Golden leads meltdown with 13 pounds lost

After two weeks, Eric Golden is leading the McMinnville Meltdown weight loss contest sponsored by Southern Standard and USA Gym.

Golden led a field of over 200 participants by losing 13 pounds, edging several people who lost 11 pounds. Golden has been working out three times a week at USA Gym and watching what he eats.

?Overall, McMinnville has lost hundreds of pounds,? said USA gym manager Paige Northcutt. ?It?s great to see all those pounds disappear.?

While the competition is well under way, it?s not too late to enter. Participants only have to lose 5 pounds by April 16 to get their name in a drawing to win up to $500. Everyone is eligible to participate ? not just USA Gym members.

McMinnville Meltdown began at the start of January as a way to encourage local residents to drop a few pounds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.

?If you have 5 pounds to lose, why not enter the contest?? said Northcutt. ?You can feel better about yourself and you might just win some money.?

The contest rules are simple. There are weigh-ins every two weeks at USA Gym on S. Chancery Street. Once a person loses 5 pounds, their name is entered in a drawing. Every additional 3 pounds results in another entry.

Five names will be drawn April 16. Every USA Gym member whose name is drawn will receive $500. Every non-USA Gym member whose name is drawn will receive $250.

?The Standard is proud to sponsor the McMinnville Meltdown contest because it?s a way to encourage everyone in the community to lose a little weight,? said publisher Patricia Zechman. ?It?s been estimated that 10 percent of all healthcare dollars in this country are spent on obesity-related illnesses so it certainly pays, in more ways than one, to stay fit.?