Miranda Eastham, database administrator for Advancement Services, was named UNM’s Biggest Loser today after completing an eight-week weight loss program. The university’s Biggest Loser Challenge was based on the popular NBC series and organized by the Employee Health Promotion Program. A celebration for participants and supporters was held in the SUB.
Photo: Biggest Loser Challenge Coordinator Shelley Rael (l.) and first place winner Miranda Eastham.
Participant success was based on total weight and inches lost, said Shelley Rael, challenge coordinator. Of the 159 people who registered, 92 people were post-measured, losing a combined total of 276.2 pounds.
Eastham, who is down 11 pounds, five inches and 3.7 percent in body fat, and English Professor Scott Sanders, who lost 10 pounds to weigh in as the top loser among UNM’s male employees, were each awarded an iPod Nano and $75 gift certificates for EHPP services.
Doug Weintraub and Sheryl Padilla placed second to earn $75 in EHPP services, and Terry Mulcahy and Maria Daw placed third to earn $35 in services, including fees for EHPP’s second Biggest Loser Challenge, scheduled to begin next spring.
Eastham said she found her greatest support in partner Sherry Reeder and from the “Foundation Fitties,” one of 13 self-organized campus teams.
“Being on a team gave me lots of motivation,” Eastham said. “We met once a week. Accountability is really important.”
In addition to adopting healthier eating habits, Eastham increased physical activity through dance, yoga, swimming, biking and core strengthening, she said.
Acting President David Harris was on hand to congratulate those who participated. He noted obesity’s major drain on employers, the economy and employees’ pocketbooks. Harris announced a personal success, a 30-pound weight loss during the past year. “Challenges like this that hit us directly are very helpful,” he said.
The average weight loss during UNM’s program was 3.0 pounds. One UNM employee is 16 lbs. lighter. Employees shed 156.2 inches from the waist and hips for an average of 1.7 inches per person. One individual took off 6.7 inches.
The group of 92 collectively cut 1,101,405 calories over the course of the eight weeks for an average of 11,972 calories per person, about a 1,500 calorie deficit each week or 214 calories a day, said Rael, a registered dietitian.
In addition to tracking pre and post-program body measurements and weight, EHPP staff assisted participants in making healthier food choices, maximizing physical activity and changing habits.
For information visit, http://ehpp.unm.edu/ or call 272-3710 or 272-3989.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu