Knowing that fun and fitness go hand in hand, Best organized a nonstop itinerary of events that would give Bob and Jillian a run for their money: From sunrise Beach Boot Camp to afternoon kayak expeditions on Broad Creek and, as a grand finale, a Hilton Head Bridge 5K. To adhere to the nutritional principles of the program, Best enlisted a local chef to create a 500-calorie menu, chock full of vegetables and fresh seafood, when it came time for their big dinner together.

After sweating it out all weekend long, The Ultimate Girls took the opportunity to reward each other and shine at a gala on their final night together. Part dinner, part awards ceremony, at the weekend's last hurrah, the women handed out honors for the "most inspirational" and the "most physically changed" members, as well as a few tongue-in-cheek awards for the member who'd be "most likely to replace Jillian or Kim as a personal trainer"! And just as it is on the show, they looked to the scale for the retreat's bottom line. By the end of the weekend, they'd lost a combined total of 665.5 pounds since their first weigh-ins, six months earlier. The range of pounds lost by each woman went from 8 to 107.

Best says that building these relationships was really the backbone of her own weight loss. And the others in the group agreed. As Ultimate Girl Valerie Zink put it: "I always somehow knew there was a smaller, healthier girl inside me, and that I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to and accomplishing all my goals. My Ultimate Girls are the support that helped me meet her!"
Group member Kasja Ricke said: "Once I started to lose weight, I embraced the girl I knew I always wanted to be: happy, confident and courageous. I know I couldn't have done it without Ultimate Girls!"

Best told the team: "I am thankful to my Ultimate Girls because I would never be where I am without you ladies and the support that I get here at BLC. Building these relationships with you all has been the backbone of my success. Each time I had a struggle, it may have taken several days to get back on track, but I did and it was totally because of each and every one of you. You all make me want to be a better person inside and out! I have not only changed physically, but mentally as well in all aspects of my life. I truly want to be the best person I can be and live my life to the fullest. I have found myself again and I'm never letting go of that! That is priceless!"
We got a Spring '08 update from Best, she tells us: "My official weight is 212 lbs., which is 101 pounds lost!" Wow! Congratulations, Michelle on reaching that big, triple-digit goal, and kudos for all your hard work and dedication to organizing so much success.