Madelia to 'Fight the Fat' again

'Losers' to drop a half ton

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

MADELIA -- It's back, the Madelia Community Hospital "Fight the Fat" program that received the 2003 Rural Health Team Award at the Minnesota Rural Health Conference.

The Madelia program was cited for its compassion, efficiency, coordination, collaboration, unselfishness, quality and leadership.

The award noted the dedicated people that lead the program -- Deb Grote, Donna Klinkner, Candace Fenske, Bev Dahl, Denise Osburn, Deidre Hruby, Jodi Ulmen, and Laura Meyer.

Dr. Jeffrey Kotulski, a local doctor and program presenter, nominated the program for the award.

Last spring, the hospital challenged area residents to lose a ton of weight during the 10-week program. Almost 250 people and one dog lost more than a ton of weight in the program that used a team approach with weekly meetings, individual weigh-ins, health screening services and speakers on nutrition, physical fitness and motivation.

The second year of the program begins with weigh-ins at 5:45 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 15 and continues through April 4 at Madelia Elementary School.

Participants will pay $10 and get a T-shirt. They'll learn to make good food choices, sample a variety of healthy lifestyle options, draw support from teammates and the community, learn to feel good about themselves, have fun and be on their way to a healthier, happier life.

First, fat fighters will be grouped into three categories. Maintainers are those that weigh very close to the weight they were at when last year's program ended. First-time offenders are further from last year's final weight or didn't participate. Repeat offenders gained back most if not all of the weight they lost last year.

Grote, a patient billing coordinator at Madelia Community Hospital, came up with the idea for the program in 2002 after indulging in a big Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Lying on the couch to rest after eating, she watched a television program about the residents of Dyersville, Iowa (of the old-time baseball movie "Field of Dreams" fame) who together lost hundreds of pounds.

Feeling inspired by the successes of that small Iowa town, Grote talked to her friends and colleagues at the hospital about starting a similar program in Madelia.

"Dieting isn't always fun, so you have to make it fun," Grote said.

Other nuts and bolts of the 2003 program included yoga, heart-healthy menus, message therapy, team cheerleading, and free salads and fruit parfaits from fast-food giant McDonald's in nearby St. James. The Triangle Cafe added vegetarian soup and sandwiches with Healthy Choice turkey on the menu. La Salle Farmers Grain helped fund the program with 10 cents for each pound lost.

The Big Fat Losers team lost an average of 23.7 pounds per person. Next came the Loyal Lutheran Losers (17.9 pounds), the Six-Pack Lights (15.5). Following were the Jellie Bellies, Chubby Checkers, Plump Parishioners, Dixie Chunks, and the Whopping Weight Warriors.

Randy Gustafson took the mens weight loss title with 56 pounds. Lisa Gappa's 29.5 pounds topped all women.

Klinkner, the hospital administrator, lost 25 pounds last year but put five pounds back on over the 2003 year-end holidays. She talked about other reasons why she thinks she gained the weight back.

"My husband and I live a mile from town and used to walk to town and back each day. We stopped walking when the weather got cold," Klinkner said. "I still read food labels for fat content."

Hruby, a registered nurse, said she and her husband each lost about 25 pounds last year. Her husband had heart surgery to cure a blocked artery a year ago.

"We exercise by walking and eat healthier foods now," Hruby said. "Lots of fruits and vegetables like salads and apples. No more snacking on donuts, cookies and candy bars."

A hospital in Faribault challenged the Madelia group, using individual newsletters for their program. Madelia won as 68 percent of its participants lost at least six pounds in six weeks. Faribault had a 55 percent success rate.