The media warning has always been the same about the rules of being filmed or photographed.

The camera adds 10 pounds.

But everyday life has no such excuses.

Working for a newspaper and constantly covering events means it's not unusual to see myself photographed.

And it's very true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

While covering the world premiere pre-Broadway run of the new stage musical "The Addams Family" in Chicago just before Christmas, a publicist snapped a photo of me with actress Bebe Neuwirth, who was starring as the lead role Morticia.

It was taken at the cast party following the play's opening and the publicist thought she was doing me a favor.

But the photograph was even scarier than the Addams Family clan.

In fact, I looked very round, much like Uncle Fester. All that was missing was a blinking light bulb in my mouth. (That's one of Fester's favorite tricks.)

Considering the big picture (no pun intended), she really was doing me a favor.

That photo serves as visual proof of just how badly I needed to drop some pounds.

As Times readers know from following my updates, I was selected as one of 10 contestants from Chicagoland to compete in a 14-week weight-loss contest, which began Jan. 4.

Organized by weight-loss and healthy-eating guru Seattle Sutton, the 2010 Slim Down Challenge has men and women from a range of ages and backgrounds fighting off the fat while striving to lose the highest ratio of overall body fat by the contest finale on April 5.

So far, it's the halfway point and we're at Week 8.

I'm 39 years old and in second place, having lost a whopping 16.52 percent of my body weight so far. I've also shed 38 pounds, since I started at 230 pounds, which means I'm second among the group for highest weight loss.

In the lead right now for most body weight lost is Paul Quaglia, 40, of Westmont, Ill., with 35 pounds. He started at 200 pounds, which means his body fat ratio loss is 17.5 percent.

And not far behind us is Tim Gallivan, 51, of Aurora, Ill., who started at 290 pounds and has lost the most weight so far with 44 pounds, putting his body weight loss at 14.81.

Everyone is showing determination.

Denise Akande, 50, of Hazel Crest, Ill., began the contest at 201 pounds. She now weighs 176.4. Her 25-pound drop puts her total body weight loss at 12.24 percent.

Plan breakdown

The contestants are on the strict 1,200-calorie meal plan from Seattle Sutton.

The meals included for the contest are every breakfast, lunch and dinner -- a total of 294 meals -- for the 98 days of the contest.

No snacks, pills or diet supplements allowed. Of the allowed 1,200-calorie intake, 200 calories each day comes from two glasses of skim milk.

Each of us are also being monitored weekly, including a weigh-in each Monday at a Seattle Sutton food distributor location.

We pick up our fresh-prepared meals twice a week, half of the plan on Monday to get us through noon on Thursday, and the remainder of the meals are picked up Thursday afternoon/evening so we are stocked up through the weekend.

The prize

The final reward is better health while feeling and looking better.

But there's also some traditional prize incentives too.

The contestant who loses the most weight based on percentage of body weight loss will win the overall challenge, which includes prizes ranging from a trip for four to Florida to cash prizes. The two contestants who lose the second and third most weight based on percentage of body weight lost will also win prizes, such as more Seattle Sutton provided meals for free.

Facing hurdles

This weight-loss meal plan works with proven results.

But what most readers have wanted to know is how tough has the contest been to adjust to and what else are the contestants doing to drop so much weight so quickly?

Speaking for myself, the most difficult part of the contest is avoiding caffeine, which is also prohibited, and abstaining from snacks and alcohol, also deemed as pitfalls.

Based on my own usual calorie consumption and activity level, this 1,200-calorie plan is certainly much less than what I would be allowed on other weight-loss plans, which explains my dramatic weight-loss results. I've averaged 5 pounds a week during the past eight weeks.

Most diet plans recommend a 1- to 2-pound loss per week.

Getting physical

As for exercise, I think the contestants are following regular exercise plans. (This was not a stipulation for the contest.)

I have always belonged to a gym. And everyone knows that good health and weight-loss is a combination of both diet and exercise.

But depending on my weekly schedule, I haven't always been strict with my exercise routines.

Since the contest began in January, I have worked harder to do better cardio workouts, with swimming, treadmill and rowing as my usuals.

My first half of the contest has been a solo effort with my own exercise options at my gym, Fitness Pointe, which is owned and operated by The Community Hospital in Munster.

However, with the second half of this competition, I've been trying new options and utilizing the personal trainers and staff experts for some guidance to help fine-tune my fitness efforts.

I think it's important to keep the body reaching new potentials and even just the regular workouts can get boring, which is why it's important to try new approaches.

Kathleen Dominiak, MFA, B.A. is a faculty member who teaches with me at Valparaiso University, where her specialty is dance instruction.

But at Fitness Pointe, Dominiak is a certified Pilates instructor and member of the facility's group exercise staff.

This month, I'm giving Pilates a try for the first time, to help me with breathing and building endurance.

I'm also working to tone my muscles, while not gaining too much muscle.

Remember, muscle weighs much more than fat, which is why I shouldn't be bulking up if I want to win this contest.

That's how Michael Hoess fits into my plan.

Hoess, 25, is a personal trainer at Fitness Pointe who specializes with incorporating the TRX Suspension Training into toning and better fitness.

Rather than using weights and machines, TRX Suspension Training is a simple system of cords and pulls that use the body's own weight as the workout resistance. The equipment cords were actually developed by the military to help soldiers maintain their exercise and body training while stationed in the field without the luxury of traditional weights and a gym environment.

And guiding this team effort for overall better health is Phrosini P. Samis, MS, C.P.T., the fitness assessment and outreach program coordinator for Fitness Pointe.

She'll be monitoring each week's progress and working with me to get my metabolism working to its full potential for burning calories and sustained weight.

During the remaining six weeks, I'll be devoting my weekly progress update on Sunday's Health page to explaining the exercises and workout programs I'm using to maintain my desired weight as this contest reaches the final push.

Until then, it's just weight and see. . .

IN AND OUT

See today's Health page on D5 for an explanation of how a new monitored metabolism system -- including the latest caloric zone measurement devices -- can offer clues for more efficient weight-loss opportunities.