Fittest Loser contestants shed 111 pounds so far
It's hard to believe, but contestants in the Fittest Loser Challenge have reached the halfway mark.
Organized by the Daily Herald and Push Fitness in Schaumburg, the 12-week competition has taken five contestants on the journey of their lives. Through diet and exercise, the contestants have begun emerging from their cocoons.
By week six of the competition, the five contestants lost a combined total of 111 pounds. Leading the pack is Bob Coniglio of Arlington Heights who shed 30 pounds. Following closely on his heels are Heidi Wiltse of Arlington Heights (27 pounds) and Robert Patterson of North Aurora (26 pounds).
The program hasn't been easy. Contestants have had to make many adjustments. But they've also made some pleasant discoveries about themselves. They have more energy, their clothes are fitting looser on their bodies and they're eating healthier. Many have also discovered that they have more strength than they imagined.
Here's a look at how each contestant has changed in the past six weeks.
Deanna Bec
It's been a long time since Deanna Bec could say that she weighs less than 200 pounds. But the day has come. Bec of Berwyn has lost 10 pounds in the past six weeks — bringing her weight down to 197 pounds.
“To be below 200 is a big deal for me,” she says. “I'm definitely proud of myself. It hasn't been easy.”
Her new diet and exercise program has helped her manage stress better and she feels stronger — both mentally and physically.
“I have noticed that my attitude has gotten better and I have more of a positive outlook on life,” she says. “I don't find myself so crabby and cranky anymore.”
Physically, she's noticed weight loss in her face and more definition in her back. “I can also tell in how my clothes are fitting. I'm noticing that my shirts are bigger,” she adds.
The biggest surprise for Bec has been discovering her own strength, both mentally and physically.
“I never pushed myself past my comfort zone. Once I'd start to feel a little pain, I'd stop,” she says. “Now I'm pushing through it. I'm stronger than I realized.”
Her most difficult adjustment in the challenge has been scheduling. Besides finding time to exercise, she's had to change how she plans and prepares her meals. Shopping, planning and food preparation takes about 6 to 7 hours out of her week, she says.
Bob Coniglio
Bob Coniglio is breathing easier these days. Though he suffers from an elevated diaphragm, it hasn't stopped him from pushing himself at the gym.
In the past six weeks, the Arlington Heights man has shed a total of 30 pounds. That places him at the top of the list for the most weight lost to date among his competitors.
“I feel great,” he says. “What surprises me is that I feel a lot more energy with the workouts and I'm able to do a lot more things without being out of breath.”
Friends, family and co-workers have noticed his significant weight loss, he says. Even strangers, who have read about him in the newspaper, often stop him at the gym and offer encouragement.
“That makes you feel better,” he says, adding that his workouts are also getting easier.
“I'm building up my cardio exercises. I'm seeing myself get better and I get through them without taking a lot of breaks,” he says.
Overall, Coniglio says that he feels stronger, sleeps better and believes he's adopted a healthier attitude about life. The most difficult adjustment he's had to make in the past few weeks is to his schedule. Trying to juggle time with family, scheduling his workouts and preparing meals in advance has been challenging. He guesses that he spends about 10 hours a week between grocery shopping, planning meals and food preparation.
“But I love the program,” he says. “I will try to continue it after the contest is over. It's a life-changing type of thing.”
Robert Patterson
Robert Patterson will need to go shopping for new clothes soon. In the past six weeks, the North Aurora man has lost 26 pounds and his clothes are starting to feel baggy. Not that he's complaining.
“I'm thinner and leaner,” he says. “I feel better about myself and my wife did comment that I don't slouch anymore, that I stand straighter.”
His new diet and exercise routines have also made him more energetic. He especially enjoys his workouts with his personal trainer at Push Fitness, Patrick Stille.
“You know you're going to hurt,” he admits. “But I know the end result is good, so I look forward to my workouts now … I've had a lot fun and I'm able to do a lot more than I thought I could do.”
Patterson is most surprised that he's been able to stick to his new diet.
“I really don't miss some of the foods that I was accustomed to eating. The cravings aren't as strong as I thought they would be,” he says. “But I do miss my alcohol.”
While changing the types of foods he eats hasn't been as challenging as he initially thought, he does struggle with how many meals he's asked to eat per day.
‘That's the most difficult adjustment,” he says. “Trying to eat five times a day, that's really been difficult. But I plan ahead.”
Cindy Uribe
She has a lot more physical endurance than she ever thought possible. Cindy Uribe of Hoffman Estates has seen herself grow physically stronger and finds it easier to get through her 45-minute workouts with her personal trainer, Brodie Medlock.
“In the beginning, I thought that the 45 minutes would take forever, but it goes by fast,” she says. “Every session has a new variety of exercises. Each week there's new stuff.”
Uribe, who lost 18 pounds by the sixth week, says she can already feel the physical changes. Her T-shirts feel looser and she's beginning to notice more muscle structure in her arms and legs. Plus, she reports having much more bounce in her step.
“I feel happier and I have to attribute it to this program,” she says. “I feel like I have more energy and more self-confidence … more drive to get things accomplished.”
The biggest adjustment she's had to make concerns her diet. Uribe, who has been on a low-carb diet for the past two years, has been asked to add carbs to her meals to nourish her body through all the rigorous workouts. In addition, contestants are asked to eat five to six small meals per day.
Eating five meals a day is hard,” she says. “I'm used to having breakfast and then not eating until lunch.”
Heidi Wiltse
Waking up at 4:15 a.m. to work out with her personal trainer is tough. But Heidi Wiltse of Arlington Heights does it three times a week. In addition, she's at boot camp at 6 a.m. every Saturday morning and works out at the gym on her own the rest of the week.
That's been her schedule for the past six weeks — and she's beginning to see big results. Wiltse has lost 27 pounds since she started the challenge.
“I feel the most alive that I've ever felt in my life,” she says. “I feel energetic and happy and I think I value myself more. For the first time my life, I've been taking care of myself and I'm reaping the benefit. It's all coming together.”
Besides exercise, Wiltse says that she's been extremely diligent in her diet. “Nothing has crossed my lips that wasn't supposed to,” she says. “I have worked really hard and I'm shocked at the willpower I have because I've never been able to do anything like this before.”
That's not to say that it hasn't been difficult. Like many of the contestants, she found it challenging to eat five to six meals per day, usually every three hours. In the past, she'd eat whenever she had time. But one of her biggest challenges has been getting enough sleep. Juggling a full-time job and a family, she finds it difficult to fit everything into her schedule. However, she says that the hard work is paying off.
“It's been the most amazing experience ever,” she says. “I am the happiest and luckiest girl in the world. I feel like I got my life back.”
By the numbers
<h3 class="breakHead"><span class="fact box text bold">Deanna Bec,</span> 30, Berwyn</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 207
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 197
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> +2 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss: </span>10 pounds, 4.8 percent
<h3 class="breakHead"><span class="fact box text bold">Bob Coniglio, 51,</span> Arlington Heights</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 304
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 274
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 4 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 30 pounds, 9.9 percent
<h3 class="breakHead"><span class="fact box text bold">Robert Patterson,</span> 56, North Aurora</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 255
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 229
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 3 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 26 pounds, 10.2 percent
<h3 class="breakHead"><span class="fact box text bold">Cindy Uribe,</span> 33, Hoffman Estates</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 280
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 262
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 3 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss: </span>18 pounds, 6.4 percent
<h3 class="breakHead"><span class="fact box text bold">Heidi Wiltse,</span> 43, Arlington Heights</h3>
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 286
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 259
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost this week:</span> 5 pounds
<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 27 pounds, 9.4 percent