The third annual Kosciusko FIT finalists have certainly shown their determination and endurance to prove their excellence and tireless commitment to good health.

The Kosciusko FIT program was very successful this year with a collaboration of Kosciusko businesses and organizations including the Kosciusko Community YMCA, Kosciusko Community Hospital, Purdue Extension and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce.

The program provided testimony after testimony of people finding their way back to good health. People were losing weight, lowering their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, no longer requiring some of their medications, running in 5K races, getting down to their high school weight after over 20 years, and participating in activities they thought they’d never be able to do. There has been so much success along the way, and as a group they have lost over 1,000 pounds!

This year’s team Corporate Challenge winner was “United Weigh – Kosciusko County” with Jo Faulkner, Michele Bickel and Patricia Coy, losing 13.81 percent of their body weight as a team. The second place team was “Chafing the Dream” with Alicia Davidson, Angie Winter, and Ericka Haynes with a total of 13.36 percent team weight loss. The third place team was “I Timothy 4:8” with Fred Miller, Gary Boschain, Jeremy Welch, and Brad Hagg pulled together to a total of 11.58 percent weight loss.

In the individual male category Michael McPhail lost 9.08 percent. In the individual female category was Beth Hite taking first place percentage of weight loss at 20.16 percent. In second place was Christa Wood with 16.06 percent and third and fourth place was Kirstyn Niebbia with 15 percent and Michelle Schini with 12.55 percent. The Task Force was so proud of each individual and their accomplishments during the challenge, and felt honored to witness these incredible transformations.

Finalists agreed that lifestyle changes have been made for the better. At the top of that list was “always exercise.” Other changes consist of giving up