Weight loss

More photos A cruise can be a catalyst for change.

Travelers may want to buy a new bathing suit or build a base tan before setting sail.

For one local man - and 10 of his co-workers - his upcoming trip aboard a cruise ship was a push to lose excess pounds before being faced with four-course meals and 24-hour buffets.

Of course, he tells it differently.

Ben Davis, practice administrator of Manatee/Sarasota Eye Clinic in Bradenton, saaid that one of his employees was overconfident in her ability to diet and lose weight.

"She thought it would be very, very easy, and we all know how difficult it can be," said Davis, 37.

He told the employee that it would be harder than she thought, and the competition sprang from their playful sparring.

They were also inspired by NBC's "The Biggest Loser," a competitive reality show that teaches severely overweight challengers how to lose weight with the help of diet and exercise.

The 11 employees (10 women and one man, Davis) participated in a 10-week weight-loss program.

They lost 78.5 pounds among them - between 3 and 11 pounds each.

Angie Chaplin, who works in insurance billing there, lost 11 pounds.

"It's motivating to see that it can happen in real life," saaid Chaplin, 31, who has wa...

Read more...