Local activist Justin Rudd’s contest the “Long Beach Losers” weight loss challenge was a huge success last night with a purse of over $50,000 at stake. There were 782 participants this year, and the results were astounding. The top individual winners lost approximately 25-30% of their body weight and a total of 11,161 lbs. were lost overall! Families, friends, and contestants gathered around the Christmas tree in the Marketplace in Long Beach to hear the winning names and teams. With team names such as “Cash for Chunkers” and “Damn I’m Hungry” the mood was definitely festive.
Many thanked Justin for his inspiration and for hosting the event, and cited diet, exercise, and portion control as the go-to solutions for healthy weight loss.
I asked Mr. Rudd for his top ten tips for healthy weight loss in the New Year and he came up with almost 300 ideas! See his website for the full list (it’s in the blue box to the right). Here’s a smaller, bite-sized portion as well.
1. Get at least 8 hours of sleep.
2. Eat one cookie, instead of 6.
3. Drive by drive-thrus. Don’t stop.
4. Order a small.
5. Put down the TV remote.
6. More raw veggies.
7. Walk the block before bed.
8. Drink more water.
9. Take half your meal to-go.
10. Write down everything you eat.