Chamber Weight Loss Challenge
During the week of March 21, 2011, 105 overweight and obese individuals faced their fears and stepped on the scale for the Chamber of Commerce Weight Loss Challenge, a collaborative effort between Arianne Missimer and Mark Kleinschmidt, president of the Chamber of Commerce. The idea behind the seventy-day challenge was to recruit ten teams of five from businesses in New Castle County to face off in a battle of the bulge. The program generated more interest than anticipated, with more than double the expected participation. The 105 participants represented twenty-one teams from seventeen different companies.
Program participants were supported by CORE Fitness with information about physical activity, nutrition, and behavior modification. Arianne, Jenn, Ashley and Caroline were available to answer the participants’ questions. Armed with the knowledge and skills that they needed to be successful, the teams were sent off on their journey to a healthier lifestyle. Each participant returned to the Chamber for weigh-ins and encouragement on day thirty-five, then again at the closing of the program on the seventieth day.
At the end of the challenge, all participants were given free tickets to Chamber Night at the Blue Rocks game on June 8, where the winning team was announced. The Blue DeLites of Blue Cross Blue Shield clinched the win with an overall weight loss of fifty-two and a half pounds. For shedding the most pounds, the winning team received a luxury box for up to twenty people at a future Blue Rocks game. Sandy, a member of The Blue DeLites, was the biggest loser, weighing in at nineteen pounds lighter than at the start of the competition. She experienced significant reductions in her cholesterol and triglyceride levels, cutting triglycerides nearly in half and decreasing her total cholesterol by 30%. “Thank you all for helping me to realize that living a healthy lifestyle should be a priority in your life, Sandy said. “You have helped me so much and I really appreciate it.”
A total of 180 pounds was lost. That translates to 630,000 calories burned! 81% of program participants said that they made a change in their nutrition to aid in their weight loss. 59% said they altered their physical activity. 66% of participants noted an increase in self-esteem.
We wish all challenge participants well in their endeavor to improve their health. The good news is that everyone who was successful in losing weight was a winner.
