Rick Christian, the oldest man in the field by just a few months, claimed top honors at the first weigh-in for the 11 local residents participating in a team effort to lose weight and get healthy. Christian shed seven pounds to edge out Howard Kaplan as the week's biggest loser.
In all, the 11 participants dropped close to 42 pounds between the initial weigh-in at the start of the 10-week program and last Friday evening's official weight check marking the conclusion of the first full week of classes and exercise.
The Biggest Loser-Huntersville, inspired by Huntersville resident Emily Joy's participation as a contestant on The Biggest Loser television show, features a coordinated effort to provide planned exercise routines and healthy-living education to the participants. Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics and Fleet Feet Sports in Birkdale Village are providing the daily programs for the participants with support from contributing sponsors Earth Fare, Lakeside Family Physicians and the Lake Norman Citizen.
Each week, Monday through Friday, HFFA and Fleet Feet are providing up to 10 hours of supervised instruction and activities for the local Biggest Loser candidates. In addition, participants are made aware of weekend activities and encouraged to make lifestyle adjustments coinciding with their newfound commitment to fitness.
The local participants, nine from Huntersville and Cornelius and one each from Mooresville and Charlotte, include six women and five men, ranging in age from 31 to 56 and starting the program at weights from 203 to 300 pounds. All had different backgrounds and dealt with various personal issues and physical setbacks en route to their current condition, but all expressed a uniform desire to drop weight, live healthier and follow through on the 10-week program outlined by HFFA and Fleet Feet.
Huntersville candidates, listed with their initial weigh-in numbers and the results of their first week's weight check: Christian, 265, 258; Debbie Dirkse, 217, 217; David Ginn, 265, 259; Scott Hannay, 301.8. 296.2; Kaplan, 291, 284.6; Susan Lamoureux, 234.6, 229.4; Kris McCabe, 256, 255.2; Maria Schubert, 204, 202.6; Chris Wages, 272, 269; Stephanie Ann Weller, 239, 235; and Kristen Winseman, 246, 242.6.
