Staff writer

Ken Wealand of Cedar Point, a technician at Prairieland Partners in Marion, is winner of the annual Biggest Loser competition sponsored by the company.

The 5-foot-10 Wealand lost 50 pounds in five months, reducing his weight 23.14 percent, and winning $420.

Wealand drank a diet drink each morning and noon and exercised two or three times a day for 30 minutes to an hour.

Now at a trim 165 pounds, his ongoing challenge is to keep the excess weight off.

“I’ll see how easy it is to keep it off,” he said. “I saved a lot of money by not eating out so often, and I feel good.”

Losing weight has allowed him to reduce his blood pressure medication. It also took pressure off a problem knee and made it possible for him to run again.

He continues to work out at noon at Marion Wellness Center, and he walks or runs two miles every evening.

“The worse thing about this is that people think something is wrong with me and I’m going to die or something,” Wealand said.

He is willing to live with the misperception.

“I got paid twice,” he said. “I lost the weight and I made some money.”