COPS LOSING WEIGHT TOGETHER
BEFORE AND AFTER:Orange County Sheriff's deputy Maureen Albrecht beams with pride as she steps off the scale Wednesday in Tustin. She lost 29.7 lbs. in just ten weeks.
LINDORA HEALTH CLINICS/JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
MORE PHOTOS
Weight loss tips
″Eat frequent, small meals.
″Practice mindful eating – watch your choices.
″Exercise regularly. Get a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
″Drink plenty of water.
″Get on a scale every day.
Source: Shelly Lummus, Lindora Inc.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Police, deputies drop 722 pounds in Battle of the Badges
Santa Ana police beat the Sheriff's Department in the weight-loss competition, losing a combined 410.5 pounds in 10 weeks.
By DOUG IRVING
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA – Ask motorcycle cop Don Elmore what it's like to lose 51 pounds in 10 weeks, and he reaches into his patrol uniform and pulls out a picture of his daughter.
She got married earlier this month. And Elmore, who was squeezing into size-40 pants when he joined a Battle of the Badges race to lose weight, walked her down the aisle in a tuxedo six inches slimmer at the waist.
Elmore was one of 10 Santa Ana police officers and 10 Orange County deputies who counted calories, pounded out miles on the treadmill – and lost a combined 722 pounds in 10 weeks.
The results were announced Wednesday, and the winners of the first-ever Battle of the Badges – a combined 410.5 pounds lighter – were the Santa Ana police.
"It was good to feel good about myself," said Elmore, who shed more than a fifth of his body weight. He held out the picture from his daughter's wedding. "For her, I didn't mind all the cameras."
When they first stepped on the scales in January, many of the police and deputies had bellies hanging over their service belts, tight pants and more than one chin. They blamed their long shifts, their irregular breaks – and the pink box of baked goods that always seemed to be beckoning from the snack room.
To get through the law-enforcement training academy, Orange County deputies and Santa Ana police have to be fit enough to get through obstacle courses and pull themselves over walls. After they graduate, though, neither department has a standard fitness test to ensure they stay in shape.
For 10 weeks, the 20 contestants in the Battle of the Badges counted every step and every pound. They packed salads, lean meats and protein shakes to get them through the work day. They took walks after work that evolved into jogs, and then runs.
They weighed in every day at Lindora Health clinics, which oversaw the program and covered the costs for the two departments.
On Wednesday, they took turns once again stepping onto a digital scale. This time, though, they jabbed their arms in the air when their weight came up. Deputy Maureen Albrecht even shucked off her oversized green uniform and stood in her street clothes, 30 pounds lighter.
The deputies and police had lowered their blood pressure, lowered their cholesterol levels and taken an average of 7 inches off of their waistlines, according to Lindora. They lost between about 10 percent and 20 percent of their body weight.
Lt. Paul Fuzzard of the Orange County Sheriff's Department lost 27 pounds during the competition, and now weighs about 225. Not long ago, he visited his daughter in Tennessee; she hadn't seen him since he started losing weight.
"Where's the rest of you?" she asked. "I can't believe I can get my arms all the way around you."
He smiles now. "That was good."
Contact the writer: 714-704-3777 or dirving@ocregister.com
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