RUMFORD—Debbie Lamarr and Theresa Arsenault both exercise six days a week at the Greater Rumford Community Center. As part of their Biggest Loser competition plan, their work-outs consist of Combat class, Boxing class, weight-lifting, and using the treadmill or elliptical machines at the GRCC.

Lamarr says that before the competition she used to exercise at home with videos, but she fell off the wagon last year and put on a lot of weight. “Going to the gym is new to me. Before the competition I wouldn’t go to the gym, but my coach Dawson showed me different exercises to do, and he got me comfortable with going to the gym,” she said.

“What I’ve gotten the most out of the competition is [that] I’ve made a lot of new friends,” Lamarr adds. She goes to the GRCC every morning at 5 a.m. and meets the same six or seven people who also show up there to exercise. “We’ve become like a fitness family,” she says.

To others who need inspiration to begin living a healthier lifestyle, Lamarr says “Everyone starts somewhere. It’s really hard to do, you have to be consistent and stick to it, and try hard every single day, and it will happen. It won’t happen overnight, but it does work. If you eat right and you exercise, you’ll change your life.”

Arsenault says that she started the competition knowing that it was a change of life for her. “It wasn’t just, o.k., you do this until April and then that’s it. I’d gained a bunch of weight and knew that was not what I wanted, and this just happened to come at the perfect time.” She says that a lot of her motivation comes from having a trainer and nutritionist, a gym open to her, and people who are so great to her.

She also says she is watching what she is eating and doing “a little bit of the Paleo diet; basically eating like a caveman did, no refined sugars, no bread, and no pasta.” She also eats a lot of protein and fruits and vegetables. “I cut out alcohol and coffee [from my diet] as well. I did have a little bit this weekend; I figured at 22 pounds down, I think I’ll be o.k.”

Arsenault says that she can’t get over how much better she feels and that what she likes the most about the Biggest Loser competition is that “Everybody’s rooting for everybody, even if they’re not on your team. And she adds “Win or lose, everybody’s winning, because everybody that’s losing weight is a winner and they’re changing their lives.”

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PULL QUOTE:  

“Everyone starts somewhere. It’s really hard to do, you have to be consistent and stick to it, and try hard every single day, and it will happen. If you eat right and you exercise, you’ll change your life.”