Posted 1:50 am Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Weight Loss Challengers Keep The Pounds Off, Or Do They?
By JACQUE HILBURN-SIMMONS
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Grim realities of stuffing one's face over Super Bowl weekend seem to have hit home for one remorseful dieter, who found himself in a bit of a jam over calorie intake.
Now in its fourth week, the "10 in 10 Challenge" started off as a friendly wager between
Tyler Morning Telegraph
publisher Nelson Clyde and Tyler City Manager Mark McDaniel, who challenged the newsman to lose a pound a week for a 10-week period.
If Clyde fails to live up to the challenge, off goes his hair.
The men had a similar agreement last fall, only it was McDaniel who found himself facing his barber at a meeting of the Fit City Challenge, a community campaign to promote fitter lifestyles.
However, Tuesday's weekly weigh-in at the Tyler Senior Center seemed more like a confessional than a fitness challenge when Clyde stepped up to the scale and made a public admission: "I may be a little heavier this week."
Apparently it wasn't an isolated slip-up either.
"I had a cheeseburger, some pizza, some ice cream and some Bar-B-Q," Clyde said.
Indeed.
True to his word, Clyde weighed in at 271 pounds -- last week, he was 267, officials said.
McDaniel came in at 157, a full pound lighter than last week.
"There was lots of suffering," the manager said.
Clyde, however, said he enjoyed every morsel of his temporary lapse in willpower, but admitted he's getting a little worried about the outcome.
"The hair is at risk," he said.
On the bright side, both men have lost 9.8 pounds each since the campaign began, records show.
To celebrate his latest loss, McDaniel caved to public pressure to join the seniors in a little line-dancing, generating enthusiastic applause from onlookers -- most of them women.
"He's got rhythm," Tyler Senior Center Supervisor Kay Odom said, grinning widely. "He really does."
While the city official was enjoying his newfound celebrity, the publisher managed to duck out a rear door without elaborating on the source of his food desires.
Some center visitors found the men's public weight loss campaign a bit motivating.
Anna Nunn, 70, was among those who stepped up Tuesday to join the community weight loss efforts, starting with an initial weigh-in.
"I've been thinking about losing a few pounds, because of how my clothes fit," she said, stepping off the scale. "I want to improve my heath."
Ms. Nunn said she was impressed by the honesty of the two weight loss challengers, predicting Clyde will eventually emerge as the front runner.
"He's got more to lose," she said, quickly noting she didn't view him as "fat."
Center regular James Allen, 72, was still on the fence about predicting an outcome to the friendly competition.
"I think it's nice for them to be doing that," Allen said with a grin. "I couldn't say who's going to win."
Ms. Odom said the men's friendly weight loss competition confirms the center's philosophy that healthy living is important at any age.
"What an honor it is that our city manager and Nelson would take time to do this with our seniors, and include the senior community in this important program," Ms. Odom said.
At least 60 community members stepped up to participate in the 10 in 10 Challenge, including Fit City Challenge organizers Dave Berry,
Tyler Morning Telegraph
editor, and George Roberts, chief executive officer of the Northeast Texas Public Health District.
Berry, who remains on a losing streak, said he's pleased with the buy-in from the community.
"I'm pleased with the way Fit City has taken hold in so many areas of our community," he said. "We've been working to make Fit City appeal to all ages, and we're excited to be here."
The next weigh in is planned for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, 315 N. Broadway Ave.
Final weigh in is set for 3 p.m. March 21, Fit City Steering Committee meeting, Tyler City Hall state room, 212 N. Bonner Ave.
