Boot camp classes, new diets and outdoors fitness are all part of the Connecticut Biggest Loser challenge this week as we check in on the progress of our participants.
J.R. Reaves, from Farmington, now knows the meaning of fitness boot camp and he works toward slimming down for his upcoming wedding.
He has been doing two rigorous boot camp classes a day and each class pushes him to the limit.
While J.R. is pushing himself in the gym, he still has work to do in the kitchen, his trainer, Tyler English, said. But it isn't to cut back, as you might expect from someone on a diet.
"The biggest thing right now is keeping up with his metabolism because he needs to take in more fuel now as his workouts increase,” English said. Now, the challenge is to increase his calories and find a common balance that will work.
This week, J.R. is down two pounds, to 410 pounds.
The nice weather has new mom Jean Jordan able to get outside in Old Saybrook and push her limits, whether she is doing squats on logs or lifting tires.
Jean’s trainer, Jessica Dean, said this client always amazes her and puts 100 percent into each workout.
Jean is anxious to shed her baby weight and she’s noticing the benefits of her hard work. The new work clothes she bought after having the baby are already looser.
“So in terms of clothes, I'm feeling good," Jean said.
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She did not lose any weight this week, but clearly saw a difference in her body.
Elizabeth Szewczyk, of Enfield, returned to the gym after a taking a 10-day break because of strep throat and pneumonia.
The challenge for her trainer, Eric Jutras, is to see how hard he can push without going too far.
"I knew this was just going to be a minor set back and we were going to roll with the punches," he said.
This week, Elizabeth is down 9 pounds, to 218.
Nurse Suzi Waters, of Middletown, has several coworkers watching her diet and fitness journey on NBC Connecticut and is enjoying the encouragement she gets.
Her trainer, Chris Arnold, pushes her to her limits. Aside from the weight and fitness benefits, Suzi likes the feeling she gets.
"I feel much more energetic than I ever have and I know Chris is pushing me to try to do more and I'm trying to do what he says," said Suzi, who lost two more pounds this week, putting her at 242.
Elizabeth is hanging on to her overall loser spot with a loss of 24 pounds. Jean and Suzi are tied for second place with their losses of 12 pounds each.
J.R. is right behind, with a total loss of 11 pounds.
