RSSNinety-six pounds and losing
Yakima's official team edges ahead of Yuma's in 'Fattest to Fittest' festYakima Herald-Republic
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Midway through an eight-week fitness challenge with another fat city, Yakima's official team is finally winning.
So far, Yakima contestants have lost a total of 96 pounds, compared to 93 in Yuma, Ariz.
"This is the first week we've been ahead," said Laura Menke, health and wellness director for the Yakima Family YMCA, which is helping coordinate the competition.
Since Oct. 25, close to 100 teams in Yakima and Yuma have participated in the "Fattest to Fittest" contest between the cities, which both ranked among the country's 10 fattest metropolitan areas.
In all, Menke said, Yakima's 139 participants on 21 teams have lost a total of 916 pounds -- an average of 6.6 pounds per person.
Both cities also formed official eight-member teams, which include of mayors and newspaper publishers of each place.
Regardless of what city ultimately wins, organizers say it will be a success for anybody who sheds pounds and learns to keep them off -- especially as the participants contend with Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. The temptations of extra helpings of turkey and desserts are on the minds of many participants.
"I think obviously the holiday time is a challenge for everybody," said Yuma Sun publisher Joni Weerheim, a member of that city's official team.
"Just watching the portion sizes and managing to get a walk in are the two focuses I have this week," said Weerheim, who has lost eight pounds so far.
Participants say what's helped them stay on track is the network they've built with teammates -- many of whom they didn't even know prior to the competition.
Joe Mann, a 49-year-old lifelong Yakima resident, said that companionship has been a driving force that's helped him lose 33 pounds.
"I don't want to let them down, our team down, the Y or the city," said Mann, who has lost more weight than any other participant in Yakima.
His strategy so far has been cutting out junk food -- meaning no cookies and milk, no cake and no ice cream. Also, instead of driving, Mann said he now walks the few blocks from work to board meetings for the various groups of which he is a member -- such as the YMCA and Committee for Downtown Yakima. He owns Ron's Coin and Collectibles, on North Third Street near Yakima Avenue.
Mann says he didn't expect to lose so much weight so quickly. In general, fitness and diet experts recommend losing between a half pound and 2 pounds week.
"I must have been eating pretty bad because the weight sure is coming off," he said, adding that once the weight-loss pace slows, he expects to exercise more.
"He had a lot to lose and he's going to be losing a lot in the beginning," Menke said.
Rick Betsch, a personal trainer at Selah Fitness Express, said participants should have an "exit strategy" in mind so they can continue losing weight past the competition.
"Remember the tortoise and the hare?" said Betsch, who advises healthy lifestyle choices that lead to moderate weekly weight loss. "People come to me and say they're significantly overweight. If I could tell you right now you could be 52 pounds lighter, would you be happy?
"One pound a week. Seven days, 1 pound," said Betsch, who once weighed 300 pounds and this week weighed in at 235 pounds. "If you just be patient and make lifestyle choices you can live with long term, then it's not a diet and it didn't end.
"You learned how to do it on your own."
The contest ends Dec. 19 -- although coordinators in both cities are already looking for ways to help participants keep the pounds off afterward.
In Yakima, the team that loses the highest percentage of weight wins $1,000 toward the charity of its choice -- and free one-year memberships to the YMCA.
As for the competition between Yuma and Yakima's community teams, mayors of both cities have bet a case of Yakima Valley apples against a case of premium salad including lettuce grown near Yuma.
Health advice over the holidays
* Don't go to the table hungry. Have a low-calorie breakfast and a light snack later in the day.
* Plan out what you'll put on your plate before you even sit down. About three-quarters of your meal should be vegetables. Your protein and carbohydrate servings ought to fit in the palm of your hand.
* Slow down and savor each mouthful. If you eat fast, chances are you'll eat more.
* Drink lots of water.
* Eat some dessert. Don't deprive yourself -- but watch the portion size.
* No second helpings. When you finish your dinner, get up from the table.
* After you eat, choose to go for a walk with someone you love. The holidays are about spending time with family, after all.
* Melissa Sánchez can be reached at 509-577-7675 or msanchez@yakimaherald.com.
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