BRISTOL, Pa. -- Four lovely women in their forties are teaming up against a common threat: their weight scales.
The colorful cast of lifelong friends have lost hundreds of pounds combined over the last decade. But the COVID-19 pandemic served as a wakeup call for quarantine calories creeping up.
"Murder the Scale" started as a simple bike ride on Mother's Day, but quickly evolved into a triweekly workout session.
"There's days when I don't feel like getting up. There's days when I don't want to work out," said Siretta "Ree" Lockett, one of the founding members. "But when you're held accountable, and you got three other people in your ear saying you can do this, you got this, it's just amazing."
The pound-killing teammates have been friends since their childhoods. Growing up and experiencing similar struggles, they always find a way back to each other.
"Although we live close together, we kind of live our own separate lives," said Kwesi "Kay" Hutchings-Williams. "But when we come together, and we see each other, and know that we're coming for a certain goal, we're all uplifted."
That camaraderie electrifies their work-out atmosphere, no matter the place, time, or weather. They often live stream their workouts to Facebook and demonstrate a low-impact version of their routines so group members can participate from home.
The results have been eye-opening in the short two months since the group was founded. Each woman has lost between 12 and 25 pounds since May.
Lorriana "Lou" Dix was 330 pounds in 2009. Like some of her friends, she received a surgical procedure to dramatically cut her weight.
"All that resistance and stuff that you come against, you have to push past it," Lou said, referring to the temptation of her delicious cooking skills. In the last 11 years, she has cut her weight by 82 pounds.
Deisha "Dee" Moore emphasizes the importance of healthy choices, both physically and mentally.
"You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you look good," said Dee.
In the future, Kay, Ree, Lou, and Dee hope that "Murder the Scale" will engage and inspire others to lose weight and gain confidence through their support system.
To learn more, visit their Facebook page.
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