Proud and sad … Fittest Loser writer looks back on her journey

It's a bittersweet feeling.

My life has completely changed in the past 12 weeks. I've drastically altered my eating habits, worked out with a personal trainer three times a week and sweated at boot camp every Saturday morning.

On my off-days, I usually worked out alone or with a friend.

As a result, I shed 18 pounds and 11 percent of my body weight during the course of the Fittest Loser Challenge, a workout and nutrition program organized by the Daily Herald and Push Fitness in Schaumburg. I've trimmed 5 inches from my waistline and 4 inches off my hips.

That's a sweet feeling.

To put things into perspective, a 19-inch flat screen TV weighs about 15 pounds. So does a bowling ball. A car tire weights about 20 pounds. I'm walking around much lighter these days.

These are some of the things I thought about during the 2015 Fittest Loser finale party and celebration May 13 at Chandler's Banquets in Schaumburg.

As I watched the contestants make their way to stage to be recognized, I felt extremely proud of them. Bob Coniglio of Arlington Heights was crowned the winner after he lost a total of 64 pounds and 21.1 percent of his body fat during the course of the competition.

Unbelievable!

That's as if he lost more than three car tires, I thought.

Though I was not a part of the competition, I participated alongside the five contestants in the same program. For the first time in my life, I became a part of the story —as opposed to simply reporting about other people's experiences.

We all went through dietary struggles together and suffered the aches and pains of daily exercise. We even ran a 5K race together in April.

These people became a part of my life. Every week, I'd look forward to seeing them at boot camp and seeing how much weight they lost. We'd exchange war stories — mainly the new aches and pains we acquired through our training that week — and occasionally share healthy recipes.

Our trainers at Push Fitness have also become a big part of our lives.

We'd work out with them one-on-one at least three times a week. They also served as our health gurus. They'd check our daily food and exercise diaries, offered advice and we'd often call or text them with questions about our new diets.

Each contestant was assigned to their own trainer. For me, that was Joshua Steckler, owner of Push Fitness.

Personally, I couldn't have asked for a better trainer. Steckler is extremely passionate about health and fitness. His passion is like a virus. It spreads to others around him. I feel fortunate to have caught it.

At the final ceremony, although I felt happy to witness the accomplishments of all the contestants, there was also an element of sadness for me. It was that realization that the competition had come to an end.

Though a lot of us — trainers and contestants alike — plan to keep in touch, it won't be the same.

However, I do look forward to coming back to boot camp when Push Fitness offers it again.

When I gave my speech at the ceremony, I said that being a part of this program has been an amazing and life-changing experience — and I truly mean that. I've learned a lot about nutrition as well as about how to optimize my workouts.

I plan to continue practicing what I learned at Push Fitness. Not only the exercise, but also with a lot of the nutritional advice. I can't say I'll completely eliminate bread and pasta from my diet, but I'll be a lot more conservative with it.

I'll also never look at a french fry the same again. If it really takes 524 burpees to burn off one large order of fries, that would be difficult to digest.

• Kat Zeman is a freelance journalist who lost 18 pounds during the course of the Fittest Loser Challenge. She lives in Darien.

By the numbers

<span class="fact box text bold">Kat Zeman</span>, 40, Darien

<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 163

<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 145

<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight loss:</span> 18 pounds, 11 percent