ERICJOHNSON
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After 12 grueling weeks of diet and exercise that proved too intense for eight of the 19 competitors, the final weigh in for Phase 4 of the Fit to Be Gold Challenge provided inspiration and a healthy dose of drama, as the top three competitors finished less than two percentage points from each other. Early leader Rob Forbes finished strong, but could not hold off a late charge by Chelsie Lee, who walked away with the title and a $1,000 check by finishing the competition less than a tenth of a percentage point ahead. Lee lost 21.20 percent, while Forbes, who earned a $500 Windsor Jewelers gift certificate courtesy of the Metro Spirit for his second place finish, lost 21.12 percent. All admitted they were relieved that the competition was over. “I’m eating carbs as we speak,” Lee said with a chuckle. “And I brought some chocolate with me, but don’t tell my trainer — he still wants me to be on a diet for two more months.” In spite of her winning weight loss, her trainer does want her to lose another 20 pounds before he starts her working on building muscle to maintain her weight loss. “But he’s going to give me a couple of days to enjoy myself,” she said. After the weigh in, Lee and her husband planned to go out to dinner with her trainer, which she admitted could have been awkward if she hadn’t won the competition. All of the remaining competitors shared inspirational stories about their journeys, even those who were not in contention for the prize. Several, like Nancy Wilson, spoke of how thrilled they were with the new version of themselves. Wilson, who had a closet full of different sized clothes from years of bouncing up
THE BEFORE
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and down in weight, made good on her vow to purge her closet. “I got rid of the top three and threw them out,” she said. “I’m just not going back.” Like the others, Wilson sounded determined to continue her weight loss regimen… after enjoying a good meal or two. “I really want to indulge in something, but I intend to continue,” she said. “My percentage wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, but I’m going to be within 10 pounds of my ideal weight.” Losing those final 10 pounds, she said, will make her even happier. “Ten more pounds and I’m going to be able to run around in a bathing suit,” she said. “I haven’t gone out without a shirt covering me in I don’t know how long.” In fact, she bought a new, smaller-sized dress for the weigh in, saying she’s also looking forward to how the weight loss will affect her ability to participate in the recreational activities she enjoys. “I really like hiking and camping and being outdoors, so being able to hike at a reasonable pace and not get tuckered out will really be great,” she said. “I’ve noticed the difference already.’ Bobby Burch, who came in third at 19.57 percent, said he was looking forward to eating something other than chicken. Trainer Tony Dempsey, who served as the coordinator for the competition, said he was proud of all the contestants, especially the accumulated weight loss total, which was more than 250 pounds. “The first thing they had to do was figure out that they were sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he said. “Then, they were ready to make that change.” For Lee, the fact that her husband is ready to start training with her is a major plus. “He met with my trainer this morning and I’m hoping that now that he’s doing it, he can kind of step in as my motivation where the competition was my motivation before,” she said. “I know the hardest part is yet to come.” Though she’s excited for the couple of days off, she’s afraid to get too far from her routine. “I read somewhere that it takes you two weeks to get in the habit of eating healthy and it takes just a couple of days of eating junk to get all the way back to ground zero,” she said. The fact that her husband will be participating also gives her a chance to be as encouraging for him as he was for her. “He woke up and made me my eggs every morning and my lunch,” she said. “He didn’t eat the same things that I did except at dinner time, but I know it was harder on him because he had to make my food special every night.” It looks like Lee’s victory is already having unintended consequences.
7JUNE2012