If you’re like most Americans, you may have made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get in shape; and right about now, you may be wondering whether or not you will be able to stick to your new self-imposed diet restrictions and exercise routine for the next 11 and a half months. Luckily, local residents have several options for guidance, including the Meta Burn Fitness Studio in Locust Valley, which will be opening a second location in Oyster Bay next month.
“We get a New Year’s resolution surge every year,” says Rahsheen Slaughter, studio co-owner and head fitness coach at the Locust Valley location. “While most people are coming in for weight loss, it comes down to behavioral changes.”
Slaughter explains that he and co-owner Greg Kalafactic, who will be the head coach at the Oyster Bay facility, have set up a program that not only focuses on weight loss and fitness but also provides support and guidance for maintaining the weight loss over the long term.
“What makes us unique is the Meta Burn Success Triangle,” says Slaughter. “Most weight loss or fitness plans focus on just one aspect, not all three.”
He says about 95 percent of their clients are women; they currently have 94 clients and have served more than 700 people over the past six years. Typically, he says clients lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week over the course of 12 or 24 weeks, depending on the initial program they choose.
Frank Hatsis, 34, of Massapequa, is returning to the studio as a full-time coach after spending a few years teaching school. He says he’s inspired by both Slaughter and Kalafatic and the support they give to clients, as well as to him as a coach.
“Rahz is a machine,” he says. “He helps you find your passion and take it to the next level…I look up to him.”
Slaughter, who grew up in East Williston, is known as “The Motivator” while Kalafatic, of Garden City, is known as “Mr. Nutrition.”
“Both these guys have something about them that is above and beyond what most people put out into the world,” says Hatsis. “I try to be more like them every day.”
In addition to Hatsis, the studio has two other trainers, Mark Wallenbacher of Bayville and Prentan Lominy of Dix Hills.
Clients seem to agree that while the program itself is beneficial, the attitude of the trainers has played a big role in their success.
Kim Bancroft, 46, of Lattingtown, has been training with them for about year and a half. In the first three months, she says she lost 24 pounds. Not only has she kept the weight off, her body has also undergone a transformation that she is
very happy with.
“It has literally changed my life,” she says. “I’ve always worked out my entire adult life, and this is the most professional, positive, supportive, responsive and educated crew I’ve ever been with.”
She says that prior to training at Meta Burn, she had not been getting the results she wanted. A couple of her friends had told her about Meta Burn but she wasn’t sure she was ready to really make the changes. Plus, she says she had a lower back injury that she felt was exacerbated by working out. Then one day she was at the beach with a group of women her age.
“One of them said, ‘I guess we just have to accept that we have 46-year-old bodies’ and I thought, ‘no, I don’t want to accept that’ and decided to be proactive,” says Bancroft.
A busy mother of three who works full time, Bancroft says she goes to the studio three times a week, and one of the best motivating factors she gets from the coaches is to remember that she made the commitment to herself, and she has to stick with it if she wants results.
“Rahz reminds me all that time that we’re all busy, we’re all tired. There are no excuses for not showing up,” she says, adding that she always feels better after working out, even on the days she really doesn’t feel like going.
Bancroft also notes that the positive energy the trainers put out there spreads to the clients.
“It’s a very nurturing, kind culture and the clients compliment each other; it’s like their uplifting vibe permeates the room and I feel totally energized when I walk in,” she says, adding, “I cannot say enough wonderful things about them.”
Christine DeStefanis, 49, of Bayville, who has been training at Meta Burn since October, agrees. “It’s like a family; the environment is very supportive…following this program is not like being on a diet, it’s about a new way of life.”
Meta Burn offers a variety of services, from one-on-one personal training to private nutrition coaching and meal plan customization to virtual coaching via Skype or through video workout routines posted online. Additionally, they offer goal setting workshops, support groups where people can talk about what’s working and what’s not and discuss how to make adjustments.
The new facility will open on Feb. 1 at 68 West Main St. in Oyster Bay, with a grand opening slated for Feb. 26. Visit www.metaburnfatloss.com.
