with a great trainer at my local gym every day (no yelling), did long cardio sessions, cooked most of my meals in advance, and scheduled either a massage or pedicure or manicure every day.  Still spent some money but nowhere near as much as I would have if I had gone away.  It actually was a great week that I enjoyed. Plus I dropped  fat and gained some muscle.  It was tough but it felt a lot better than spending the week away eating and drinking.

oops, hit post twice

Original Post by mperic81:

Slim Fast, Alli, Clenses, Fads, Weight-loss Hotels, pills = gimmicks.
In my opinion, Don't waste your money. During this time of your life, you should be learning how to do this on your own.  What skills will you learn after you come back? I think real world solutions are the only successful way to lose, and they're easy, free and stick with you for life!

Count your calories, and move more.  That's it!

If you go, let us know how it went when you get back and a month after too.

Good luck!

 mperic - I am talking about how to spend my vacation next year. I do count calories, I don't do fad diets, I don't do pills or any other crap. And this 2 weeks vacation is not meant to do wonders. I just don't want to stay in a hotel that only serves fried food!

Original Post by floggingsully:

Does the 2 grand a week include being verbally abused by incompetant trainers? or does that cost extra?

 Haha... I think that comes extra! :o))

I have been to a spa resort. But when I was there, it was no longer running as a full scale spa. I worked for a financial institution who repossessed the spa since the owners could not pay. The bank kept it as a quazi retreat for corporate use. Everything is setup to PAMPER you, from buffet of ultra healthy food/juices and weird looking sproats/leaves to first class fitness centre. ie. glass enclosed running track, Outward bound course, acres of beautiful grounds for walking, miles of bicycle/cross country trails, indoor/outdoor pool, indoor/outdoor hot tub, steam room, herbal dips, mud treatments, manicure/pedicure, Swedish Massage, Shiatzu massage, (there is a 3rd one which I can't remember), all kinds of Yoga & exercise classes, its own movie theater, golf course nearby, etc, etc. The waiters were so good that by your 3rd meal, they remembered everything about you. eg. Your favourite beverage & how you like your eggs (eg. what juice in the morning, what kind of tea during lunch, favourite snacks & at what time, I swore they kept notes on each of us...). If they like you, they would even save your favourite fruits for you if there wasn't enough delivered that day..... They were super attentive! The problem was, many of us ordinary folks were not used to that kind of healthy eating, resulting in many people falling sick (mainly intestinal complaints) & guys would sneak out (drive 15 mins. for the local pub) for the usual fare & drinks. The bank had so many complaints that it finally demanded the spa management to serve meat & more regular fare, which they grudgingly complied. 

Did I enjoy myself there? Most definitely. Would I pay to go there? Nope, for I could think of many other things to spend my hard earned money on.... But we are all different.

Original Post by acretin:

I had thought about doing a similar thing before...but when I priced it out, it was really too high for me.  So, instead, I spent my vacation week doing what I called my "biggest loser" week.  I worked out with a great trainer at my local gym every day (no yelling), did long cardio sessions, cooked most of my meals in advance, and scheduled either a massage or pedicure or manicure every day.  Still spent some money but nowhere near as much as I would have if I had gone away.  It actually was a great week that I enjoyed. Plus I dropped  fat and gained some muscle.  It was tough but it felt a lot better than spending the week away eating and drinking.

 Hi acretin!

That sounds really nice! I was thinking of doing the same thing in a gym close to my place - spending my vacation budget on private training, massages and facials or manicures... And the home cooked meals: I am doing that every day anyway. So vacation for me would mean to be catered for 2 weeks. Actually there is a caterer called Rose Reisman's Personal Gourmet and they deliver really good diet food directly to your door steps. :o)

Cool... you really got me into planning! :o))

Thanks!!

Birgit

Original Post by mythical_gem:

I have been to a spa resort. But when I was there, it was no longer running as a full scale spa. I worked for a financial institution who repossessed the spa since the owners could not pay. The bank kept it as a quazi retreat for corporate use. Everything is setup to PAMPER you, from buffet of ultra healthy food/juices and weird looking sproats/leaves to first class fitness centre. ie. glass enclosed running track, Outward bound course, acres of beautiful grounds for walking, miles of bicycle/cross country trails, indoor/outdoor pool, indoor/outdoor hot tub, steam room, herbal dips, mud treatments, manicure/pedicure, Swedish Massage, Shiatzu massage, (there is a 3rd one which I can't remember), all kinds of Yoga & exercise classes, its own movie theater, golf course nearby, etc, etc. The waiters were so good that by your 3rd meal, they remembered everything about you. eg. Your favourite beverage & how you like your eggs (eg. what juice in the morning, what kind of tea during lunch, favourite snacks & at what time, I swore they kept notes on each of us...). If they like you, they would even save your favourite fruits for you if there wasn't enough delivered that day..... They were super attentive! The problem was, many of us ordinary folks were not used to that kind of healthy eating, resulting in many people falling sick (mainly intestinal complaints) & guys would sneak out (drive 15 mins. for the local pub) for the usual fare & drinks. The bank had so many complaints that it finally demanded the spa management to serve meat & more regular fare, which they grudgingly complied. 

Did I enjoy myself there? Most definitely. Would I pay to go there? Nope, for I could think of many other things to spend my hard earned money on.... But we are all different.

   

Hey that's exactly what I was looking for! :o) It sounds amazing... but it's probably at least as expensive as the retreat in Utah... grrrr....

So this place is not servicing regular guests anymore? I would love to have a look at the website...

But I suppose it will be a home-stay-vacation just as acretin mentioned... and maybe a regular 2 weeks trip to Florida later in the year... in a regular hotel with normal food and no kick in the butt but lots of lazying on the beach :o)

Thanks to all of you!

I have been to one. It was at the Marriott Grand in Point Clear Alabama... If you want message me and I will tell you about it. It was probably one of the best things I have ever done.

There is supposed to be a really good one in NC.  I was looking into weight lose spas when I was trying to decided what to do for vacation this past summer.  I ended up taking a cruise....it was the best!!! The spa stuff was pricey if that is super important to you. I wasn't trying to 'diet' though I was careful what I ate.  I walked every day, went to the gym every sea day and swam almost every night. I unfortunately didn't lose anything because I drank like a fish every other day.

A cruise or the spa is something that would be cheaper if we could get group rates and depending on cost it is so something I would do.

This reminds me of the tomato bar story from a blog I used to read.  But I digress, I've always wanted to open up a place like this that would be less expensive.

It would be so .... fantastic!  In the oldest meaning of the word.  I'd like to run a hotel that *also* had that aspect, so you could go there just to stay (so I could make money regularly) or for like 300 per week + room fees get the "health spa" package.  And I'd have 1 side that was "health" and 1 side "regular" and regular patrons could pay extra for massage, fit classes, hiking excursions / daily activities, or meals delivered, but those would come included in the spa pack.  Anyone could attend health seminars and the like.