Team members looking ahead

With the final weigh-ins just around the corner, the Community Challenge team members are thinking ahead to the end of the competition. While some team members are confident that they will stick to their new lifestyle for good, others are wondering how the conclusion of the challenge is going to affect their motivation.

Working in teams of five has provided a built-in support network as well as a level of accountability to the Community Challenge team members. The teams have discovered this pressure to be an effective motivational tool, and some team members are not looking forward to giving it up.

Stephanie DiMaso of the Wood Dale Warriors says team members face a dilemma as the contest draws to a close.

“We are trying to figure out what we are going to do when it is over. We are sad because this has given the motivation we need to keep going and be healthier and stop being so lazy. I think the Fittest Loser is an awesome contest and I couldn’t be happier to be part of it,” DiMaso said.

To combat post-contest binging, many teams are planning to informally keep track of one another and continue to share healthy tips, weekly encouragement and the occasional group boxing class.

Other team members are not so worried. They are embracing the end of the contest as the beginning to their new life as a healthier person.

“I can see the finish line — I can see my toes — I can bend over and tie my shoes while standing … I feel amazing!,” says Melissa Long, of Schaumburg’s Team Waist Management.

Some team members have begun to look back on the contest and cannot believe how far they have come — whether they measure their success in decreased pant sizes, lower body fat, lost pounds or increased energy.

Marilyn Anderson, of the Itasca iFit Buddies, posted on the Fittest Loser Facebook page: “I’m at that point where I can’t understand why I haven’t been living this lifestyle for the last 40 years — Life is soooo much better with energy!”