Percha crowned victor of Slim-to-Win weight loss competition through Morey Courts, Morey Foundation

Contestants and the winners of the Slim to Win weight loss challenge stand side by side after receiving their checks Sunday afternoon at Morey Courts, 5715 E. Remus Road. (Charlotte Bodak/Staff Photographer)

Jeff Percha said he doesn’t advise anyone to lose as much weight in 14 weeks as he recently did.

Losing 34.24 percent of his body weight since Jan.11 was not the most difficult part, the Mount Pleasant resident said.

“The hardest part was showing up the first day and accepting where I was,” he said.

More than 50 people gathered Sunday to see Percha awarded $10,000 and crowned the winner of the Slim-to-Win contest at Morey Courts, 5175 E. Remus Road. Percha was one of the four finalist in the competition.

“The best part is that this is over,” he said.

After losing a significant amount of body weight, there are things Percha can do that he wasn’t able to a few months ago, he said.

He takes the stairs more and no longer has to worry what chair he sits in.

Percha weighed in at 324.8 pounds on Jan. 11 with 882 other people.

Lon Morey of the Morey Foundation said the first weigh-in amounted to 97 tons of people.

“I was hoping to get 50 to 75 people, but I was blown away,” Morey said.

The Slim-to-Win contest had a two-to-one female-to-male ratio.

However, the contest is not over for those who weighed-in Jan. 11, Morey said.

Anyone that weighed in in January can weigh in Aug. 12. The individual who has lost the biggest percentage of body fat since January will be awarded $3,000.

In addition to a large check, Percha was awarded a 12-month fitness pass to Morey Courts.

Percha’s trainer Erin Lenhart said Percha had a full fitness center behind him.

“I hope all of them can maintain it,” Lenhart said. “Hopefully now they can look in the mirror and see the changed man.”

Doug Carey came in at a close second, losing 32.4 percent of his starting body weight, 300 pounds.

Carey was down to 197.4 pounds and was awarded a prize of $2,500.

Carey, a Mount Pleasant resident, said he plans on relaxing a bit, but has 15 to 20 ideas slated to maintain his weight loss.

“I’ve said all the way along that the hardest part is maintaining weight loss,” Carey said.

Along with pounds shed, Carey said he has also gained newfound knowledge pertaining to eating healthier.

“It’s all about veggies and lean meats,” Carey said.

Carey said his wife  Sherrie was his biggest encouragement, as well as his personal trainer, Landon.

“About a month ago, I came up with the slogan that ‘It takes a community to make a fat guy slimmer,’” Carey said.

Carey was also awarded a six-month Morey Courts Fitness pass.

Brian Maxon and Tim Daugherty also weighed in Sunday.

Maxon lost 30.31 percent of his body fat and Daughtery shed 33.21 percent.

Those involved with Morey Courts and the Morey Foundation acknowledged the many accomplishments of those who participated in the contest.

Several lowered their cholesterol and reduced the amount of high blood pressure medication used. Some even went off their medication entirely.

Percha said he still plans to lose a few pounds to hit his target weight of 190, he said.

“I wanna make sure that guy in the picture never comes back,” Percha said.