Mountainside Hotel Promotes Weight Loss with Low-Calorie Meal Plan and Fitness Regimen

At Hunter Mountain Hotel & Spa, you can take fitness walks through numerous nature trails in the Catskill Mountains. As you're burning calories, the hotel's executive chef—a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America—is busy preparing a low-calorie lunch. The hotel is known as one of the premier weight-loss spas in the country. As you set a fitness regimen according to your goals and abilities, Hunter Mountain Hotel supplements it with a healthy meal plan. The hotel offers fitness classes, tennis courts, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Depending on your weight-loss goals, you can choose either a 900- or 1,200-calorie gourmet meal plan. All meals are enjoyed as a group in the main dining room. Each lunch begins with a soup such as broccoli or minestrone, followed by a choice of made-to-order entrees including turkey burgers, veggie pizza, and chicken caesar salad. Dinner commences at 6 p.m. with staff announcements. After that, you can dig into offerings such as flounder florentine and herb-crusted steak. Vegetarian diets can be accommodated, and with advanced notice, the staff will prepare frozen food to take home after your stay.

Just as the meal plan is flexible, so too is the spa's fitness program. Professional trainers teach a varying schedule of classes, with a minimum of three courses per day. Jump in the pool for an aqua aerobics session that uses water resistance to enhance weight loss, or ease your mind during a multilevel yoga class. For individual workouts, the fitness room is equipped with treadmills, stairmasters, and weights. Guests can supplement their weight-loss plans with massage therapies and body-wrap treatments at the onsite spa.

Hunter, New York: Small Town in Catskill Mountains with Year-Round Recreation

Nestled in the Catskills in eastern New York, Hunter is surrounded by natural beauty. The town is situated in a forest preserve dotted with waterfalls and some of the highest peaks in the state. Hunter Mountain, a four-season resort located 2 miles from the hotel, draws year-round visitors for skiing and snowboarding during the winter, and hiking and biking in the summer.

For a relaxing afternoon, drive 30 minutes east to the Thomas Cole House, the former studio and home of the famed American landscape artist. Exhibits onsite display several Hudson River School paintings. About 30 minutes south, the town of Woodstock offers antiquing opportunities.

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