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BUTLER - To lose is to win in this contest
(by April Plantamura - Staff Writer - June 04, 2008)
BUTLER - After three months of strict dieting and rigorous exercise, the winners of the local Weight Loss Challenge were recently announced and rewarded for their dedication and hard work.
Shane O’Connor of Pompton Plains was the “biggest loser” out of the men who participated in the 90-day challenge, losing a total of 60 pounds, or 26.5 percent of his body weight. Shane entered into the contest, which kicked off with the first weigh-in on Feb. 7, with his sister Jackie and mother Kathy, both of Riverdale.
Jackie came in a close second place for the women, losing 15.9 percent of her body weight, .1 percent less than the female winner Joan Vaccaro, who lost 16 percent. Vaccaro joined the Weight Watchers program a month prior to signing up for the Weight Loss Challenge and said that exercising from home and the support of her family are what really helped her get through the past few months.
“My husband and my kids have been so inspiring,” Vaccaro said. “They are absolutely wonderful.”
Vaccaro said that Weight Watchers helped her to maintain her diet and that she uses a treadmill and stationary bike to exercise at home. Now that the weather is getting warmer Vaccaro walks five miles in the morning and five miles at night. As the winner in the female category, Vaccaro also received a free three-month membership to Gold’s Gym in Riverdale, where she plans on continuing to reach for her weight loss goals.
Shane said that his goal going into the challenge was to lose exactly 60 pounds, but that even though the contest is over and he has reached his goal, he would like to continue working out.
“I don’t want to lose any more weight,” Shane said. “I just want to maintain what I’ve lost.”
Both Shane and his sister joined Spa 23, located on Route 23 in Pequannock, at the beginning of the challenge to help motivate them. Shane said that he primarily used the treadmill and other equipment in the gym, while Jackie preferred participating in the spin classes offered at Spa 23.
“I would go to the gym seven days a week,” Jackie said. “(Now that the challenge is over) I will probably cut back to going three days a week and taking off on the weekends.”
Shane and Jackie both said that when it came to their diets, smaller portions and less snack food were a big help. Shane’s wife Valerie made him his lunches and Jackie cut out high-calorie/high-fat foods.
“I don’t eat fast food anymore,” she said.
Warren and Julie Frerichs, Realtors for Real Estate Consultants, headquartered in Fairfield, created the Weight Loss Challenge to help bring the community together in support of losing weight and getting healthy. The Frerichses, who are residents of Butler, originally planned on admitting only Butler residents into the challenge, but after receiving positive feedback and increased interest from members outside of the local community, the challenge became much more widespread.
“We opened it up to anyone who showed interest,” Julie said.
Several local gyms participated in the challenge, offering free memberships to participants, including Spa 23 in Pequannock, ShapeXpress in Newfoundland, Olympus Gym and Curves, both located in Butler, and Gold’s Gym in Riverdale.
Fifty individuals in total signed up for the Weight Loss Challenge, each paying a $20 registration fee. The $1,000 that was collected was used as prize money, with the first-place winners in both the male and female categories receiving $250, second place $150 and third $100. Other prizes, totaling $2,850 in value, included manicures and pedicures from XO Nails, makeovers from Alter Ego and Fantastic Sams and teeth cleanings from Dr. Brian Meserlian of Very Gentle Dental.
The final weigh-in for the challenge was held on Thursday, May 29 at Spa 23, where each participant was given a raffle ticket and received one of the donated prizes. Those in attendance Thursday night also had the opportunity to hear life coach Linda Sollars give tips and tools on how to keep their weight-loss successes going. Sollars, who has had a career in both financial services and as a pilot for commercial airlines, has been a life coach for approximately two years.
“I always thought nothing could compare to flying,” Sollars said. “But this (being a life coach) comes in as a close second. It is incredible to have the honor of witnessing people achieve their goals.”
The Frerichs were extremely pleased with the great success of the first-ever Weight Loss Challenge and are eager to make things “bigger and better” in the years to come.
“We are here to help the community,” Warren said. “And we are open to any suggestions or ideas people might have on how else to help support the community or improve the Weight Loss Challenge. We thank everyone for participating.”
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