BIGGEST WINNER 13

This past weekend marked the end of our 13th instalment of The Biggest Winner.

The Biggest Winner is a 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge that focuses on building sustainable healthy habits for the long term.

And I stress long term…

Because rather than putting this challenge at the easiest time of year, we put it at the hardest.

BECAUSE LIFE IS HARD.

And it is not always what we expect it to be…

Our plan is for a steady climb without any hurdles, and it’s very rare for this to happen. Rarely do our expectations match the outcome, but regardless of this, it is our mindset and our commitment to achieve our goal that is the ultimate currency of value.

And so, we put a weight loss challenge through Halloween, through Christmas, and through New Years to simulate the struggles that is real life.

We did this because we really wanted our participants to work at integrating a healthy lifestyle while actually living life.

This is how we ultimately help them strike a balance between enjoying the holidays, while moving the needle forward in their fat loss and fitness goals.

And with this said, here is how they did:

Total participants – 72
Total weight lost – 595.7lbs
Average weight lost per participant – 8.2lbs/person
Average weight lost per week – .7lbs/person >>> Just .3lbs more per week (1lb lost per person per week) would have equated to an average weight loss of 12lbs/person and an additional 259.6lbs lost.
Conclusion – It’s the small decisions daily that lead to the big wins!!!
Average attendance per week – 3.1 workouts/week >>> I said at the beginning of this challenge that minimum 4 days per week is the magic number. And I would go as far as saying this extra workout per week would have equated to at least .3 more pounds lost per week per person.

ENOUGH STATS, HERE ARE OUR BIGGEST WINNERS!

I asked Lesley to provide a few words to help others in their weight loss pursuits. Here is what she had to say:
“I first joined Befit almost 2 years ago. I only went to the gym 2-3 times a week and didn’t eat very well. I contemplated entering the Biggest Winner Challenge and finally decided to commit to it. I looked forward to the nutrition talk the day the challenge began. I had no idea how much the mental motivation part of the talk would stick with me. Most of this is mental. Making a conscious decision not to take that treat at work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and working out right to the beep all made a difference. As the pounds came off it made me work harder. I moved up to the fitness level from fundamentals.
On the path to achieving my goals I cut out treats, I didn’t snack after dinner, I limited carbs and ate more protein and veggies, and worked out 5 days a week.
I enjoy working out now and feel bad when I miss a day. ( never thought I would say that)
Thanks to all the Befit staff for their motivation and support. I look forward to continuing my healthy lifestyle.”

I asked Dayle to provide a few words to help others in their weight loss pursuits. Here are his notes throughout the challenge:
“Week 1-6
– work out 4 times a week at bootcamp
– losing fat and gaining muscle. Not losing fat quickly after week 1, as muscle that I did not have before out weighs the fat I lost. Scale didn’t move quickly
– calorie count staying between 2200-2400
– eating clean = high protein, little carb, good fats
– after 4 weeks met with Josh to confirm good eating habits. Lots of changes, learning what changes needed to be made to work for me.

Week 6-10
– work out 5 times a week at bootcamp and go for a run on saturdays
– large fat loss and muscle gaining slower. Starting to loose weight quickly. 2 pounds a week
– stop calorie counting as confident on what to eat and lowered calorie staying between 2000-2200
– eating clean = high protein, min carb, good fats
-not cheating during Halloween
– after 8 weeks met with Josh to confirm good eating habits. Minimal changes.

Week 10-12
– work out 5 times a week at bootcamp, go for a run on weekends, last week would work out twice a day
– lowered calorie to max 2000
– eating super clean =very high protein, almost no carb, good fats. Last week no carbs or salt
-not cheating during Christmas holidays or New Years. Ok a odd drink here and there.

Lbs lost
Week 1-2 = 7lbs
Week 3-4 =3lbs
Week 5-6 =2lbs
Week 7-8 =4lbs
Week 9-10 =4lbs
Week 11-12=9lbs

Typical day
Morning: 4 eggs, turkey sausage and 10 almonds
Lunch: Half a rotisserie chicken, 1/4 cup rice and 1 cup greens
After work out:Protein shake
Dinner: 45g of protein, lots of veggies, good fats and little carbs
Snacks: Turkey sticks or popcorn or veggies.

Coles notes on losing weight:
– Does not happen over night, no magic pills and 80% is what you eat.
– meal prep is a must so you don’t have any excuses to eat bad. Makes it easy to eat the right thing. Main courses and lots of good for you snacks in the fridge ready.
-learn how many calories are in foods so you are aware how bad they are for you. Knowledge is power and if you don’t know…..
-work out 4 times a week for 45 mins
-motivation. If that’s family, coaches or just the urg to win ;)”

And here’s some other great weight loss efforts: