Phil's 2010 Seattle Sutton Slim Down Challenge

, Seattle Sutton's 2010 Slim Down Challenge is a contest that is the first of its kind for this nearly 25-year-old company, which provides freshly prepared, portion-controlled meals to thousands of people from coast-to-coast each week. The contest is a 14-week weight loss challenge which began on Monday Jan. 4, 2010 and continues through a final televised weigh-in April 12, 2010. During this time, Times Columnist Philip Potempa is competing against nine other contestants, with Phil and all the participants on the strict 1,200-calorie meal plan from Seattle Sutton. The meals included for the contest are every breakfast, lunch and dinner, for a total of 294 meals in all, for the entire 98 days of the contest. No snacks, pills or diet supplements allowed. The staff at ACL Labs measured all of the contestants' glucose (blood sugar), cholesterol and triglycerides at the beginning of the contest and the same will be done at the conclusion to measure their health improvements. Blood pressure will also be recorded at the beginning and end of the contest. Each of the contestants are also being monitored weekly, including a weigh-in each week on Monday at each of the Seattle Sutton food distributor locations supplying contestant meals. Contestants pick up the fresh-prepared meals twice a week, half of the plan on Monday to get them through noon on Thursday, and the remainder of the meals are picked up Thursday afternoon/evening so the contestants are stocked up through the weekend. The contestant who loses the most weight based on percentage of body weight loss will win the 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. And so, with a drum roll, here's the fat-fighting folks facing this same healthy menu mission this week's progess updates.