How losing weight furnished a new house - Wichita KS - May, 2007
BY KAREN SHIDELER
The Wichita Eagle
New furniture was just the motivation that Darci Folster needed to lose weight. Folster and her husband recently built a new house in Valley Center, so she was hooked when she saw that $2,500 in furniture was part of the grand prize in Play It Again Sports' Biggest Loser contest.
As the winner of the contest, she's not sure which makes her happier -- the furniture and the $4,000 that went with it, or the size 4s that have replaced her 14s and the healthier eating habits that she and her family have developed.
Folster weighed 169 pounds when the contest began and 112 when it ended. Her husband, Brandon, also entered the contest and lost 65 pounds.
The contest was based on percent of body weight lost, says Scott Martin, Play It Again's owner. More than 1,200 people signed up for the contest; 262 finished it, together losing 6,941 pounds. The rules required that no one could lose more than 2 percent of their weight a week. Ten people lost their maximum, and Folster won the tie-breaker.
Folster, who is 31, says she had slowly put on weight after her daughters were born. They're now 9, 7 and 3.
Folster and her husband lost the weight by changing their food and exercise habits. Before the contest, "neither one of us really exercised much, and we just ate junk," she said.
They cut back on soft drinks and other sources of sugar, and they started eating more fruits and vegetables. The changes occasionally brought complaints from their daughters: "They'd tell people, 'We don't get pop anymore.' I think they've gotten used to it now. It's healthier for them, too."
Folster takes pride in her exercise efforts.
"We do not have a Y membership or anything like that," she said. Instead, they looked for ways to exercise at home. Folster dug out her "Yoga Booty Ballet" video and "I started running, up and down our street outside."
Folster says she regained a pound or two while moving into the new house at the beginning of May, "but I'm still in my size 4s."
She says the experience taught her a lot about healthy eating. Her family continues to eat smaller amounts of pasta and bread and more fruits and vegetables.
The contest money went for "blinds for all the windows," a storm door and a garage door opener.
Other winners
The other top finishers in Play It Again Sports' Biggest Loser contest:
• Phil Holden of Anthony, 67 pounds
• Nick Matthews of Goddard, 71 pounds
• David Peaney of Newton, 66 pounds
• Monica Rupp of Udall, 54 pounds
Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.
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