By Lindsay Buchanan (Florence, SC) – In less than a week, the grand prize winner of Florence’s Biggest Loser competition will be announced, and one person will walk away with $1,000, a lot of pride in what they accomplished and a lot fewer pounds to carry on their way out the door.

But for the 59 other contestants who took on the challenging journey of changing their eating and exercise habits, most will walk away with the exact same thing, minus the money, of course.

It’s fair to say that almost all of the people who answered the United Way of Florence County’s challenge will not regret their decision — win or lose.

“I’m super excited that I’m in the top five, but whether I stay in second or drop to third or win, it’s been worth it,” John McElwee said. “I’ve just learned to believe in yourself, that you can do something. I felt like I needed to make a change. I had to make a change for a multitude of reasons. When I heard about the competition, it was Day 1 of the signups that I went in for my first weigh in.

“I don’t want to die in five or 10 years. I want to see my girls get married and have kids. It’s like telling an alcoholic he really needs to stop, and you know that’s somewhat similar to eating. You’re the one that needs to stop it.”

McElwee’s story is just one of many heartfelt journeys that led a diverse mixture of people to the 10-week competition, including that of top five contestant Randy Hart.

“For me, I’ve had a long history of a bad knee and 14 knee surgeries and I got to where I didn’t do a whole lot, especially high impact, because I was facing a total knee replacement,” he said. “Then four years ago, our family lost my oldest son, and I went through a bout of depression for a couple of years where I didn’t really care about what I ate or what I did or what it was doing to me until I finally realized that we have four other kids, and it wasn’t fair to them and I decided to do something about it.

“What I’m taking away from this is that I basically came from not exercising at all, not watching what I ate, but it’s never too late to get started. I turned 50 this year, and you don’t know what you can do until you try. Everyone that was in the program was willing to take that first step and just try, and that’s what I’m taking away is that you can come from just nothing and take the first step and just try.”

Even for those who were willing to take the first step, there were times during the competition when the only thing that kept them going was the support of teammates, trainers and friends.

Top five contestant Mary McLeod admitted that she almost quit after hurting her knee, but after her trainer encouraged her and assured her they could work around it, she pushed through.

“If it wasn’t for my teammates and my trainer I wouldn’t have made it,” she said. “I started swimming and that helped a lot. I was quitting, though. One thing that kept me going was the group — my teammates and my trainer. Other than that, the longest I’ve ever been on a diet is three weeks. Many of us have weight problems because of emotional situations.”

Jack Greenan, another top five contestant, can definitely relate to what it feels like to have outside support helping push him on to the finish line.

“I got this (letter) at my house the other day and it says, ‘Biggest Loser Jack Greenan’ on the front,” he said. “It’s really cool. It said, ‘The (Burn and Learn) website wasn’t taking anymore messages, so I had to mail this. Hang in there Jack! Our street is pulling for you. We’re proud of you for what you’re doing even if you don’t win.’ And they signed it, and that’s just someone in my neighborhood who I see them walking down the street, but that’s the kind of support, I mean, it’s interesting that someone who’s not involved is still supporting.”

For Marie Mills, the situation with support has been a little different. Not receiving much support from outside sources other than her husband and son, Miller counts every day on support she receives from people she never knew before joining the competition.

“I’ve lost 34 pounds and no one has said anything to me about it at home other than my husband and son,” she said. “But here the ladies in my aquatic class are like, “What number are you down? You can do it! You’re doing awesome! What’s your recipe this week?” This is my support right here.”

Hart, who was not able to work out with a group due to his physical limitations, also had to look for support in an unusual place: his work colleagues.

“I’ve been very happy with the group I have around me at work,” he said. “They’ve been very supportive and want to know when this is finished if they can help me and keep me accountable. That’s what I’m going forward with. Even for one person to make a comment saying they’ve noticed something that I’m not seeing and it keeps me going.”

For each of the contestants, the exercises they’ve become most comfortable range from anything to swimming and group classes to the typical stationary bikes and elliptical machines found in so many gyms.

McLeod may have summed it up best when she explained her major takeaway from the Biggest Loser competition.

“I know now the right way to lose weight: eating right and exercising,” she said. “And it’s hard, it’s so hard, but I’m going to keep it off because I want to be healthy. Just losing weight and feeling good — I mean I feel so good.”

See the full story with pictures and more at SCNOW.com!