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Community Corner

Losing It Pays Off Big Time for Contestants

"Gwinnett's Losing It!," a 12-week weight loss contest, crowns winners.

In what could be called Gwinnett’s version of The Biggest Loser, winners of Gwinnett’s Losing It! contest were announced. Thirteen contestants participated in this Start With The Inside 12- week fitness contest. During the twelve weeks contestants lost weight, got off medication and learned healthy lifestyle changes.

Gwinnett’s Losing It! is the creation of Start With The Inside business owner Sandi Porter. She admits to being obese for eight years before losing her weight by participating in a similar twelve week program.

“This contest came about because ten years ago I won a national weight lost contest, before The Biggest Loser, called the Leanness Lifestyle out of Illinois. I became a trainer and I’ve always wanted to do a contest. I’ve maintained my weight and I have worked with clients one-on-one and I teach classes and workshops on nutrition. The contest is what got me going, so I wanted to get other people going.

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I wanted to show the Gwinnett community that you don’t have to take a pill, you don’t have to do crazy workouts and you don’t have to drink shakes three times a day. You can do it naturally,” said Porter.

Every one of the contestants said they were winners by just being a part of what will be an on-going event to promote healthier lifestyles. Judges had to choose from contestants from all walks of life, each entering with personal missions and goals, but only three would be selected as winners.

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Coming in first place was Vicki Rice, second place went to Velma Busby and Mickey Hamilton won third place.

Vicki Rice is a widow with two sons and three grandsons. She entered contest with the goals of doing contest exercise program and to set and reach her goals. Her accomplishments during contest’s twelve weeks were running in a 5k and reaching her weight loss goals. She lost 26 pounds, eight percent body fat and 16 inches.  

Losing 52 pounds, with goals to live longer and to start walking three miles a day was second place winner Mickey Hamilton -- the only male contestant. He is married has three daughters and two grandchildren. While participating in the contest, he lost twelve percent body fat and an untold amount of inches.

“Learning how to eat healthy attracted me to this contest,” said Hamilton.

Velma Busby's goal for entering contest was to get healthy, lose weight and to make permanent lifestyle changes.  She lost 24 pounds, ten percent body fat and 30 inches. Busby has been married for thirty years, has two sons and three grandchildren.

Porter said that it was important to have judges that are qualified to evaluate each contestant’s progress and that knows and understand the struggles of people seeking to change their lifestyles. She said contest judges were and will continue to be a cardiovascular physician, a fitness trainer and a wellness center administrator.

“By week four or week eight, most of the contestants had their "aha" moments, where they got it. They realized it was about more than losing weight to get into a size six dress. They got that it was about their lifestyles and the choices they were making. And I believe most if not all of them will stick with what they have learned in this contest,” said contest judge Dr. Sheila Woodhouse, with The CardioVascular Group.   

The other judges were Fadi Malouf owner of My Fitness Solutions and April Grennan with Legacy Wellness at Lake Lanier Islands Resort Legacy Lodge & Conference Center.

Judging criteria for each contestant included weight lost, before and after photo evaluation, fourth and eighth week’s essays and program’s progress reports.

Porter would like to start the next contest in August. She said it took her ten years to get the first one done, but now that it is over the future contests will be so much easier.

“The hard part is now over. But what I would like to do in the future is to work with cardio physicians to come in and do tests on contestants so they will know where they are and where they need to be,” said Porter.   

She said the best part about this contest was witnessing contestants coming off medication. Seeing contestants learning how and what to eat to become healthier and working out issues that caused weight gain and unhealthy lifestyle choices.   

Gwinnett’s Losing It! Porter said is so much more than a contest.

Proceeds from Gwinnett’s Losing It! Finale Event and Health Fair will benefit .

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