HAWC crowns Dover's Biggest Winners

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Six Team Dover members recently won the Biggest Winner contest, based off of the TV reality series 'The Biggest Loser,' which was sponsored by the 436th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Health and Wellness Center.

The winning team called themselves the 'Shanghai Knights,' from the 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron, which consisted of Chief Master Sgt. Gary Webb, his wife Janet and daughter Ryan, Staff Sgt. Jessica Sera, Staff Sgt. Khalinda Rose, and Tech. Sgt. Felicia Williams.

All participants had a chance of only nine weeks to see what team could lose the most weight.

"The HAWC put on a great program, I absolutely loved the contest!" said Chief Webb, chief supply chain management flight. The HAWC staff really cared about this contest - their attitudes and positive energy was inspiring.

"I've never lost so much weight in my life; I didn't know I was capable of losing so much weight," he said.

Each individual was allowed to lose up to three pounds a week and a total of 25 pounds, and the Shanghai Knights took it to the next level.

"I reached my personal goal and lost 30 out of 124.2 pounds for our team," said Chief Webb.

The chief said the original plan for the team was to have fun and lose some weight.

"We didn't think we'd be the top team when we started," he said. "But we constantly communicated with one another, giving diet and workout advice to each other."

By helping one another, the Shanghai Knights used team effort from every member to achieve first place.

"Teamwork really helped me at times when I wanted to give up," said Sergeant Williams, NCO-in-charge of compliance, who lost 28 pounds. "My teammates were always encouraging and provided tips on how to endure and meet our personal goals."

One team member said she reached her goal by having a strong-willed team.

"The most important goal was for me to lose weight the healthy way and maintain what I've achieved," said Sergeant Rose, storage and issue warehouse supervisor, who lost 22 pounds. "One of my motivators was never to let my team down."

Every person and every pound counted, said Chief Webb.

"The Stay Pufts were on our heels from beginning to end," said Chief Webb. "It was a close match."

The second place team, the Stay Pufts, were only .8 of a pound away from first place.

"We couldn't have done it without one another," said the chief.

The winners' column

"The most important change is your lifestyle," said Sergeant Sera, storage and issue warehouse supervisor. "You don't have to starve yourself or workout three hours every day, you can just make healthier decisions of what you eat and exercising regularly each day to lose weight. Don't think of it as a 'diet.' Eat small portions of the food you like and cut down on fats."

"I ran three to seven miles per workout session along with eating five small, healthy meals per day," said Chief Webb. "Sometimes, my wife, Janet, and I would share a sandwich at lunch. It doesn't sound like much but it's a fairly easy adjustment. I cut back on soda and drank more water. Eat lots of fish, vegetables, fruit and whole grain 100 percent wheat bread."

"To lose weight on your own, you have to have a reason for wanting it that will make you want to get up and go workout or put that extra cookie back in the box, said Sergeant Rose. "If you put your mind to it, you can do it. Losing weight doesn't happen overnight, so don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. It takes time and you will succeed if you remain positive."