Mt. Vernon Register-News

Local

March 7, 2010

Lose to Win puts focus on shedding pounds

By RORYE O’CONNOR

rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Participants in this year’s Lose to Win contest lost more than 2,242 pounds.

“That’s a 5.86 percent total weight loss, so that was fabulous,” said Debi Richardson, incoming United Way of South Central Illinois president.

The Lose To Win Program, a yearly weight loss contest held by the YMCA of Jefferson County in partnership with Crossroads Community Hospital and the United Way of South Central Illinois, encourages teams to lose weight with a $1,000 prize for the winning team.

171 people weighed in, though 343 people entered in the contest, said Larry Cornett, YMCA executive director.

The winning team for this year’s contest was Team Red Barn, who had a 24.88 percent weight loss, Richardson said.

Aaron Webb, of Mt. Vernon, was one of the Team Red Barn members, as well as the number two individual weight loss winner.

“We worked really hard for it,” Webb said. “We were in it to win it. We were there (at the YMCA) pretty much every morning and twice a day some days.”

Webb, a physical education teacher at Bluford Grade School, said he entered in the contest to promote physical education and activity to his students.

The top 10 individual weight loss winners were Chris Donoho, with a 14.16 percent weight loss; Vincent Shehorn, with a 14.72 weight loss; Shane Tennyson, with a 14.83 percent weight loss; Richard Strater, with a 15 percent loss; Rhonda Riley, with a 15.06 percent loss; Kenneth Johnson, with a 20 percent loss; Ryan Skibo, with a 22.22 percent loss, Rex Roberts, with a 25.21 percent loss; Aaron Webb, also with a 25.21 percent loss; and Casey McCommons, with a 26.33 percent weight loss. McCommons was unable to attend the event.

The top ten teams were All in the Family, with a 6.2 percent loss; Three Bikinis and a Speedo, with a 6.85 percent loss; the Jiggly Wigglys, with a 7.44 percent loss; Changing for the Better, with a 8.22 percent loss; the Frosty Fatties, with a 9.11 percent loss; Cash for Clunkers, with a 9.66 percent loss; the Belly Rolls, with an 11.98 percent loss; the third place team, who won $400, was Chris’s Angels, with a 12 percent loss; the second place team, who won $600, was Honey I Shrunk My Gut, with a 12.52 percent loss, and Team Red Barn had a 24.88 percent loss, or a total of 257 pounds.

Cornett said he felt the increase in participants has to do with a societal push toward emphasizing eating right and exercising.

“There’s definitely a movement towards a healthy lifestyle and healthy living, he said. “The YMCA has been busy; it has been very noticeable. We have a bigger membership than ever before.”

A similar weight loss contest, called the Losing Team, will begin in September, but the next Lose to Win doesn’t begin until next January, Cornett said.

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