Big Loser II is now completed and once again the weight loses are amazing. The before and after pictures of the losers are in this issue of the Star Herald on pages 6 and 7 as well as comments from some of the participants on page 1B. The success of the first two programs in large part is due to Dietitian Marg Kuiper from the Sioux Valley Clinic Luverne. In addition to her dietary expertise, she also is our main motivator and encourager over the course of the 16 weeks.Kyle Oldre has raised the bar for all future Big Loser participants by losing an astonishing 88.6 pounds. Leading the lady losers was Gerry Sandstede dropping 47.6 pounds. In all, 15 of the 16 participants lost weight; 12 of the 16 lost 20 pounds or more and five of those lost over 50 pounds. In addition to the weight, the inches melted away as well. Rick Dawson, who actually gained 2 pounds, lost a total of 6 inches from his neck, chest, waist and hips and at the same time dropped his cholesterol by 21 points.There is no question — in order to achieve the results these folks have, you need to make changes in your diet and exercise programs. However, that doesn’t means you have to stop enjoying life or going out to eat. Orv Green is proof of that. He lost 51.4 pounds, a total of 18.5 inches, dropped his blood pressure by 10 points, dropped his cholesterol by 27 points, dropped his triglycerides by 201 points, lowered his fasting blood sugar count by 30 points, all the while eating at Sharkey’s every day. Someone else commented to me that they wanted to know how Steve Top was able to lose over 56 pounds when it seemed to them every time they saw him, he was eating at Sharkey’s. Steve will tell you just to look at the salad menu, order and enjoy.Congratulations to all the Big Losers, and for those of you who might be interested in Big Loser III, plans are underway to start sometime this fall. If you would like to shed a pound or two or 50, give me a call at the Star Herald office, 283-2333.