Hospital employees are winners in weight-loss contest

About 100 Doctors Hospital employees recently celebrated being losers.

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The workers participated in the hospital's Luckiest Loser contest, a 12-week weight loss competition that began Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28.

At an awards ceremony in the hospital cafeteria at the end of May, the group celebrated having lost 1,014 pounds.

"That was 5.9 percent of the participants' total weight added up," said Sheri Loflin, the clinical nutrition manager. "We exceeded our goal of losing 5 percent of the total weight."

A $500 Dillard's gift card went to the top weight-loss woman, Elizabeth Goldberg, who lost 39.5 pounds. Dennis Dadig and Tom Dorn tied as the top men by losing 15 percent of their body weight. They split their $500 Dillard's gift card.

The competition started with 98 participants divided into 20 teams, who raised $6,000 through weekly weigh-ins. The money was divided into 60, 30 and 10 percent portions to the three top winning teams. Members on the first-place team also received iPod Nanos.

All participants received $30 gift certificates to Sports Authority and the most spirited team also won movie passes.

Julie Plummer, the community relations manager, said the competition was "a lot of fun."

"People came up with costumes, they started cheering for each other," she said. "The teams really got into it."

Only 17 people dropped out by the end, she said.

At the Tuesday weigh-ins, competitors paid $5 that went into a cash pot for prize money. If they'd gained weight, they had to fork over $1 for every pound gained. The winning team did not have to pay the next week.

"People got serious," Mrs. Plummer said. "They were saying the scale said 0.5 or 0.75 rather than it being a whole pound. They were taking off clothes, jewelry."

"And switching hair," said Carletta Forrest, the captain of team Diva-Licious, referring to hair extensions. "That hair weighed a pound."

Ms. Forrest, a burn technician, lost 23 pounds. She said she and her co-workers lost weight through methods including increasing water intake, making healthier eating choices, cutting back on sugar and exercising.

"I still walk five days a week," she said.

Ms. Loflin said blood work and blood pressure checks were taken before and after the competition.

"By the end, the numbers had gone down," she said. "It was a positive overall morale booster."

Volunteer services manager Bart Grey, who lost 8 pounds as a member of the Dough Boys and the Pop Tarts, said the teamwork helped because they didn't want to let each other down.

"I'd been trying for years, but it was different with a team," he said. "I hate it ended. I wish it would've started right back up.

Michele Dewyngaert, a member of the Hot Chicks Association team, agreed.

"I'd wanted to and I hadn't had the motivation. I started half-heartedly (before the contest) but when you're accountable to a team, you want to do it," said Ms. Dewyngaert, whose team lost a total of 95 pounds and won third place. "We got a whole lot more than money, though - weight loss, friendship and getting our health in check."

Reach C. Samantha McKevie at (706) 823-3552 or samantha.mckevie@augustachronicle.com.