Now eight weeks in, our biggest losers are well adjusted to working out.
Jessica Dean, the trainer for Jean Jordan, of Old Saybrook, is continuing to increase intensity and it paid off on the scale this week.
Jordan, a mother of three, dropped 5.6 pounds, bringing her total weight loss to a milestone marker -- 20 pounds.
"Oh my gosh, is that 20 pounds? You did, 20 pounds. Congratulations. That's a huge goal. That's huge,” Dean said in reaction to the number on the scale.
"Feels great. Really good. Nice milestone for Jean!” Jordan said.
Elizabeth Szewczyk, of Enfield, has been a regular in the biggest loser spot, having lost 27 pounds as of last week.
"A goal ... I have for her is getting below the 200 mark. She's got 15 pounds as of last week," her trainer, Eric Jutras, said.
Local
She started off her workout strong, but that soon changed.
Jutras dialed up the difficulty and, for the first time, Elizabeth cracked under the pressure.
“Come on Liz, you're giving up. You're giving up. You've got to focus,” Eric said during the workout.
"I think it's one of the hardest things I've ever done,” Elizabeth said of her involvement in the biggest loser program.
Suzi Waters, of Middletown, returned to the gym after being away on vacation in Florida for 10 days.
"The eating was a challenge because everybody's Italian," Suzi said about her vacation.
At times, the workout was more of a struggle than usual.
Trainer Chris Arnold says there's more of this to come.
"Definitely, want to keep picking it up," Chris said.
"It scares me a little, but if he has confidence in me (that) I can do it then, I know I can do it," Suzi said.
J.R. Reaves, of Farmington, had to fight through a few days off due to a cold.
The crunch of everyday life is also catching up.
"I think there's more to give. There's a lot of stress that goes along with this as far as work. Work schedule changes," Reeves said.
He's continuing his training and making the most of boot camp classes, hoping this will help shed the pounds even faster.
"Of course I'd like to see different number but it's a goal for me. I feel like I'm getting healthier every week. I'm losing weight, I'm eating better, so, I'm not in competition with anyone. I'm actually better on myself. That's the way I see it," he said.
This week Jean was our biggest loser. She dropped more than five pounds. Elizabeth lost two pounds, J.R. lost 1.1 pounds and Suzi lost one pound.
In total, Elizabeth is down the most after losing 29 pounds. Jean has dropped 20.6 pounds, Suzi has lost 14 and JR has shed 13.3 pounds.
