Maricopa has its own biggest loser contest for cash and prizes

Want to lose some weight and possibly gain some cash?

Then enter the Maricopa-based biggest loser contest. The contest is a weight loss clinic with an entry fee of $29, but $25 of that is put into a pool and divided among the three biggest losers.

The organizer of the program, Ruth Nelson, is a personal health and weight loss coach who has struggled with weight loss herself.

“After three children and being over 200 pounds with each birth, I would starve myself to try to lose all the weight. Six years ago I had to have a hysterectomy and didn’t like myself much anymore. I was suffering from headaches and tired all the time,” Nelson said.

However, by learning about healthy habits and nutrition, Nelson lost 25 pounds in two months and has kept the weight off for six years.

“I am a grandmother of seven, and I feel incredible,” Nelson said.

In order to help people struggling to lose weight, Nelson runs a program called Weight Loss Challenge. She thinks of it as a miniature version of the popular “Biggest Loser” television show.

The program lasts 12 weeks and meets on both Monday and Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. for 45 minutes.

“At each meeting, if you’ve gained a pound, you put a dollar into the pot,” Nelson said. “If you’ve lost a pound, you get a prize ticket. Every week there are a lot of gifts given away, and it makes meetings a lot of fun.”

Participants are weighed and measured privately at each weekly meeting, but weight and measurements are never shared with the group. Instead, the only numbers shared are the amount of weight lost.

“In addition to a sense of fun, community and accountability, Weight Loss Challenge also equips its participants with the tools they need to lose weight, be healthy and keep the weight off for good,” Nelson said.

Nelson works with each participant to determine what they need to change about their eating habits and diet in order to lose weight at a steady rate and promote health. The program stresses a solid education about nutrition, where food is fuel for a healthy body instead of being the enemy of weight loss.

“I teach you to be able to go out to eat and not feel guilty,” Nelson said. “We don’t count numbers or any of that. I actually teach you a new way of life, a new way of eating.”

All ages, weights and genders are welcome. For more information or to enter the challenge, call Nelson at (520) 568- 0515.

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