Portland, OR

So, earlier I was talking about a Portland-style Biggest Loser competition. Now I want to tell you about the ways you can participate and the prizes you might just win if you do so!

There are three ways to participate in Portland’s Biggest Loser competition:

COMPETITION MODE
~come to an official weigh in (private one-on-one weighings - there will be no public displaying of any results)
~bring $10** for the competition (ALL money goes to the prizes)
~keep track of your goals and progress weekly on SparkPeople (in the blog section)
~find fitness buddies
~come to healthy dinner nights out
~find fitness activities in your area to join in on
~come to the final weigh in and see how much you’ve accomplished!

PLAY AT HOME MODE - not motivated by a cash prize?
~do all the same but ditch the $10 fee and the official weigh in
~you enjoy all the benefits of the program except eligibility to win prizes

SUPPORT MODE
~if you have a friend that is doing it and you want to support them
~if you have gotten into shape and want to share tips
~if you have a service to provide to help people reach their goals
~if you want to donate any items for winners or participants

There are cash prizes available to the top three losers (based on percentage of weight lost) and we are currently working on a head-to-toe makeover for the grand prize winner! This prize is complete with a professional photo shoot to show off the new you! On top of all this, we are working on “swag” bags for all participants in the competition! There will be more details on these things later!

(**this $10 “fee” is totally optional but required to be eligible for the prize. this is not a scam - some people are just more motivated by the chance to win some dough!!)

Donations from hairdressers, estheticians, massage therapists, photographers and other Portland companies are always welcome. Please either send me an email or leave a MySpace message on The Biggest Loser PDX’s MySpace page

DON’T BE SHY! This is not just for the extremely overweight. It is about being healthy and working towards a better you! You can’t even say that you don’t know anyone who is going to do this - I am, you know me, right!? Invite friends to join with you, compete with them (Cav and I are competing between the two of us on top of the overall competition!) If your work is not already doing it - have them start! The more people involved - the more we can do to make this really work for the people that really want to make a change!

Getting in shape can be tough - but it is a lot easier when you know that you are not alone! Again don’t be shy - whether you just want to tone up or you need to lose serious weight - make today the day you commit to doing it! We’ll be here to help!

My friend Cav and I both religiously watch The Biggest Loser and chat through it. This week while watching, she had a great idea - let’s bring The Biggest Loser to Portland!

So, have you ever watched The Biggest Loser and thought “I wish I could do that!” or even felt jealous that the contestants were so supported by their peers to lose weight? Now nothing is stopping you!

Who can join? You can! Your friends can! Your co-workers are even invited! The more people who join, the better it will be for everyone!

What: A “let’s make Portland healthier” campaign - lose some of your body weight, gain more muscle mass, learn to cook great tasting healthy foods, climb 18 flights of stairs without passing out! Essentially this is a contest with prizes (cash, a makeover and a photo shoot) to those who lose the greatest percentage of weight.

When: At the first of the year, Portland’s own version of The Biggest Loser is set to begin. There will be approximately 90 days worth of competition (January through March) in hopes of making these life-long habit changes, not just a temporary fix up.

Where: Here. Portland. Our town. Our town that is slowing becoming more and more unhealthy.

Why: to get in shape, to tone up, to find some fitness buddies, to improve your life and to change your current habits.

How: Friend The Biggest Loser PDX on MySpace!
Go to SparkPeople (an amazing website that tracks your calorie intake, activities, weight and measurement tracking)
Add cavilleri as your friend on SparkPeople
Join The Biggest Loser PDX group!

***more on prizes and incentives in the next entry!***