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...

"It's not just a matter of cutting back or cutting out certain foods," Pete said.

" It's really about figuring out how much fuel your body needs and sticking with an exercise program that continually challenges you." Losing weight has made them a healthier, happier, more productive couple, they say.

And they're planning to have children.

"When we were big, there was a fear that we would not be around long enough to raise our kids due to our health problems," Pete said.

"Now we're more productive.

Our business is going like gangbusters and that's because we have more energy to put into it.

" "We used to plan our vacations around eating, like OK, we're going to Chicago so we can go to the Cheesecake Factory," she said.

"Now our vacations are more activity related." During their last trip to Chicago, they biked along the city's lakeshore and walked around the museums.

During a California trip, they went hiking - experiences they enjoyed.

"Anytime you go through a struggle and triumph together, it makes you stronger," Pete said.

"For us that struggle was losing weight." News Shop L...