Health center names ‘Biggest Loser’ Published April 3, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The Health and Wellness Center completed its fourth annual "Biggest Loser" contest March 22 with 74 teams, consisting of 248 people, losing weight, eating healthy and working out. Staff Sgt. Michael Pazarena, 375th Communication Squadron, was the biggest loser by dropping 15 percent of his total body weight. "Winnin Either Weigh"--the duo of Kym Velazquez and Vivian Broadbent--lost the highest combined percentage of weight as a team at 9.99 percent. Christine Cooley, HAWC health educator, said the HAWC kicked off this competition as a fun way to encourage people to work hard to lose weight and improve eating habits. Participants who completed the two-month challenge received a black beanie cap. At the end, winners were awarded prizes including gym bags, workout equipment and gift certificates. Pazarena lost weight with a strict diet and running about two miles every day. "The accomplishment means a lot for me; it was a lot of hard work." he said. "I made a promise to myself to get in shape, and stay in shape year round. I knew the 'Biggest Loser' contest would provide the motivation to help me start on that path." "Biggest Loser" worked hand-in-hand with the physical fitness portion of the Comprehensive Airman Fitness initiative. CAF helps Airmen, Air Force civilians and family members become more resilient and better-equipped to deal with the hardships of military life. It focuses on mental, social, spiritual, and physical fitness. Cooly said, "This competition helps people jump start a program for them if they achieve a healthier weight and improve their overall ealth. You have team camaraderie. I think that's why this program is so successful because you have people who are relying on you to see some results too." Pazarena said his team made it a competition amongst themselves to see who would do better. "We were always striving to out do each other and be the biggest loser of our team. I think that may have provided the most motivation of all," he said. Fifty-five percent of the teams that started the competition in January came back for the final weigh-in at the end of March, Cooley said. Overall, participants lost 855 pounds and earned 23,577 wellness points. Teams also competed to earn wellness points. These points were awarded based on how many fruits and vegetables were eaten each day, along with how much people worked out. "Fantastic 4" earned first place in this category, with a total of 439 points. The members of that team were Paula Brown, Janice Day, Jason Day and Karen Kinzel. Cooley said, "We usually have a high completion rate. It's really good when you can have more than half of the folks to come back and finish. That tells us that we're doing something right."