NEW YORK, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The editors of Shape and Men's Fitness magazine have joined forces to launch a new online weight loss challenge, following four readers for six months as they strive to drop pounds over a six-month period. The Men's Fitness "Fat to Fit" Challenge and the Shape "Fat to Fab" Challenge kicks off today on the Fitness Channel on Mensfitness.com and the Weight Loss Channel on Shape.com.

Two female Shape readers and two male Men's Fitness readers have been assigned a personal trainer at their local Gold's Gym and a nutritional eating plan specifically designed for each of them by nutritionists Chris and Kara Mohr of Mohr Results Inc. based in Louisville, KY. Readers can follow the participants' progress online at Shape.com and Mensfitness.com, where they can watch regularly updated video diaries highlighting the ups and downs of their process.

Each Web site will also include ongoing blog posts from Gold's Gym trainers and Chris and Kara Mohr, offering fitness and nutrition tips for readers to follow at home. Updates will also be posted on respective social network profiles for Men's Fitness and Shape, allowing readers to comment on and rate the participants' progress.

The male and female candidate who reaches their ideal weight by the end of the six months will receive an all-inclusive vacation for two at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and a one-year health club membership at Gold's Gym.

"Every month, we highlight a successful weight-loss story from one of our loyal readers. Now, we have a chance to bring this to life, while giving readers a step-by-step look at what it takes to make their own weight-loss goal happen," said Men's Fitness VP/Editor in Chief Roy S. Johnson. "It's our own version of The Biggest Loser, but here, readers can not only watch, but follow the plans outlined by our trainers and nutritionists to lose weight on their own."

"At Shape, we are all about empowering women to achieve their goals -- be it losing weight or just living the healthiest lifestyle possible," Said Shape Editor in Chief Valerie Latona. "The 'Fat to Fab' challenge gives our participants and viewers at home the tools, advice and motivation to lose weight and keep it off. It's interactive, informative and most important, inspiring."

Following is a glimpse of each candidate:

Robert Calilli of Yorktown Heights, NY recently turned 50 this year, and at 330 pounds is making it a priority to lose weight. He was considering surgery to shed the pounds, but decided to enter the challenge first, in an effort to lose weight on his own through proper diet and exercise.

Brian McLaughlin-Young is a former Marine who gained a great deal of weight after returning from Iraq. The 24-year old resident of Lithonia, GA currently weighs 250 and is striving to reach his ideal weight. With his first child on the way, he is also taking health and fitness more seriously now than ever before.

Jennifer Steinle is 31 and lives on Long Island, NY. She began her weight loss efforts in January 2008 when she realized her weight had sky rocketed over 100 pounds since her wedding in May of 2002. Currently she weighs in at 192 lbs, but is still far from her goal weight of 150 pounds. Now that she is in her 30's, health and physical ability have become a priority.

Rachel Burt is a 35 year old Benefits Manager who lives in Springville, Utah. Her starting weight is 245 and her goal is to lose at least 60 pounds in the next six months. She's participating in this challenge to learn how to live a healthier life and to set a good example for her teenage son.

ABOUT AMERICAN MEDIA

American Media, Inc. is the leading publisher of celebrity journalism and health and fitness magazines in the U.S. These include Shape, Men's Fitness, Star, National Enquirer, Muscle & Fitness Fit Pregnancy, and Natural Health. In addition to its print properties, AMI maintains web sites for all of its brands and also owns Distribution Services, Inc., the country's #1 in-store magazine merchandising company.

SOURCE Shape; Men's Fitness

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RELATED LINKS
http://Shape.com
http://Mensfitness.com