Biggest Losers Comes to Kennesaw

Kennesaw resident Barbara Borden recently made a change in her life – a big change.

The 51-year-old mother of four has joined the ranks of the Biggest Losers Fitness Weight Loss Challenge in a program sponsored by the Kennesaw Parks and Recreation Department at .

“I have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” Borden said. “I take nine pills a day. I knew it was time to take charge of my life.”

Borden began the program four weeks ago and has already lost 21 lbs. – and her sugar level fell from a whopping 450 to 161. She said that, prior to starting the program, she visited her doctor to get his OK before starting the 16-week course. 

“It’s a huge change in favor of good health for my life,” Borden said.

Her “coach” in the program is CeCe Evans, a certified personal trainer who sounds like a drill sergeant but cares about her students, Borden said. Evans is a lean workout machine who believes in cleansing the body and advocates vigorous exercise.

“It’s a combination of healthy eating and working out, and it’s a conscious effort to make a serious lifestyle change,” said Evans, who said the program includes a weekly weigh-in, measuring of body fat percentage and body mass index. The class meets on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the cost is $198.

The group of about 50 co-eds is split into three teams to see who can lose the most weight. Evans barks commands and helps count down the jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups attempted by students – some who haven’t worked out in 30 years.  Winners get a big gift basket filled with healthy “stuff” to help them continue their weight loss journey.

“You guys can do it,” Evans says, encouraging her class as she walks around them as they work out. “Most people enjoy working out in a group environment like this, but often you just can’t. You have to find a nice balance in your life and keep it going.”

She also has guests like a local nutritionist talk to the group and give tips when the tummy starts to grumble.

“You can add whole grains now like black beans and soy beans,” Evans said, adding that sugar of any kind is a no-no. “The healthier you eat, the cleaner your body stays," she said. Evans began these classes in 2010 and has also done them for the WellStar Health System at their facilities, she said.

Barbara Borden said the program is working for her. With the encouragement of her husband, David, and four grown children – Becky, Katie, Danny and Jonnie – she hopes to make her goal of reaching a weight of 161. But her biggest test so far was going to O’Charley’s recently and not eating those rolls.

“I ate salmon and broccoli and didn’t touch the rolls,” she said with a big smile. “I can’t believe I did that.”

For more information on the Biggest Losers program (no connection to the TV show of the same name), call 770-422-9714 or visit www.kennesaw-ga.gov/pkrec.

You can also read our weight loss column every Thursday on Kennesaw Patch.