Hard work pays off for Express & Star slimmers

The four Express & Star readers who were taking part in the Midlands Biggest Loser at Chris Jewkes Fitness, have now lost a total of more than six stone between them.

Mr Jewkes arranged for each of the readers to have their own training programmes and diets tailored to their own needs and goals.

Keith Williams, 41, from Bradley, was the Biggest Loser, managing to shed two stone four pounds over the course of the fitness camp.

He said: "I'm very, very pleased with how much weight I have lost.

"It's a big amount to drop in just a month and shows what you can achieve in a short amount of time when you have got the right people around you. It works wonders for you.

"We have been doing circuit training a lot and I always feel better when I have done it.

"I don't think there is one day when I have left the gym and haven't felt better in myself.

"Once you have gone in and done it you feel tired but then when you come out you feel 100 per cent different."

Mr Williams said he will now continue to go back to the gym and is having three sessions with a personal trainer a week to continue to lose weight.

But he said having the four contestants has also helped them lose weight.

He said: "All four of us have worked together really well and we are all like-minded people so we have got on well together."

Wendy Draisey, 42, from Fordhouses, said she thought they wouldn't have lost as much weight between them if they had not been working together as a group.

She said: "We've all pushed each other on. We've also had trainers keeping us going so I don't think we would have done as well if we had one-to-one training."

Mrs Draisey has lost 13 pounds since starting and said she is close to fitting into the dress that has been her goal.

She said: "I've already dropped a dress size in trousers but I have this dress that I want to get into.

"I haven't tried it on yet and I've got about half a stone to go to get there, but I hope I can get there in the next two weeks."

Jane Gregory, 50, from Perton, lost 12 pounds, and said she is loving the exercise and is excited for her next physical challenge.

She said: "I am really chuffed with how much I have lost, having the four of us has made it so much easier. We all walked up the Wrekin last week with Chris Jewkes and a few of his trainers.

"Chris said our next goal is to walk up Snowdon in three months so I'm really looking forward to that.

"This is just the beginning for me.

"It is the foundations for me to build on and to try and take more weight off."

Rob Beaumont lost two stone three pounds and said his transformation has been incredible.

He said: "The big thing for me is I have lost nine inches off my waist. I'm about a 36 inch or 38 inch wait in trousers and jeans now.

"That means I can start buying normal clothes again which is really just incredible.

"I was kind of the pace setter for our group, so I would definitely say that it worked well for us because it gives you extra motivation.

"I would see someone losing more weight than me and think I needed to do a bit more.

"I can't rate Chris Jewkes' gym highly enough.

"It's really personal and you don't feel like they are trying to sell you something when they tell you things."