By Hillary Gavan
For StatelineBusiness

ROCKTON -- You want to find muscles you never knew you had."

That's what personal trainer Kristy Breiten told Team Orange on Saturday. The group is part of a weight loss challenge being hosted by the Stateline Family YMCA.

Those enrolled in the weight loss challenge are encouraged to exercise several times a week and to keep food journals.

On Saturday Team Orange, composed of four women and two men, met to compare notes at the Stateline Family YMCA in Roscoe. The orange shirted team was learning that it never gets any easier to shed pounds.

"Once you've been at a weight your body will want to stay there in case of famine," Breiten said.

"Our bodies don't know it's 2008 and there's plenty of food around," joked Sonia Straight, 37.

Members of Team Orange know they are in an uphill battle. All the team members were struggling with having to cook for children and spouses while losing weight. At week three, some were starting to hit weight loss plateaus and three of the four women hadn't lost any weight during the past week.

Despite it all, Breiten encouraged the group to continue on. As the team members get in better shape, Breiten said they will burn more calories during workouts and lose more weight.

"This wasn't our best week, but the group members need to be patient and not get down on themselves," Breiten said.

Breiten encouraged her students to take their workouts to the next level and start mixing jogging or running into their walking or biking routines.

"Running will take you places you can't get on a recumbent bike," Breiten added.

Lois Shores, 44, of Rockton, plans to keep fighting. Because she was thin most of her life, a weight gain in her early 40s took her by surprise. She attributes some of her weight gain to grief she felt after her father passed away.

Working at Martin Automatic in the accounting department, Shores wasn't getting a lot of exercise. With an 18-year-old son, a 5-year-old daughter and a husband, it was challenging to cook healthy meals everyone would like.

She also carried over habits from her childhood.

"I grew up on meat and potatoes. I had to eat what was on my plate," Shores said.

No matter how big her obstacles are, Shores keeps going in the hope of passing on better habits to her young daughter. The motivation she gets from her young daughter is already starting to pay off.

"I feel healthier and can tell my workouts have gotten better," Shores said.

Norton Vandepoele, 42, and wife Stacey Vandepoele, 30, of Rockton, were taking on the challenge as a couple.

Norton, one of two males in the group, had already lost 14 pounds.

"It's always harder for women. Usually when there are guys in the group, they lose more because men have more muscle," Breiten said.

The couple thought that doing the challenge together was a good way to get the whole family on the same healthy track. So far Stacey had one relapse while watching the Packers game last week. She put in her journal, but didn't include too many details.

"Let's just say I was really bad," Stacey joked.

Stacey, however, will keep going. She is noticing her clothes getting looser and can tell she is losing weight.

Sonia Straight, 37, of Roscoe was also fighting the battle. For Straight, however, the goal wasn't losing weight as much as getting healthier.

"I'm not stuck on my weight. It's a number. It means nothing," Straight said.