Well, it's officially on!!!

The paper looks great today!

I've received lots of encouragement from all kinds of people. Way cool!

And even though I'm last in the web article I was first in the newspaper. We hit the front page and the front page of the Wichitalk section. Great pics. Lots of fun. I bought a couple papers to send to my family.

I'll share more later, but for now, here's a link to the page and the text in case it get's out of date:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/15494728.htm


Taking the challenge
Meet the Wichitans committed to losing weight and getting healthier
BY KAREN SHIDELER
The Wichita Eagle
Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle

SIX volunteers in WichiTalk's Weight-Loss Challenge hope to be a combined 150 pounds lighter before Christmas.

The six were chosen from 65 people who were willing to go public with their weight-loss attempts. We told Tom Allen, Jamie Goltz, Toni Harden, Crystal Iseman, Andrea McClellan and

Ken Rawson that we would follow them for three months, reporting on their progress as they worked toward the goals they set.

Unlike TV's "The Biggest Loser," this isn't a contest to see who can lose the most. Instead, the payoff is better health.

In December -- just before it's time to make New Year's resolutions -- we'll report back on how our team did and share their tips for success.

We'll update you, too, on how they're doing along the way, with the hope that their stories will inspire all of us to commit to our own health efforts.

Here's a look at each of them:

Tom Allen

Bio: Age 43. Married with three children. Teacher and coach at Northwest High School.

His goal: To lose about 40 pounds.

How he'll do it: Exercise -- riding a stationary bike or running every day -- and monitoring calories. "I'm going to look for foods that are filling yet low in calories." He has started a food journal.

Potential challenges: Weekends. "During the week, I'm so busy that I don't get hungry." He also eats when he gets too tired.

His motivation: Health concerns, a promise to his wife that he'd lose weight before her birthday in January, and "I want to be around for my kids' graduations."


Jamie Goltz

Bio: Age 23. Married. Does secretarial-clerical work for Army National Guard.

Her goal: To lose 25 to 30 pounds.

How she'll do it: Counting calories, giving up junk food and watching portion sizes. She'll do cardio work in the McConnell Air Force Base gym and strength work on her own.

Potential challenges: Family and holidays. Over Labor Day weekend, "I was eating more starches and stuff I'm trying to cut out."

Her motivation: She got married in March but didn't have a "wedding wedding." They'll have that in April, and she hopes "to fit in a dress I like." She also has health concerns that weight loss would lessen.


Toni Harden

Bio: Age 46. Single with two children. Para educator at Wells Special Education Center.

Her goal: To lose 20 to 30 pounds. "I want to be healthy. I'm too old to be skinny."

How she'll do it: Counting calories and reducing fat intake. She already exercises but "I really am not as consistent with the weights as I am with the cardio."

Potential challenges: A slowing metabolism. Plus, "I'm a big snacker... I eat a lot of healthy stuff. But I love chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake."

Her motivation: Health issues. And her job is physically demanding. "Maybe if I lost a little bit of weight, it wouldn't be such a challenge."


Crystal Iseman

Bio: Age 26. Married, three children. Stay-at-home mom, day-care provider and online college student.

Her goal: To lose 25 pounds.

How she'll do it: Counting calories. She has enlisted a weight-loss/exercise buddy. They will work out together three times a week.

Potential challenges: "It's really easy to just go with fast food or frozen dinners sometimes when I'm so busy." She plans to shop more wisely.

Her motivation: She lost weight before her most recent pregnancy and remembers how good she felt. Plus, "I want to show myself and other mommies out there that there has to be time for Mom to take care of herself."


Andrea McClellan

Bio: Age 31. Married with two children. Stay-at-home mom.

Her goal: To lose 25 pounds.

How she'll do it: She's using a meal-replacement drink for two meals a day and eating a sensible meal for the third. She is working with a personal trainer.

Potential challenges: Getting though holidays and family celebrations, eating for emotional reasons and eating at night. "If I eat at night, I can't stop."

Her motivation: Health concerns: Her father died of a heart attack at age 41. One son has Type 1 diabetes. And "I'm just so tired of telling my husband that I'm going to lose weight, and then I just put it off and put it off."


Ken Rawson

Bio: Age 30. Married with three children. Director of student ministries at First United
Methodist Church.

His goal: "This is going to sound pathetic, but I'm going to say 15 pounds -- a pound a week."

How he'll do it: Eating better foods and smaller portions, plus exercising five to six times a week and "not eating when I'm not hungry." He'll keep a food journal, to track calories.

Potential challenges: Stress eating. "Eating out is a hard one for me, too," he says. He doesn't often take food home "because I think it's never going to taste as good as it does right now."

His motivation: "I'm worried about my health and I want to be a good example for my kids. I want to enjoy life with my sweet wife."