COSTA MESA, Calif., April 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- They are all big losers and proud of it! The 20 members of law enforcement who participated in Lindora Medical Clinics' inaugural Battle of the Badges stepped on the scales today in front of Tustin Rite Aid (home to one of nine new Lindora Health Clinic locations) and learned, for the first time, that they lost a total of 722.6 pounds. Each had set a goal of losing 10 percent of their body weight during the 10-week program. While the Orange County Sheriffs exceeded their goal by losing a combined 12.19 percent, they were, nonetheless, edged out by the Santa Ana Police Department who managed to lose 15.4 percent!
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4970
To illustrate the amount of weight lost, each officer stood before a stack of canned goods representing the total number of pounds he or she shed. Each stack was positioned alongside a "before" photo of the officer to remind the public of how far they've come. After the event, the canned goods were donated to the Orange County Food Bank and guests enjoyed a lean meal, compliments of El Pollo Loco.
In referencing the canned goods, Santa Ana Police Commander Jim Schnabl and OC Assistant Sheriff J.B. Davis issued a "We Can, Can You Challenge" to the public encouraging them to embark on a weight loss program of their own. Lindora President Cynthia Stamper Graff then pledged that all Lindora Health Clinics located at Rite Aid stores in El Segundo, Santa Monica, Del Mar, Encinitas, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Laguna Niguel and Tustin from April 24 - 26 will offer the following:
* Free body fat analyses and blood pressure checks * Free Lindora Lifestyle Assessments (complete with a review of your results with a Lindora expert) * Free samplings from Lindora's popular line of protein-rich shakes, bars, snack foods and drinks * Special presentations by best selling author/Lindora President Cynthia Stamper Graff; Lindora Founder Marshall B. Stamper, M.D; and diet superstar Traci Smith (who lost 325 pounds on the program and will describe her odyssey and how she has maintained her loss for five years) * Discount coupons to El Pollo Loco, which offers Lean For Life Certified menu items * On-site cholesterol tests for $10 * 20 percent off of medical services including sports/camp physicals * 50 percent off of special lab tests and blood screenings including the VAP Test, which The Wall Street Journal cites as "one of five tests worth paying for...it can save your life."
Underwritten by the nonprofit Lean For Life Foundation, Battle of the Badges pitted the two departments in the Lindora program. Emphasizing an "eat better, move more and stress less" philosophy, it combines diet, moderate exercise and motivational support and was designed to help participants lose 10 percent of their body weight in the first 10 weeks. Participants ranged in weight from 165 to 319 pounds. In addition to slimming down, they enjoyed a number of other health benefits including an average 12 percent reduction in blood sugar, 54 percent decrease in triglyceride levels, 22 percent reduction in LDL ("bad") cholesterol and a 15 percent reduction in waist circumference. In addition, all participants' blood pressures dropped from pre-hypertension levels to within a normal range.
"Battle of the Badges exceeded our goals of helping local law enforcement take their first step in becoming lean for life and setting an example for others in the community to do the same," said Graff. "We hope that the public will follow their example and will take advantage of our 'We Can, Can You Challenge.'"
For more information about becoming lean for life, visit www.lindora.com or call (800) LINDORA.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
