Hudson man drops 75 pounds in KQRS radio weight-loss contest
Todd Nelson is feeling better about himself these days. The 39-year-old Hudson husband and father shed 75 pounds in a 14-week weight-loss contest sponsored by KQRS Radio and Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating.By: Randy Hanson, Hudson Star-Observer
- Todd Nelson at the start of the contest
- Todd Nelson after losing 75 lbs.
Todd Nelson is feeling better about himself these days.
The 39-year-old Hudson husband and father shed 75 pounds in a 14-week weight-loss contest sponsored by KQRS Radio and Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating.
Nelson won the “Slim Down to Sin Town” contest and a trip to Las Vegas, where he’ll be a guest on the KQRS “Morning Show” hosted by Tom Barnard and company.
“Well, you look better,” Nelson said with a laugh when asked what the best part of losing so much weight was.
He went from 292 pounds at the start of the contest in mid-June to 217 pounds at the final weigh-in on Sept. 27.
The 5-foot-11 Nelson used to have a 42-inch waist. Now he wears pants with a 36-inch waist size.
He had to get a new coat for his work as an optician at the Hudson Pearle Vision center when the old size 54 coat no longer fit. A few customers asked if he was sick after the old coat began to hang so loosely on him.
Nelson’s wife, Renee, owner of Woodbury Jazzercise, said she loved him no matter what he looked like, Nelson reported. But he’s pretty sure she’s pleased with the slimmed-down version of him.
He used to get double-takes from other motorists when he drove Renee’s van with the JAZZ4ME license plates and Jazzercise signs on the sides and back. They apparently didn’t expect to see an overweight man in the driver’s seat.
Nelson said concern about his health was his main reason for entering the contest, however.
Both his father and grandfather have a history of heart attacks. His dad had one at age 42.
“I’m sure I could still have a heart attack, but there’s going to be less of a chance,” he said.
Nelson reported having more energy to keep up with his five-year-old daughter, Ruby, since the weight loss. He also has two stepchildren, Brady and Tasha Wegschied, who are 19 and 17 years old, respectively.
Another major motivation for applying for the contest was to get back into an exercise regime.
A former high school athlete, Nelson got into running and competing in half-mara-thons when he was in his twenties.
He ran the Medtronic TC 10-mile race that accompanied the Twin Cities Marathon a few days after the “Slim Down for Sin Town” final weigh-in.
“I would like to run half-marathons - maybe a couple, maybe three, a year,” he said.
Nelson thinks his past history of exercise is what got him into the contest.
He was one of 10 (five men and five women) selected for it out of more than 550 applicants. He applied for the contest online after hearing it advertised on KQRS.
A caller from the radio station wanted to know if he would be willing to keep up an exercise program.
“I said, Yeah, I’d love to keep an exercise program,” he recalled.
The contest involved eating Seattle Sutton’s calorie-restricted prepared meals that he picked up twice a week from the business’s location in Woodbury, Minn.
“It’s all fresh. It’s actually really good food,” Nelson said.
He stopped drinking soda pop that had been such a big part of his diet — and he quit eating French fries.
He began exercising regularly — working out 15 days straight in one stretch.
Nelson started out on an elliptical machine and stationary bike, and transitioned to road running when he had lost enough weight to make it easier on his knees. He also lifted weights a couple of times a week at the Anytime Fitness gym in Hudson.
The free trip to Las Vegas with Renee was added incentive to keep him on his program, Nelson said.
The Nelsons will fly to Vegas on Nov. 10 to be part of the Morning Show’s 12th-annual broadcasts from the city. They’ll return on Nov. 13. KQRS is paying for the airline tickets and accommodations at the Golden Nugget hotel and casino.
Todd will be an on-air guest for at least one of the shows.
The only drawback is that they start at 5 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, which is 3 a.m. in the Central time zone.
Tags: lifestyle, health, entertainment, fccnetwork
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