Olson/Trenchard named “Biggest Losers”

Nicole Therrien and Pat Stoyka
Contributors

Well the much anticipated high point of our Biggest Loser contest was reached on Dec. 5th in Rainy River and Dec. 6th in Bergland.
Those in the top ten positions, but especially the ones jockeying for the coveted first, second & third places were anxiously waiting for the last person to be weighed so the winners could be declared. Not many left the building before Nicole & Pat came back to them after carefully double checking the math to announce the winners. To help ease the tension and likely the hunger of those who postponed their evening meal until after the critical weigh in, Nicole provided veggie & fruit trays for their enjoyment.
The cold, harsh weather did not stop our members from attending this important meeting; the culmination of 12 weeks of dedicated attention to healthy food choices and activity and the awareness of the need to make lifelong changes.
In Rainy River the grand prize for being the Biggest Loser went to April Trenchard with a total loss of 45 lbs.! Congratulations April! She was followed by Sandra Campbell with a loss of 33 lbs. Melissa Venables lost 26 lbs., Pam Ivall 22.5 lbs., Joan Aikenhead 21 lbs., June Bonot 19 lbs., Joan Kreger 17 lbs., Linda Budreau 17 lbs., Angele White 15.5 lbs. and Bonny Caouette and Donna Noga each lost 15 lbs.
Attendance prize winners not yet acknowledged were Marie O’Connor choosing a gift donated by Pinewood Sports & Marine Ltd. and the Northern Lights Credit Union; Kim Halverson had chosen a gift certificate from the Beauty Chalet as well as a booklet provided by the OPP “Crime Stoppers Program” and Linda Budreau had chosen a gift donated by the Nurse Practitioner Program of the Rainy River Clinic.
In Bergland Karen Sepers chose the Massage Treatment provided by Cheryl Gauthier and Elsa Miller chose a gift from the Northern Lights Credit Union & 93.1 FM radio station.
In Bergland, the same eagerness, excitement and nervous chatter and laughter was heard as one by one Pat did the final weighing of each member.
Meanwhile Nicole’s tape measure was flying as she was busy comparing the final body measurements to what they were when we started. Many were delighted to see the number of ‘inches’ they had also lost.
The grand prize for the Biggest Loser went to William Olson with a total loss of 31.2 lbs.! Congratulations William! Colleen Fadden lost 15.4 lbs., Nancy Miller lost 14.8 lbs., Pat Stoyka lost 13.2 lbs., Jill Wilhite lost 11.4 lbs., Pauline Brusven lost 9.2 lbs., Elsa Miller lost 7.6 lbs., Karen Sepers and Nancy Gate lost 4 lbs. and Ruth Brett lost 3.4 lbs. As in Rainy River the top ten ‘Losers’ took home a monetary ‘reward’.
We have calculated the total weight lost throughout the 12 week program. In Rainy River we lost a total of 618 lbs!!!!!!!! In Bergland we lost a total of 211.3 lbs. That is an amazing loss of 829.3 lbs. for the combined groups after 12 intensive weeks of persistent determination to get into better shape. And so we did!!!!
Some of the positive results, besides a great feeling of accomplishment and being in control were definite improvements in health even after this relatively short period of time. Many remarked that their blood pressure had dropped to within normal levels, their blood sugar readings were lower and one reported a dramatic reduction in a former very fast resting pulse rate.
Many are now walking longer distances with greater ease and really enjoying doing so. Great friendships have formed and a good support system has developed. Those who experienced temporary setbacks were quickly encouraged by others who had been in the same situation but got back on track.
Nicole and Pat would like to give a huge bouquet to everyone who joined the Biggest Losers and Wellness Program. Without your enthusiastic participation and good spirit the program would not have been the same. We had a lot of fun and the camaraderie was fantastic. We also want to extend our most sincere appreciation to all the great organizations and businesses, both local and throughout the district, that made the contest even more appealing and rewarding by providing fantastic attendance prizes and several donations of fruit baskets for our participants.
Many of our readers have been a source of encouragement and said they looked forward to our write ups after each meeting. We encourage our participants to continue with the good habits they are developing. Nicole has provided much printed information in a binder and reminds everyone to refer back to this material often. Keep up the good work everyone!
Pat adds a personal note of appreciation for Nicole’s help and support; her medical expertise on health and nutrition as well as her wonderful sense of humour and the many laughs they have had over her ‘French flavour’ in her speech and journalism!!! In her defense, Nicole declares that she likes the way she talks!
(And we really do, too!) We believe we made a pretty good team and together with our groups accomplished what we set out to do.