On Saturday, April 12, 2014 the H-E-B Slim Down Showdown awarded $30,000 total to two community members and two H-E-B Partner (employee) contestants who made the greatest gains in health improvement and fan engagement over a 14-week period. Prior to the announcement, the 30 contestants strutted down the runway in a dramatic makeover reveal to show off their 14 weeks of hard work.

Hailing from all over Texas, the 30 contestants in this year's showdown lost more than 1,123 pounds and strutted down the runway to deafening cheers from supporters at Saturday's makeover reveal ceremony at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

"Every year, H-E-B does more to create a positive impact on the health of all Texans," said Craig Boyan, president and COO of H-E-B. "We know this year's Slim Down Showdown contestants will be terrific ambassadors for health in their communities, and we are extremely proud of everyone who took the initiative to follow along from home and make positive changes in their lifestyle."

H-E-B determined the two $10,000 grand prize winners using three metrics - overall health improvement, participation and fan engagement. In addition, H-E-B awarded a $5,000 healthy hero prize to one H-E-B Partner and one community member who demonstrated the most progress on health markers such as body mass index and cholesterol levels.
 

Community Slim Down Showdown Winner - Marie Pechacek (Laguna Vista)

Marie Pechacek, an educator from Laguna Vista, dropped four dress sizes and 53 pounds during her 14-week journey.

"I felt like I won the moment I stepped on the scale for my final weigh in," said Pechacek. "The money is great of course, but it's about feeling good for life."

Partner Slim Down Showdown Winner - Ashley Trimble (Belton)

Ashley Trimble, Assistant Store Director for the Harker Heights H-E-B, lost 59 pounds and dropped five dress sizes.

"I feel so fantastic right now," said Trimble. "I couldn't have done it without the support from all of my family and friends, and especially my store."

Community Healthy Hero Winner - Richard Arrington (Aransas Pass)

Richard Arrington, who originally weighed in at 385 pounds, won the $5,000 Community Healthy Hero prize for improving his cholesterol by 75 percent, decreasing his body fat by 36 percent and losing a total of 66.6 pounds.

"It was not an easy journey, but I'm happy with the progress I've made so far," said Arrington. "My fiance has helped me every step of the way and I'm excited to keep going."

Partner Healthy Hero Winner - Elizabeth Sandoval (Corpus Christi)

Elizabeth Sandoval claimed the $5,000 Partner Healthy Hero prize by improving her cholesterol by 28 percent, decreasing her body fat by 36 percent and dropping 46.8 total pounds.









This year for the first time, H-E-B allowed people to follow along from home with the Slim Down Showdown Challenge, a 10-week, online healthy living course with recipes, workouts, summaries, videos, and a mobile tracker for weight. Nearly 9,600 people signed up for the online challenge and lost 71,429 pounds.

The 30 contestants were selected from hundreds of applicants based on their willingness and ability to publicly share the ups and downs of their journey and the resulting lifestyle changes through blogs and vlogs.

Dole, Nestle and Yoplait are the presenting sponsors for the 2014 Slim Down Showdown; additional sponsors include La Cantera Hill Country Resort, Jimmy Dean Delights, NadaMoo, Uncle Sam Cereal, watermelon.org, Eggland's Best, Asus, Trestle Tree, Organix, Fleet Feet and the Union Bikram Yoga Studio.

The contest began in January with an intensive, five-and-a-half day wellness program in San Antonio featuring experts from H-E-B, Methodist Healthcare and Cooper Aerobics. Contestants received a full medical screening to understand their current health status, met individually with nutrition and fitness experts and bonded with their fellow contestants. Upon returning home, contestants logged their daily fitness activities and food intake using a mobile application, received weekly health coaching, and blogged about the experience at heb.com/slimdown.

H-E-B first introduced the Slim Down Showdown to its Partners in 2010 as part of a comprehensive, long-term commitment to improve the health of Texans and provide them with fresh, healthy food that is affordable and easy to prepare. H-E-B aims to inspire millions of Texans to adopt and stick to a healthy lifestyle through special offers, cooking demonstrations and events such as Start Fresh Fest, a mobile pop-up tour making 48 stops throughout Texas.

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