Biggest Loser program winds down

Ali Williams used to have trouble finding time to fit in workouts and think about healthy eating.

The Eureka College student currently holds two part-time jobs, but with her July wedding fast approaching, she decided it was time to shed a few pounds.

“I really wanted to get in shape before the wedding and for overall health reasons,” she said.

Williams and her mother, Shelly Williams, who hit a plateau after losing 16 pounds on her own, decided to make a commitment and signed up for EastSide Centre’s first-ever Biggest Loser program.

Shelly Williams was a stay-at-home mom who said she recently became an “empty-nester.” Now she spends some time volunteering at East Peoria Community High School.

“The rest of the time I’m at home, right next to the refrigerator,” Shelly Williams said.

They have been working with trainer Chris Pecenka since the program began in January.

“I think sometimes they’d like a stick to beat Chris with,” said Al Nimmo, EastSide’s fitness center manager, with a grin.

Nimmo said the general idea of the program is what you would see on NBC’s The Biggest Loser, without, of course, the added incentive of having the world watching your weigh-ins.

While Pecenka has a reputation of being tough on his clients, Nimmo said, “It’s not like that trainer on the program.”

Pecenka designed a boot camp-like workout for the mother/daughter duo.

“I don’t like to use too many machines because I think you can get a better workout if you’re up and moving,” he said.

The workout begins with a circuit of six to eight exercises that are performed one after the other without much rest in between. The circuit is done twice, then the Willamses move to the Sci-Fit machines, where they spend eight minutes on either the elliptical or recumbent bike, then spend eight minutes on the arm crank, an upper-body exercise machine that Pecenka said mimics a rowing motion.

Exercises Pecenka has included in the pair’s circuit workout include ball slams, jumping jacks and burpies.

“I hate burpies,” said Shelly Williams. “I’ll beg and say, ‘Isn’t there something else I can do?’”
Pecenka timed the circuit the first week of the program and will time it at his last session with the two women. 

“Hopefully, they’ll have a better time at the end,” he said. 

Though the six-week program will wrap up mid-March, Shelly and Ali Williams are planning on working together to maintain their new, healthier lifestyles.

Ali Williams said they will use the lessons learned during this process and try to “keep working at it.”

“We know it’ll be harder on our own,” she said. She said she hopes to continue working with Pecenka after the competition is over.

Shelly Williams said Pecenka has also taught them that “few and many meals are better than skipping or big meals.”  

As for goals, the women said they would like to reach a healthy weight and maintain it. 

“Ali’s been doing really well,” Shelly Williams said. “She’s lost 10 pounds so far.”

Shelly Williams said her results have been a little different. She gained two pounds the first week and then lost that same two pounds the second week.

“But I have lost inches and my clothes are getting looser,” she said with a smile.

Nimmo said that looking and feeling better are great indicators that your program is working. He advises clients to stay away from the scale.

“That scale weight won’t always tell the truth because muscle weighs more than fat,” he said. He added that inches lost means body fat lost. 

Nimmo said there are about 10 contestants. At the beginning of the program, measurements were taken on each contestant around areas such as the neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calves.

“We take a lot of measurements because people lose the inches in different places,” Nimmo said.
Trainers also measured body fat, body mass index and weight. At the end of the program, the same measurements will be taken.

Nimmo said the grand prize for the winner is a year’s membership to EastSide Centre. Other prizes have not been confirmed, but he said they are working on prizes such as gift cards to restaurants, “where they can make healthy choices, of course.”