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Lose more with Weight-Loss Warriors
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Vandenberg Fitness Center designs many programs to help active duty members, retirees, dependants, Department of Defense civilians and base contractors become more interested in physical fitness.
One such program, the 12-week incentive program Weight-Loss Warriors, came to a close recently with six people winning prizes for improving their body fat index. The body mass index is a measurement of body fat based on the height and weight of a person.
All winners received gift cards, with the top male and top female winning digital music players. The winners were:
Females:
Abranda Phillips
Carla Grizzle
Stella Buck
Males:
Duane Purser
2nd Lt. Peter Levrant
Lt. Col. Kurt Bauer
The Weight-Loss Warriors program started small, with just 20 participants in the first competition. However, word of people's weight-loss success spread, and the number of participants increased to approximately 70 people in this year's program.
"I think the program is very effective," said Isea Jones, a program coordinator at the Fitness Center. "The program is set up to motivate people to stay on track with their personal fitness goals."
The top male winner, Mr. Purser, was also selected as the MVP of the competition, not only for losing the most weight, 20 pounds, but also for his attitude.
"He showed such enthusiasm throughout the entire program," said Helen Long, a fitness and sports aid at the Fitness Center. "He worked out diligently and had the most amazing attitude every single day. He was always so gracious and appreciated the program."
The timing was just right for Mr. Purser, as the program was started when he was looking to get into shape, he said. After gathering information on the program, he was able to get his coworkers involved in Weight-Loss Warriors as well.
The program started by teaching the participants how to properly use gym equipment. Once the intimidation factor was squashed, Mr. Purser said he was more willing to get in there. After that, it was off to the track.
"I started noticing that I was getting in shape and losing weight at the fun runs put on by the Weight Loss Warriors program," Mr. Purser said. "When I first began running again I was having trouble completing one lap around the track, but now I am able to run five kilometers without stopping and it has been a big boost in my confidence. I could tell I was losing weight throughout the program because my clothes were becoming baggier."
There were other factors that contributed to Mr. Purser's weight loss success.
"Nutrition was a big part of my success and my wife deserves all the credit for it," Mr. Purser said. "When I first started thinking about the program, I showed my wife the program information and she started preparing healthier meals for me. Due to the fact that I ate nutritiously, I feel more satisfied after meals and I stopped having the hunger pains that made me want to eat more."
Needless to say, Mr. Purser is happy with the results he has seen from the program.
"I would recommend this to anybody," Mr. Purser said. "All of the managers of the Fitness Center kept on encouraging me and that was a tremendous push for me. I would recommend the program to anyone who feels like they are lacking energy or is just looking for a change in their life."