GET FIT: Halfway there: Boot camp participants assess their progress

As the four women the Nevada Appeal is following through their weight-loss journey pass the halfway mark, they share the ups and downs of the last three weeks and set their sights on success.

All of the women are enrolled in the Kaia F.I.T. Bikini Boot Camp, which runs for six weeks. In the beginning of the camp, all participants were weighed and measured. They also measured their physical abilities through a series of fitness tests.

The first installment ran in the Nevada Appeal on May 2. To see it, go to nevadaappeal.com.

On Monday, the women weighed in participated in the same fitness challenges to gauge their progress. Here are their results:

Tamsen Bradley

At her three-week weigh in, Tamsen Bradley had lost seven pounds.

"I haven't felt a huge difference in my clothes, but I do feel a lot stronger, which is cool," she said.

Bradley is getting ready for her wedding in July. Although not yet half way there, she hopes to exceed a 20-pound weight loss by the end of the six weeks.

"I just have to watch the diet," she said. "I think my workout is in line. I just have to push myself a little harder."

So far, she said, it hasn't been too difficult to follow the diet of cutting out sugar, flour and alcohol. But there are moments.

"I really wanted French bread today," she said, "but I got over it."

Jill De Pasquale

When Jill De Pasquale stepped on the scale Monday, it registered at 204.5. That's 8.5 pounds down from where she started.

At first, she said, she was discouraged that there wasn't more of a drop, but she found comfort in the fact that her body fat had gone down by 9 percent.

"I know I'm gaining muscle so I'm pretty happy about that," De Pasquale said.

When she repeated the fitness test Monday, three weeks after completing it the first time, she doubled nearly all of her scores.

"I can't believe I can do half of these things," she said. "It's just a mind over matter thing."

By the end of the boot camp, she wants to be below 200 pounds, preferably around 190.

"I don't want to be 198 because that would be easy to get back to 200," she said. "I definitely want to be out of the W's - women's clothing."

To do that, she knows she needs to stay focused.

"My problem is I'm seeing how my schedule is getting in the way," she said. "I've missed some classes, and I can see how I put myself on hold. I can't do that. That's how I got here in the first place."

Robin Christy

Before joining the boot camp, Robin Christy had participated in a four-week fitness session in which she lost seven pounds.

Since joining the boot camp, though, she gained one of them back. But she's staying positive.

"Things are going great," she said. "I wasn't too discouraged."

She missed the first week of boot camp, but has been attending classes and committed to exercise since.

She added a daily bike commute to and from to supplement her workout.

"I feel much better when I ride my bike," she said. "My flesh is screaming, no, but my sinews and muscles are saying, yes."

She's gotten rid of the soda in her house and is drinking more fruit and vegetable juice.

"It takes some getting used to, but I know it's healthy for me," she said. "I'm trying to eat better, but I don't eat as well as I could. One thing at a time."

She hasn't taken her measurements, but she's pretty sure she's lost some inches.

"I'm going to have to ask my mom to stitch in my pants," she said. "They are getting too loose."

Holly Crain

The last time Holly Crain participated in a Kaia FIT boot camp, she lost 25 pounds. She was hoping to do about the same in this six-week session.

But it doesn't seem to be working out that way.

"Reality hits, and it's really hard to stay committed," she said.

She recently received a job opportunity in Southern California and has a little over a week before she and her husband have to pack up their home and three kids to move there.

"It's total craziness," she said. "It's hectic. I'm starting to get sick and I can't afford to be sick right now, so I've only worked out once this week."

She missed Monday's weigh in, but on her scale at home, she determined she's lost about nine pounds.

"I feel like I've hit a plateau," she said.

In leaving her home, her parents and the support group she's developed at Kaia, she's sad to go.

"I kind of feel like I'm losing a loved one," she said.

And she knows those feelings can derail her progress.

"Usually, I'm an emotional eater, but I haven't been, which is good," she said. "I really don't want to put that weight back on at all."

She's not sure what workout program she'll follow once she moves, but she plans to stay committed.

"I'm going to keep my running schedule," she said. "As long as I can keep the french fries out of my mouth, I'll be good." l