Tawanda Fayson was the big loser … and the big winner in 21 Day New Me Challenge.

Fayson lost 12 pounds in the 21-day weight-loss challenge and received a check for $200 and prizes from Glow and the Trojan Zone.

Fayson said the prizes were wonderful and she greatly appreciated them. But the greatest reward for her efforts was what she lost.

Mitch Sneed, a local trainer who holds boot camps programs and classes, organized the 21 Day Challenge. He recommends a one pound at a time weight-loss program and that’s the goal Fayson set for herself.

“I’m not trying to lose all the weight I want to and need to lose at one time,” she said. “I want to lose the weight in a healthy and sensible way. I want to lose the weight in a way so that I will be able to maintain my weight once I get down to where I need to be.”

The 21 Day New Me Challenge was open to those who wanted to lose weight sensibly and keep it off. The entry fee of $10 included a booklet with weight loss tips and nutrition information.

“We had 40 people participate in the challenge and together they lost 340 pounds,” Sneed said. “The idea for the 21 Day Challenge was to get people to buy into a healthier living lifestyle, a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise that they can maintain for 30 years or more.”

Sneed said losing weight almost overnight is not a healthy way and does little to nothing to encourage healthy eating.

“To lose weight and then maintain that weight, you need to lose the weight gradually. You need to lose one pound at a time, he said. “Healthy eating has to become a habit. You also have to have a workout plan and stay active. That’s the way you need to lose weight and how you can keep it off.”

Fayson said she didn’t go into the challenge expecting to lose a huge amount of weight.

“I started my own weight loss program in January and I’ve lost about 41 pounds,” she said. “My son, who is a student at Charles Henderson High School, started losing along with me. I participated in the 21 Day Challenge because I didn’t want to just lose weight and then gain it back. I wanted to know how to lose weight and keep it off.”

Fayson said she has given up sodas, potatoes, rice, bread and fried foods.

“The hardest thing for me to give up was sodas,” she said. “But, I’ve gotten used to drinking water instead and I don’t miss the sodas as much.”

Fayson is also more active and has enrolled in a Zumba class.

“I’m going to the gym and working out on the machines,” she said. “It was great to win the challenge but this is just the beginning for me. I’m going to keep eating healthy and I’m going to stay active because I’m in this for the long term.”

Sneed will offer another 21 Day Challenge along with a 5K run.