by Joshua Curtis
Daily Lobo
UNM's Employee Health Promotion Program announced the winners of its Biggest Loser Challenge on Wednesday.
David Harris, UNM's acting president, said health is important.
"We always have to watch out for our health. No one else will," he said.
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The winner in the men's category was Scott Sanders, a professor of English and professional writing. He lost 10 pounds during the eight-week program.
"We are eating better food," he said. "The real key is making sure you eat whatever you like to eat - spend a little more time with the cooking."
Miranda Eastham was the women's-category winner. She lost 11 pounds in the eight-week period.
The program tried to emphasize lifestyle changes in diet and exercise, said Nicholas Spezza, who helped organize the contest. One hundred fifty-nine people registered for the event, and 92 were measured and weighed at the end of it, according to a UNM press release.
"I went from very little exercise to five and six days a week," Eastham said. "I am doing core strength, biking, yoga, Nia and swimming. We go out for 35- to 50-mile bikes once a week."
First-place winners received gift certificates and iPod Nanos.
Spezza said the event was about more than prizes.
"The overall goal is really about lifestyle change," he said. "If people try to do too much at once, they can get overwhelmed. We had awards but didn't tell them what they were."
The results of the program were the best reward, he said.
"The real incentive was health changes, body-fat loss, improved mood and increased energy," he said.
The program is not the end of the weight loss, Spezza said.
"We're still here. We are not going anywhere," he told the participants.
Shelley Rael, the senior clinical nutritionist for EHPP, agreed.
"This is such a short-term program, just to get you started," she said. "We are going to have another one - probably not till February or March."
