O-R readers ready to compete for Biggest Winner title
O-R Biggest Winner team
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Trainer Stephanie Bartlam, center, will be working with the Observer-Reporter’s Biggest Winner team when the competition gets underway at the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center starting Monday. With her are, from left, Ashlea Presto, Lori Hensel, Mark Knestrick, Debbie Barsis, and Kristina Schuerle.
Lori Hensel
Ashlea Presto
Kristina Schuerle
Debbie Barsis
Mark Knestrick
Trainer Stephanie Bartlam
Carole DeAngelo
The eighth annual Biggest Winner competition kicks off this week with eight teams competing for the title, and the Observer-Reporter will field a team of readers for the fourth consecutive year.
Starting on Monday, exercise physiologist and clinical coordinator Stephanie Bartlam of the Washington Health System Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center will lead the O-R team on their seven-week weight loss journey.
This year’s competition will place a larger emphasis on the importance of nutrition, with team members meeting with registered dietitians biweekly to learn about changing nutrition habits. The O-R team will meet four mornings a week at 6:30 a.m. for workouts.
“We’re trying to offer a more wholesome program,” Bartlam said. “You always need that balance between healthy eating and exercise.”
In addition to the seven weeks of personal training and access to the center’s dietitians, Biggest Winner competitors will also undergo weekly weigh-ins, physical assessments including a lipid panel, a body fat analysis and body measurements and are encouraged to take advantage of a private consultation with a dietitian.
Winners are determined through a combination of total percentage of body fat lost and participation points, which can be earned by attending workouts and nutrition activities. The O-R team winner will receive a one-year membership to the wellness center, while the overall Biggest Winner will receive a spa day at Spa Harmony and a $100 gift certificate to Macy’s.
The format of this year’s competition returns to six members competing as individuals. Last year, the team was comprised of couples. Mark Knestrick, a volunteer firefighter with the South Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, is the O-R team’s only male competitor.
“I’m the old man on the team,” Knestrick, 62, said. “This will definitely be interesting.”
The Harley-Davidson enthusiast hopes the competition will help him lose weight, gain flexibility and mobility and provide an overall lifestyle change.
“I’m definitely in it to win it,” he said.
Debora Barsis, 61, of East Finley, has always admired the competition and was thrilled to be selected, especially after gaining guardianship of her three grandchildren last year.
“I want to be the healthiest me,” she said. “I want to be around for them as long as possible.”
She’s hoping the experience will help her gain muscle, lose weight and learn to eat more nutritiously without sacrificing flavor.
Carole DeAngelo, the Observer-Reporter’s advertising director, isn’t new to the Biggest Winner competition. Having participated with two other O-R teams, DeAngelo is hoping to build upon past experiences, lose weight and learn tips to avoid snacking.
“This is one of the best programs I have ever experienced,” DeAngelo, 51, of Canonsburg, said. “It is the most comprehensive program for the mind, body and spirit.”
Air Force Veteran Lori Hensel, 35, has been trying to lose weight on her own for months. While Hensel has had some success with dieting, she’s reached a plateau.
“I’m looking for something new that will allow me to get my military body back,” the Washington resident said.
She also hopes the contest’s increased nutritional focus will help her address her eating habits.
“I’m an emotional eater, so I’m looking for ways to control my eating, ” she said. “That, or find better alternatives.”
Kristina Schuerle, 28, a mental health therapist, said her position has posed some obstacles in achieving a healthier lifestyle on her own.
“I travel a lot, and it doesn’t allow for a very active lifestyle,” the Washington resident said. “I need to become more active. Develop better eating habits.”
While she and her husband recently joined the wellness center, Schuerle looks forward to the accountability of the team. She hopes to lose at least 25 pounds.
“My husband is looking forward to it, too,” she said. “I do the grocery shopping, so he believes he’ll lose weight, too.”
As a mom of two boys under the age of 2, Ashlea Presto hopes to make a lifestyle change that will have a lasting impact on her family.
“I know I’m not in the best shape, but I want to make sure I am here for them” the 26-year-old nursing student said. “My weight hasn’t impacted my health, but I know I need to act beforehand.”
Presto hopes to develop a routine and adopt healthy grocery shopping habits.
“I have a big reason to do this,” she said. “I have no reason to hide.”