Provided

No Cal Zones takes first place in the eight-week 'No Excuses' weight-loss contest.

In eight weeks, 58 teams, totaling 767 Cornell staff and faculty members, lost 5,110 pounds -- more than two and a half tons -- of weight. That represents a total of almost 7.9 million calories that were either expended or not consumed.

First place for the No Excuses weight loss contest, held during March and April, went to a team from Facilities Services, No Cal Zones, whose members altogether lost almost 10 percent of their total weight. Second place went to the Probiotics, a team from the Animal Health Diagnostic Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine, who lost almost 7 percent of their total weight; third place went to the Fatty Acids, a team from Dining Services, that lost almost 6 percent of the body weight.

"I went into the weight loss challenge with the main priority of maintaining muscle mass," said Shayne Miller, mechanic in the Refrigeration Shop and team member of No Cal Zones. "I made meal plans that gave me sufficient nutrition for my workouts and adequate protein intake for muscle recovery. ... For me the whole diet was based on slow and steady restriction while keeping a close eye on my strength and energy levels."

Another winning team member said, "It was actually easier than I had thought. All I did to lose 10 percent body weight was to watch what I was eating and drinking, then added some exercise, such as riding a bicycle. Basically it is about burning off more than you put in."

Other winning team members cut down on carbohydrates in their diets, watched portion control and increased their daily exercise. Items given up included ice cream, rye dip and sugary soy lattes.

Medical technologist Eric Lee of the Probiotics team offered these guidelines: "Eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a queen at lunch and eat like a peasant for dinner." He also worked out at the gym daily, concentrating on different parts of the body each day to allow other muscles to rest.

One participant summed up the feelings of many: "It was definitely a lifestyle change: not easy, but so worth it."