On Friday, Oct. 14, Julie Roberts decided it was time to lose a little weight.

So did 56 of her friends and relatives.

By October 17, 57 people had signed onto the Big Money Weight Loss Challenge. The only catch was they each had to throw in $100. But on Jan. 9, that total of $5,700 would go to the biggest loser.

The total weight of the group was 12,371.6 pounds — averaging out to 217.73 a person.

As of Jan. 9, that total weight was reduced by 581.7 pounds – down to 11,789.93 pounds.

The winning loser was determined by the percentage of weight lost, rather than the total number of pounds.

And the big winner was Suzie Speed of Boothbay. She lost 33 pounds — 17.67 percent of her weight.

Speed said she's gone down four sizes by making some big changes in her eating habits. “Normally I'm a big soda drinker,” she said. “I could put away a couple two-liter bottles in a day.” During the three-month challenge, she drank nothing but water, most of the time, and she ate one meal a day and snacked on cottage cheese in place of other meals.

The almost-too-close-for-comfort second place winner, or loser, was Sherri Brown of Boothbay Harbor, who lost 34 pounds — 17.22 percent of her weight. She said she kept track of the number of calories in everything she ate, which included a lot of root vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower, grilled with olive oil, and grilled chicken, haddock and scallops. “And if I ate beef it was grass-fed,” she said. “I'd sautée some onions and green peppers with it. The key was cooking everything ahead, so it was ready to eat.” She, too, drank a lot of water.

Speed was a little sheepish in admitting that she wasn't big on exercise, while Brown is a bit of a fanatic when it comes to exercise — especially walking. She averages around 20,000 steps a day. “I exercise every single night outside on the pavement,” she said. “I walk three, four or five miles a day, and I hike every weekend.”

Brown said she might have been a little upset over not being the winner, but when she found out who won, she was glad. And because the final tally was so close, Speed felt compelled to share her winnings with Brown, turning over $2,500 of her winnings to her.

Both Brown and Speed said they are feeling great, physically and mentally, and they'll both continue with their healthier lifestyles. “I'd like to lose another 20 pounds,” Speed said. “It's amazing how much better I feel.”

And they said they won't be celebrating, at least with food, but may buy some new clothes.

Angie McLellan lost 12.4 pounds. She said she walked a lot, between 11,000 and 12,000 steps a day, changed the way she ate, and drank a lot of water. McLellan said the challenge has changed her lifestyle for good. “I'm never going to let that happen again. I've lost this weight permanently, and there's more to come.”

Liz Evans of East Boothbay lost 31 pounds, and she's feeling positive, and proud of herself. She attributes most of her weight loss to exercise, mainly high-intensity, stationary bike-peddling at the YMCA, though she also made some serious changes in her diet. She cut out most starches, drank a lot of water and added lots of vegetables. “Exercise helps take the edge off the insanity about food,” she said. “I don't really feel deprived. I look at it more as a lifestyle change.”

Roberts, who is feeling lighter on her feet, too, after losing 10.7 pounds, is talking about starting another challenge soon, but she'll let the dust settle first. “I've already had a couple people ask if I'd start another one.”

She said both she and her husband, Paul, who was a member of the weight-loss group and lost 16.6 pounds, from 236 pounds to 220, have changed their lifestyles considerably. “We have totally changed how we eat, and we exercise on a daily basis, which we never did before.

“I love to help people, and I love to make people feel good. I didn't think I'd win the competition, but being the leader of the group, I knew I couldn't slack. That kept me accountable.

“And nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.”