News Photo by Darby Hinkley Amanda Freeland, director of membership at Bay Athletic Club, stands with the Thinner Winner billboard announcing the annual weight-loss competition that kicks off on Friday at BAC.

ALPENA — Bay Athletic Club’s annual Thinner Winner community weight-loss competition is back!

BAC is now enrolling teams of four to six people. Rules and costs are the same as in prior years: $50 for members and $100 for guests, which includes access to BAC.

The program provides accountability, optional group workouts at a variety of times, a nutritional guide, tracker, support, and fun. This six-week competition kicks off with a rolling registration, weigh-in and material pick-up at Bay Athletic Club, located inside MyMichigan Medical Center, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday.

“This is our 15th annual Thinner Winner,” said Amanda Freeland, director of membership at BAC. “Thinner Winner is a six-week program based on teams, and the goal is to create healthy habits first … long-term, sustainable habits to feel better, to get back on track with your health, to put yourself back on your own to-do list, and/or to help people start fresh or to start their fitness journey new.”

Even if you don’t have a team yet, you can still sign up.

“People can sign up as individuals, and we will help them get on a team,” Freeland said. “We would love to have them either call or stop up, and ask for more details.”

She talked about why Thinner Winner has been a successful program for many people.

“One of the reasons that Thinner Winner has been so successful in the past is because of, really, two things: setting accountability, and creating a goal,” Freeland said. “Accountability comes from the team. When you have other people in your life who are excited about getting healthy and feeling better, and they’re cheering you on along the way, you’re so much more likely to stick with it.”

She said setting the goal, with a six-week timeframe, provides the motivation to keep going to try to accomplish that goal.

“If you know you have six weeks to do this, then you’re going to take more action in that six weeks,” she said.

Last year, 26 teams participated in Thinner Winner, with 135 people participating in the program.

“We lost 815 pounds and 933 inches,” Freeland said of last year’s group. “And that is an improvement in our community. Individuals are working hard and losing this weight and losing these inches, but, really, what that does, it’s a domino effect. It’s fewer sick days. It’s people spending less on their health care, having fewer doctor’s appointments. It’s less medication that people need. We’ve had people get off of medications through this program. We’ve had people quit smoking through this program. And, those numbers … translate into the community being healthier.”

Stop into BAC for an application, or call 989-356-5600 for more information.