Wife of Philadelphia Firefighter Sets Pace in 3-Month Weight Loss Competition

1. By Hadas Kuznits

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Fire Department today honored the wife of a fire lieutenant who led the pack in a competitive weight-loss program.

Leah Brown, wife of Philadelphia fire lieutenant Andrew Brown, was celebrated today at Philadelphia Fire Headquarters for her participation in last year's police-versus-fire weight-loss competition, called "The Battle of the Badges."

"It started in April and ended in July," she explains.  "Basically, everyone who wants to participate signs up for Weight Watchers at a very reduced rate, and they do the Weight Watchers program for 13 weeks.  And then, whoever loses the most weight wins!"

The Philadelphia Fire Department beat the Police Department in the overall competition.

Batallion chief Leroy Ruffin (at left in photo) says Brown set the pace for all competitors in the fire department.

"Leah Brown was the top individual loser in the fire department, so we presented her with a coffee maker," he said.

How much weight did Brown lose?

"During the contest, I lost 30 pounds in thirteen weeks," she says.  "And as of today, I'm down 50.1 pounds."

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