Winners of Biggest Loser & Healthiest Weight Florida Challenges for Key West and Tavernier Announced
Monroe County, FL – The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County is happy to announce the winners of the Florida Department of Health-led Biggest Loser and Healthiest Weight Florida Challenges that took place simultaneously in Key West and Tavernier. The eight-week challenges were launched the second week of September and ended on the second week of November. Participation was open to the public.
As part of the challenges, contestants were provided weekly hints, tips, and other educational information on healthy eating habits and integrating exercise into their daily routine. Using a Bioimpedance Analyzer, the participants’ body fat percentage and basal metabolic rate were also measured.
These contests provide a cash incentive to motivate participants to learn and stick with a newfound wellness regimen. Proceeds that were collected from these challenges were split among the top three biggest losers (competitors who lost the largest percentage of body weight). The Tavernier challenge separated the male and female winners in different categories. Proceeds included a $30 registration fee from each participant and fees for gaining or missing a weigh in.
Key West
One hundred twenty three pounds were lost during the eight week period among 13 Lower Keys residents who participated in the Key West challenge. This translates to almost one person in pounds, based on an average weight of 150 pounds per person.
Congratulations to the following winners of the Key West challenge:
- 1st Place: Pamela Flowers, Co-Owner of Flowers General Contracting, lost 5.95 percent of her baseline body weight and won $207. This is the second Biggest Loser challenge where Flowers won first place. “I just can’t believe it!” she admits, “I was only in the top three weekly winners list one time and I had no idea I was in the running to win.” The two-time winner attributes her success to needing someone to weigh her every week, adding that accountability is the key to her weight loss.
- 2nd Place: Desarae Janszen of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary lost 5.68 percent of her baseline body weight and won $124.20. “The Biggest Loser program worked for me because I thrive on goal setting and competition,” says Janszen. She enjoyed participating because it motivated her to eat better, achieve her Fitbit goals, and have more fun in workout classes at various gyms and fitness studios in Key West. “I’d be reaching for my kids’ Halloween candy, then put it down because I knew I’d be held accountable with the weekly weigh-ins.” She also attributes her weight loss to Zumba, Spinning and Strength classes, while trying to do two classes in a row to increase her calorie expenditure.
- 3rd Place: Dean Walters, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, lost 5.04 percent of his baseline body weight and won $82.80. He admits, “I was more excited to lose 5.04 percent of my body weight than winning third place…It was especially gratifying to ‘prove’ that being older (65) was not a factor in participating in a weight loss program.” He attributes his weight loss to accountability, teaching his Aging Boldly classes at BodyZone Fitness Center in Key West, and following the Shaklee 180 weight management program. He hopes to continue on his weight loss journey with a goal of losing 120 pounds by August 2017.
Tavernier
Seventy pounds were lost during the eight week period among 12 Upper Keys residents who participated in the Upper Keys challenge.
Congratulations to the following winners of the Tavernier challenge:
Female Winners:
- 1st Place: Shirely Wilson lost 6.47 percent of her baseline body weight and won $220. Wilson says “this challenge worked for me because it kept me accountable. Knowing I had to weigh-in every week was important for my success.” She also has shared her the weekly exercise and nutrition tips from the challenge with her coworkers, admitting “I now have my whole office doing ‘tabata’ interval style training workouts daily!”
- 2nd Place: Jannet Avalos lost 4.33 percent of her baseline body weight and won $131.
- 3rd Place: Denise Moore lost 3.94 percent of her baseline body weight and won $87.
Male Winners:
- 1st Place: Wayne Gwilliam lost 10.23 percent of his baseline body weight and won $50. Gwilliam is a two-time Biggest Loser competitor and won second place in the department’s spring challenge earlier this year.
- 2nd Place: Dave Clark lost 0.28 percent of his baseline body weight and won $17.
These two weight loss challenges represent the department’s sixth and seventh competitions thus far. There have been multiple recurring challengers who have participated in the competition more than once. One of them is two-time competitor, Patricia Eables, Esq, Key West Attorney who says, “I highly recommend this program to others and I have seen the success of other winners which are an inspiration. I look at it from the standpoint that while I may not have lost as much weight as I had hoped this time, it at least has helped to prevent me from gaining weight which may have happened had I not participated again.” The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County will be planning more challenges next year. If interested, please contact Gayle Glover at (305) 809-5606 or email [email protected].
The Biggest Loser Challenge Program by FDOH-Monroe is part of the department’s Healthiest Weight Florida Initiative. Healthiest Weight Florida is a public-private collaboration bringing together state agencies, not-for-profit organizations, businesses and entire communities to help Florida’s children and adults make consistent, informed choices about healthy eating and active living.
- About the Florida Department of Health The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit FloridaHealth.gov.
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