By ERIN MATHEWS

Salina Journal

The Mama Mias want to get back to their 1970's weights -- well, most of them anyway.

"I don't think I'm going to make it," said team captain Ellaina White. "Seven pounds, three ounces might be a little unrealistic."

The Mama Mias, made up of two sisters, a daughter and a cousin, were among about 325 four-person teams signed up by Saturday morning to participate in a free, community-wide, 12-week weight loss program called Pound Plunge. Teams or individuals can continue to sign up until Sept. 20 at www.poundplungesalina.com.

"We hope to inspire everyone," said Joni Carver, Ellaina's aunt.

Theresa White, Ellaina's mother, said the team is ready to lose weight -- both to feel and look better in time for her daughter's upcoming wedding and because she and team member Nancy Jaquay have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

"We're going to go through the kitchen and get rid of the chips," she said.

There's another motivation as well.

"Let's be honest here," she said. "We're going for the big bucks." Pound Plunge is offering a $1,000 cash prize to the team with the highest percentage of body weight lost.

If the Mama Mia's want to win, they'll have to beat the Pound Punishers, a team made up of Jennifer Briggs, Allie Kastens, Laureen Moody and Rhonda Washmon, co-workers at Sunflower Insurance Group.

Briggs said she hopes to make a lifestyle change that includes regular exercise and healthier eating habits. Kastens said she hopes to shed unwanted pounds left over from her college diet of beer and pizza, and Moody said she recently retired and Pound Plunge is "me getting back on track."

They were among hundreds of Pound Plunge participants at a kick off event at the Bicentennial Center Saturday morning, where teams had a "before" picture taken, picked up their team packets and had blood work done. The first weigh-in will be Sept. 21 at the Salina Family YMCA, and the event will conclude with a celebration dance Dec. 14.

Larry Avery, sales manager at Eagle Communications, said event organizers are excited that more than 1,300 people have signed up to participate in the program so far, and they plan to organize more activities in the future. Eagle Communications, which owns KINA and KSKG radio stations, also owns stations in Hays and St. Joseph, Mo., where similar events have been successful. Representatives of Eagle Communications shared the concept with health and fitness organizations in Salina, and nearly a year of planning and preparation was launched to create Salina's Pound Plunge.

"This is the beginning of a long-term project," he said. "If one Salina area individual becomes healthier than they were before this happened, we've accomplished our goal. It takes one person at a time getting involved."

Participants were inspired to pursue their weight loss goals Saturday by Jez Luckett, who lost 150 pounds in eight months as a contestant on the TV reality show "The Biggest Loser."

"Well done! You're here, and that's the first step," Luckett said. "It's all about taking that first step, and after that it's putting one foot in front of another and keeping it going."

Luckett showed his "before" picture and held up a large pair of corduroy pants that he wore during the years when the only vegetables he regularly consumed were the olives on his pizza.

Luckett, who now works at a health food store in Lawrence, described the process he went through to change from eating 1,500 calories of processed and junk foods before noon to learning to enjoy vegetables and quinoa, a nutritious whole grain.

"I began eating things I never even knew existed," he said. "Putting good things into your body is the only way to actually feel energized."

Luckett got a crash course in weight loss on the television program, where he had a personal trainer who monitored every bite he ate and made sure he did strength and circuit training and cardiovascular exercises for five hours a day. He said there were days when he didn't want to get out of bed and felt like he would die -- either from too much exercise or because he would be murdered by the personal trainer for not doing the exercise.

"You can't do this for vanity," he said. "It has to be for sanity."

He said he had to learn to overcome mental barriers that made him believe it was impossible for him to lose weight, and eventually he realized he had the drive and the ability to make the changes he needed to make. With purpose, a plan and support, almost any goal can be achieved, he said.

To keep the weight off away from the television cameras, Luckett said he will have to continue to make healthy choices for the rest of his life. When he first came home following the TV show, Luckett said he watched with envy as his parents ate McDonald's for breakfast and Arby's for lunch while he dined on roasted chicken and spinach.

He said he couldn't resist the temptation and ate curly fries out of the trash can.

"Bumps come in the road, but I had begun something I wasn't ever going to stop," he said. "At the end of the day, is it inside you to do it? It's about finding that inner strength."

Luckett said making little lifestyle changes can result in big differences and give a person private victories every day.

While he used to think all of his problems were caused by obesity, Luckett said he has learned that in addition to physical health, people must attend to their mental, emotional and spiritual health.

"Skinny people have messed up lives too. Imagine that," he said. "Losing weight did not solve all my problems, but it did instill in me that I can do anything."

n Reporter Erin Mathews can be reached at 822-1415 or by e-mail at emathews@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

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WhatsUp says....
Why do they always say, "If only one person is helped, we feel it's worth it"? Set the goal higher. This challenge is a good idea and should be repeated in the spring.
9/7/2008

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Speaking Out.... YMCA Member says....
While this is a great thing good for many.. it is wonderful that 325- 4 person teams have signed up, 1300 people are being given the free opportunity to workout at the YMCA. My honest concern is? What effect is this going to have on the paying members? Our Y is fabulous and large but this number 1300 new free "12 week" participants is going to impact availability of use to the paying membership... I think there is room for more...but 1300? I know first hand the dedication the membership has to fitness and time spent working out. Can other fitness organization in Salina jump on board and offer their facilities for exercise too? Have they even been asked?
9/7/2008

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