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By KARA O'CONNOR

koconnor@thestamfordtimes.com


STAMFORD -- Stamford resident Daniel Schwartz and his brother Ben will take sibling rivalry to a whole new level next month, when they compete against each other to become Stamford's Biggest Loser.

Innovative Fitness, a personal training facility in Stamford, is having their first "Biggest Loser" competition for people who want to lose 20 or more pounds during 12 weeks of vigorous training.

"This is something fun and interesting to do," said Daniel Schwartz, 45, who will begin competing against his brother Ben, 37, and other Biggest Loser participants on Sept. 15. "My brother and I both talked about our desire to lose some weight and this gives you a built in support system."

Innovative Fitness trainers Colin Walker and Maria Garcia will be leading two teams of four to see which individual can lose the most weight. According to Walker, one of the main ideas behind the competition is to get people who normally stray away from the gym to start working out on a weekly basis.

"This competition is aimed for people who might be a little bit intimidated going to a bigger gym but they do need to lose weight," he said. "I want people to feel comfortable here and I think our facility is very welcoming."

Walker also created a separate 5, 10, and 15 pound competition, which is available to clients that only want to lose a little bit of weight for this competition.

"I have a lot of women clients who only need to lose those last couple of pounds," said Walker. "So I thought I would add another group to this competition for them because joining this competition will also make it easier for them to lose that weight no matter how much it is."

During the 12 weeks of competition, there will be before and after pictures taken, weekly weigh-ins, at least one personal group training session per week, at least three workouts per week, nutrition discussions, group activities, measurements and a big reveal party, said Walker. There will also be random pantry checks, where Walker will go to a contestant's house and look at what they are eating, said Walker.

"I really want to educate people during this program," said Walker. "The idea behind this is not to lose the most weight possible than disappear. I want people to change their old habits and create new healthier ones."

When a person joins a group or a competition, they are less likely to give up or not go to the gym because they do not want to let someone else down, said Walker. This competition, he said, will help contestants become more social with the trainers and each other, making it harder for them to quit the program.

"This program is a fun thing to do with other people," said Schwartz. "It keeps you motivated and accountable for others as well as yourself, which whether you know it or not makes a difference."

The 12-week session, which runs from Sept. 15 through Dec. 15, costs $1,200 for each participant. At the end of the competition, the weight loss will be gauged by percentage, not actual pounds, said Walker. The winner of the competition will receive a day of pampering at an exclusive spa.

"The main goal here is to really change a persons entire lifestyle," said Walker. "The reality is that with the new technology out there, people are entirely too inactive. I want people to change the way they think about exercise. And being active, even after this competition is over and done with, that is the real prize."

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