In battle of the bulge, no free lunch

For Bobby Dillon, the lifting began because the lifting had stopped. His 2-year-old son, James, was eager for Dad to hoist him after coming home from work as a code enforcement inspector for the city. At 255 pounds and with little energy, Dillon said, he was having a tough time.

''Not being able to carry him up and down stairs, being winded, not being able to play with him when I got home, that bothered me."

Bothered no more -- eating more nutritiously, lifting weights, and with sneakers well worn from the treadmill belt -- Dillon shed 30 pounds in three months and gained the end-of-the-day energy he said he'd been missing.

At Southie's Gold's Gym this winter, Dillon's was a familiar tale. Twenty-four contestants in a charity weight-loss fund-raiser squared off for 12 weeks, working with personal trainers to trim excess pounds from their mostly middle-aged frames. On March 26, Paul Melvin was crowned winner, boasting a 17 percent weight loss and 8 percent body fat reduction.

The top nine finishers shucked a combined 225 pounds, and more than $2,000 went to charity, half to the South Boston Boys & Girls Club and half to champion Melvin's choice, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

''They were all on regimented nutritional plans, emphasizing the right amount of protein, complex carbohydrates, and minimal fat," said Jon Beauchesne, owner of the Fit for Life fitness company that ran the contest. ''It's a nutrition plan for life. . . . It's not an Atkins diet for three months, and then you balloon back up."

The field, which included four women, comprised state troopers, salesmen, PR guys, restaurateurs, labor officials, real estate brokers, and plumbers from all over and around the city: South Boston, Dorchester, the South End, Watertown.

After losing 10 pounds the first week, Melvin, who lives in Sharon, found his business travel cutting into the workouts.

''When I get back to my room at 10 o'clock with a steak dinner in my belly, I'm not going to the gym," Melvin said one Saturday morning, sopping from a tilt on the elliptical machine. ''I'm going to bed; I'm checking e-mail."

But he modified his diet and stuck to the intensive cardio and weight-training regimen laid out for him by trainer Beauchesne and his Fit for Life partner, Greg Pappas.

When all else failed, the competitors were not above a little comestible subterfuge. Beyond the standard trash-talking, several contestants began showering rivals with edible gifts, including a pizza delivery early on that established the high stakes.

''I'm glad I didn't get it," said John Wood, a Dorchester plumber who discarded more than 40 pounds to finish third. ''I probably would have eaten it."

Beauchesne admitted that ''there was a little gamesmanship going on" and said it helped motivation.

Dillon called Dorchester's Craig Galvin, who helped organize the contest, ''the lead trash-talker," not above sending full meals to his competitors.

Galvin ''was trying to sabotage this thing," joked Michael Monahan, business manager for Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who placed second.

''Every night I had meals coming to my door: Chinese food, pizza, everything."

''Having friends in the competition," said Melvin, ''it's just sort of a source of motivation, and it's a lot of fun among the guys."

''We're going to take April off; then we're going to do it again in May," he said, ''just in time for bathing suit season."

As for Dillon, it may be time to ratchet up the strength training in his regimen. In addition to toddling James, he and his wife will have twins, due this month.

''It feels good," he said on his way out of the gym, face still shiny with sweat. ''Clothes are fitting better. I have a lot more energy. I have more confidence. I had low self-esteem before."