When most of us lose weight, the payoff is how good we feel about ourselves.

But for Cynthia Krusza of Lansing, there was even more to dropping 40 pounds in three months after enrolling in Kmart's "New Day Your Way" contest.

Krusza, who was the fourth place winner, earned a trip to New York City, $1,000 in cash, a $100 Kmart gift card, treadmill, Schwinn Recumbent bike and $200 gift certificates from both L'Oreal and Slim Fast.

"My sister heard about the contest on the radio," says Krusza, who had tried other weight loss programs before this without much success.

There was another bonus to signing up. Because she wanted to lose more than 30 pounds, Krusza was required to get a physical. When she did, her doctor discovered that she suffered from hypothyroidism and was anemic.

"One makes you gain weight and the other makes you tired so it's harder to lose it," Krusza said. "I had always assumed I was tired because I had two young children and was running around after them."

Nearly 26,000 people signed up for the 12-week Kmart contest. The company describes it as its "commitment to helping customers shed those extra pounds and achieve their fitness goals in 2008." To help, Kmart provided the necessary tools to achieve both weight loss and a healthier life style including weigh-ins, dieting tips and an online blog for encouragement and camaraderie.

According to Krusza, Kmart also offered incentives during the in-store weigh ins including cute little prizes.

"And entering the contest is free," she says.

Besides the weight loss, contestants were also chosen by the following criteria: dramatic physical transformation in before and after photos and for writing an inspirational essay.

After signing up, Krusza bought a tread mill and she started walking between one to three hours a day.

"I got one with a TV," she says. "At first I thought I didn't need a TV since I never watched TV otherwise. But it was a life saver because it keeps you from getting bored."

Krusza also used the Weight Watcher system for counting points.

"Since the contest ended, I lost two more pounds this last month," Krusza said. "And I'm planning on losing 20 more."