A HUSBAND and wife are becoming an inch perfect couple after losing more than five stone between them in a community weight loss challenge.
Cabbie Iain Robinson and his wife Fiona, a supermarket worker, picked up £300 for their efforts after finishing second and third in the latest Arriba! Wellness Club 12-week challenge.
Iain, 44, who lost 50lb to pick up the second prize of £200, sa
id the advice he gets at the classes are the best tips he has ever been given.
The 12-week course focuses on lifestyle, healthy eating and weight management and the class lost almost 330lb between them.
The winners are judged on their percentage body weight loss, not total weight loss.
Iain, who started the challenge weighing 25st 9lb, and has since lost almost seven inches off his waist, said: "I desperately needed to do something for health reasons and I can honestly say this is the best thing I have ever done.
"It's turned my life around completely. I feel a lot better and the weight is just falling off me.
"It's the educational side of the challenges that make them so different. There's a real friendly atmosphere with everyone encouraging each other and I would urge people to come along, join in and give it a go.
"My lifestyle as a taxi driver, sitting and eating fast food was not helping my weight but everything has changed and I know so much more about what I should be eating and how to change my habits."
The challenges are run by health coach and nutritionist Jackie Liddle who encourages a community approach, with members all encouraging each other to achieve their goals.
She said: "Everyone is a winner as far as I am concerned even those that have lost only a few pounds.
"Once people make the decision to do something about their health and learn about good nutrition and giving their body what it needs they become winners straight away.
"Week by week we see little improvements and by the end of the 12 week course, fabulous health results have been achieved.
"Each week we cover a different health topic."
The next Hartlepool Arriba! Wellness Club 12-Week Community Challenge starts on Tuesday, August 3, at 6.45 pm at Brierton Community Sports Centre, Brierton Lane, Owton Manor. Hartlepool.
The course costs £39 which includes 13 classes, with the initial one a registration class.
The money goes towards the hire of the hall and the prize money of £300 for first, £200 second and £100 third, with prizes dependent on class sizes.
Further details about the challenges are avaialable from j.liddle2@ntlworld.com.
