The Results Are In... Well, Mostly.

From the very beginning till the very end it was a fierce competition. However, Jon Stodola won both the point total and highest % loss (by only .03%). This is the first time in Weight08 history that Jon has won either of them. Congratulations!!! (to me).

Observations:

- Overall, this was an exercise heavy competition (I’m guessing because people had more options for exercise with the nicer weather.)

- Although we started and finished strong we dipped in the middle – especially the week before last.

- Besides the top few people I feel like the weight loss points were fewer than in past competitions (I know it was harder for me with all the great BBQs, fairs and summer travels.)

- 5 people finished with an average of 8 points per week or more.

Great work everyone! Hopefully as the top people keep losing weight it will leave the door open for new Weight08 winners – I don’ think John E. or Tommy have much more weight to lose.

Below are the totals from last week as well as total points, weight loss % and total $ owed. Please send your payment in as soon as possible so the winners can be rewarded ASAP. Give Jon S. a call or email for mailing address if necessary. Hope to see you all again next time.

WEEK 7 RESULTS

John Ellis leads the way with only one week left. Although Jon S. gained a point on him last week I'm not sure it's going to be enough to surpass the 3-time champion. Dan Boxrud isn't too far back either - he could turn it on this week.

Even if you're already out for the final prizes, you still have a chance to win the $5.00 weekly bonus prize. Good luck and let's all finish strong.

IT MIGHT BE TIME FOR AN INTERVENTION!

John Ellis dropped an amazing 5lbs after already losing 12lbs. If he loses 2lbs more he will match the most he's ever lost during a weight loss competition... and that was in 12 weeks, not 8.

As I'm sure you could have guessed; John Ellis is our bonus $ winner this week with 12 points. Below are the results for the group.

We did better this week losing a total of 16lbs. Can we hit 20lbs next week? Let's finish strong!!!

WEEK 5 RESULTS

On Facebook I posted: "Apparently there's been a few of us who couldn't control ourselves at the State Fair this week. As a group we only managed to lose 9lbs." Then I realized the fair only started last Thursday so we may be in for another low week with points being reported again tomorrow.

Dan was the big winner for the 2-week bonus prize netting him $10 - straight cash homey!

Congratulations to Tom Stodola for being the high point earner last week. Unfortunately it doesn't get him anything except a couple points closer to the current point leaders: tied between Jon Stodola and John Ellis.

Hopefully we can see an improvement next week even with the Minnesota State Fair going on. Laura, Karen and all you out of towners should have a leg up on us Minnesotans this week. Gook luck to all!

BONUS $s TO CARRY OVER... AGAIN!

Congratulations, Dan and Jenny on a solid week 4 performance. Since there's a tie the bonus $s will carry over and the person with the highest combined points (from this week and next) will win the bonus $s for both weeks.

Note: Everyone is eligible to win.

Although the total points are dropping a bit we still managed to lose another 16 lbs this week. Way to go!

Please comment on anything you'd like to see done differently in future competitions. You can respond anonymously if you'd like. One suggestion I heard is to raise the weekly pay-in amount for the lowest three point earners. What are your ideas, thoughts, comments, or concerns?

ONLY 5 WEEKS TO GO!

Unsuspectingly, Mark pulls his way to the top this week and wins the $5.00 bonus prize. Congratulations, Mark!

As a group we managed to lose another 13lbs. Not quite as well as in week one when we lost a whopping 27lbs, but still respectable.

Jon Stodola leads the race but John Ellis is nipping at his heels. It’s still early enough to be anyone’s game. Good luck!

By the way; what’s your favorite healthy snack?

THE BEST WAY TO LOSE YOUR MIDDLE - CUTTING CARBS OR FAT?

Which should you cut back on first if you want to trim belly fat -- carbs or fat?

You might think that dietary fat goes straight to your middle, but research suggests that too many empty carbs is really the first thing to do your belly in.

Dueling Diets
In a study, healthy overweight men and women went on two consecutive 8-week diet interventions. The first diet period was focused on weight maintenance and the second aimed for weight reduction by cutting calories. Through each phase, the participants followed either a reduced-fat or a reduced-carbohydrate diet. When all was said and done, both groups lost weight. But it turned out that the group on the reduced-carb diet -- which, incidentally, also focused on quality, low-glycemic-index carbs -- lost 11 percent more deep belly fat compared with the group on the low-fat diet. Plus, the low-carb group lost more fat mass overall.

(Try these quick and simple low-carb recipes.)