CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Being called a loser is never pleasant. Well, almost never. For 28 Soldiers at Contingency Operating Base Basra, the label is not only fitting, it’s also something to be proud of.
These Soldiers competed recently in COB Basra’s version of The Biggest Loser, with goals of losing weight, trimming body fat and generally increasing physical fitness.
Sgt. 1st Class Ricky Mathison, a platoon sergeant with Network Support Company, Special Troops Battalion, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, facilitated the eight-week competition, which featured four teams with names like “Muffin Tops,” “Thunder Thighs,” “Chubs” and “Fatty 4’s.”
Though Mathison is a personal trainer in his civilian life, he did not personally conduct most of the workouts the Soldiers participated in. He said he gave them tips for working out and eating better, but the teams were responsible for making the program work for them.
“As a personal trainer back home, I wanted to get people involved in making improvements during their deployment,” said Mathison, who hails from Monticello, Minn. “Competition and the team dynamic were important in this program because they motivated the participants. This was a really fun way for people to track their weight loss.”
The program was loosely based on the television program The Biggest Loser, but there was one important difference in the way it was conducted here.
“No one was voted out of the program here,” Mathison said. “However, teams did receive a penalty if a team member didn’t show up for the weekly weigh-in.”
The results of this program speak for themselves. Thunder Thighs won the team competition, losing an average of 7.1 percent in body weight. Fatty 4’s came in second with an average weight loss of 5.4 percent, followed by Muffin Tops at 4.98 percent and Chubs at 4.2 percent.
Mathison said each team received Army Air Force Exchange Service gift cards for their participation, with the amounts determined by each team’s place of finish in the competition.
For their first place finish, each member of Thunder Thighs was awarded a $30 gift card, while Fatty 4’s members received $20 cards and Muffin Tops and Chubs members each got $10 cards.
In addition to the team awards, individual prizes were given out as well. Spc. Nathan Hoisington, a high-frequency radio operator with the information section of 34th Inf. Div., won the overall weight loss competition, shedding an amazing 10.34 percent of his body weight during the competition. For his accomplishment, Hoisington was awarded an additional $25 AAFES gift card.
Spc. Jerri Perrin, who works with Hoisington, also received a $25 AAFES gift card for losing 4.5 percent body fat, the most during the competition.
The prizes for Basra’s Biggest Loser were donated by United Service Organization and its COB Basra director, Sarah McConnell.
“I want to thank the USO for helping us out, particularly Sarah McConnell,” said Mathison. “She was great to us and we really appreciate everything she did to make this competition both successful and fun.”
Though the prizes provided some motivation to the program’s participants, there were other factors spurring them to succeed, said 1st Lt. Eugene Harrigan, an automation technician with the information section of 34th Inf. Div.
“We did it for fun and competition,” said Harrigan, a member of Thunder Thighs and resident of Cottage Grove, Minn. “We pulled together. We wanted to win, but it was about losing weight and getting in shape the healthy way.”
Harrigan, who lost 17 pounds during the competition, said his team ran in the mornings and worked out at a local gym here at COB Basra during lunch while participating in the competition.
They also formed a friendly rivalry with the other teams, which sometimes led to practical jokes designed to challenge each other to excel.
“Sometimes we would do stuff like throw candy bars and packages of cookies on the desks of members of opposing teams,” he said with a laugh. “Then I would come in to work and find junk food in my area! It was all in fun, but it was also a challenge.”
Harrington said he not only lost weight and got in better shape during Basra’s Biggest Loser, he also got an education from the experience.
“I got a better understanding of a healthy lifestyle and eating,” he said. “Working out alone won’t do it. Being healthier requires a lifestyle change, both in working out and in eating habits.”
Harrington also said he hopes this lifestyle-changing decision he and the other participants made will last beyond their deployment here.
Through hard work, sacrifice and, perhaps most importantly, teamwork, the program’s participants learned a very valuable lesson: sometimes, being a loser can be a good thing.
