Kirkwood-Webster Biggest Loser Contest Enters Home Stretch

On April 6, we will have our final weigh-in as contestants in the Kirkwood vs Webster Groves' Biggest Loser contest. We are in the home stretch, and while our most recent week's efforts were the worst so far, we are still doing a great job and are looking forward to enjoying our bragging rights.

Kirkwood employees have lost a total of 655.4 pounds, or 5.5 percent of body weight.  City of Webster Groves' employees have lost a total of 4.22 percent of body weight, at the end of Week #10.  For week #10, Kirkwood employees lost 21 pounds, which was a lot less than in previous weeks, but at this point in the contest, that's probably to be expected.  Some of us have lost as much as we need to lose, while others of us may just be a little burned out. However, many of us are still meeting our weekly weight loss goals, even though the overall group total is dropping.

More importantly, we're at a point where we know that we have made substantial changes in our habits, both in terms of what we eat and how much exercise we have incorporated into our regular routines. We're not likely to let any of that slide.

We've also reached some milestones over the past ten weeks.  I managed to run four miles last Saturday – a distance I hadn’t run in seven years.  It felt good.  Today, I'm wearing pants I haven't worn in a year (see photo) because I'm 13 pounds lighter and THEY FIT AGAIN. Yesterday, I drove by Sonic, and I could SMELL the French fries, but I had literally no desire to stop and buy any.  Six months ago, I would have stopped and enjoyed a big bag of fries, but yesterday I was thinking of the calores, the fat, and the sodium, so I ate my apple instead.

It's been a fun contest, and I’m going to miss seeing all of the employees who come by on Friday mornings to weigh in. Of course, some of us will not be done in two weeks.  Personally, as soon as that final weigh-in happens on April 6, I’ll be re-setting my clock with a new weight loss goal for the next three months. We're even thinking of continuing with an informal challenge:  We'll keep going with the Friday weigh-ins, and anyone who wants to participate will put a dollar in a jar when they start and a quarter in the jar every time he or she loses a half pound or more. The participant who loses the most at the end (we’ll stick with percentages) gets to keep the jar! 

Because here's the thing: We have discovered that competition and camaraderie are GREAT motivators.  We're happy to be healthier and more fit, but we've also enjoyed doing this together.

So stay tuned for our final results - I'll be back to tell you all about it in two weeks! LET'S DO THIS THING!