By Megan Sprague

So who was the biggest loser in the Mooresville Parks and Recreation’s Weight Loss Challenge? That honor went to Randy Ballentine, who shed 44 pounds and walked away with $400 in prize money.

But all the participants said they finished the course lighter and healthier than they began. 

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Rosalia and Vincent Cairelli were big losers, but in a great way.

“Overall, I lost 20.8 pounds,” Rosalia said. “I feel wonderful. I still have 10 pounds to go, but I feel very comfortable in my own skin now.”

Her husband, Vincent, lost 20 pounds and felt just as good.

“I was eating the wrong food at the wrong times for all the wrong reasons,” he said. “Now I’m eating right, I’m being consistent and I’m still losing weight.”

Rosalia ended the contest with a bang, placing third and winning $160.

When asked what she would do with the money, Rosalia joked it would buy her some new pants, as she was cinching her belt as tight as it would go.

Vincent placed fourth, and also earned the title of “Most Inches Lost,” netting him $92.

“Now I can get two pairs of new pants!” Rosalia laughed, after Vincent was awarded his prize money.

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Michele and Ed Rouse are “more conscious of what they put in their mouths,” and have made a strong finish.

“Learning how to eat right was definitely one of the most valuable lessons I got out of this,” Michele said. She lost a total of 12.5 pounds for the class.

She and Ed, who lost 5 pounds, are planning to take the class again to help them finish shedding the weight.

“If it takes us three times, so be it,” she said. “I loved it. We made really good friends and had a lot of laughs. If I hadn’t joined, I’d still be 12.5 pounds heavier. Now I go to the gym and take care of my body. I’ve lost a whole size and I feel great about it.”

“The accountability has been so good for us,” Ed added. “I’m glad we can start again next week.”

Anna Ballentine is 10 pounds lighter and very satisfied with her Weight Loss Challenge experience.

“Physically, I feel so much better, and my clothes fit,” she said. “I would never have stayed on this plan without the encouragement of everyone here, and I wouldn’t have lost a pant size and several inches.”

Her husband, Randy, was a big force in helping her lose weight and ended up coming in first place.

“I exercised by playing basketball and used portion control,” he told the class.

He lost a whopping 44 pounds and won $400.

Last but not least, Darlene Waddell ended up shedding 20 pounds throughout the 12 weeks.

“I went from a size XL to a medium,” she said, amazed. “My self-esteem is so high now, and I’m not embarrassed when I look at myself in the mirror.”

Her weight loss has prompted her to run two 5K races.

“I’ve committed 100 percent,” she said. “You have to. I can’t go back.“

Don Stiel was proud of the way his inaugural class turned out.

“Overall, I was thrilled because everyone got results,” he said. “All of the feedback I’ve heard has been positive.“

He said many of the participants admitted they expected the class to be rigid.

“Instead, they got to have fun, make friends and it was a pleasurable experience,” Stiel said. “When the participants tell me how much they’ve learned and what they’re implementing, it’s music to my ears. It means they got it.”

His final piece of advice was to not try losing weight alone.

“Find a group or even one friend to be accountable to,” Stiel said. “Many of the people in this class said without the others, they would have given up weeks ago.”

He added that many people who haven’t been through an experience like this don’t give enough credit to the power of a supportive group.

“The competition may have gotten them started on the right path, but it was the support that built them up, and that happened without my input,” he said.

The Weight Loss Challenge class as a whole shed 286 pounds as of Tuesday.

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