6-Week Challenge: Minn. Newlyweds Shed Pounds, Win Jamaica Trip
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota newlyweds Bri and Ryan Haagenson are kicking off the new year with a trip to Jamaica after winning a six-week fitness challenge.
For the couple, getting fit was a part of the plan after they said "I do" on Sept. 12.
"We came every day to Minneapolis Fit Body Bootcamp. We were here Monday through Friday and even on some Saturday's for six weeks and sometimes did a couple doubles," Ryan said.
The gym was the first step, but that's not the only commitment this couple made. Eating healthier was the second.
"I'm not master chef, but a big part of this was our nutrition," Ryan said.
Together, the couple leaned on Fit Body Bootcamp co-owners Sofia Laasiri and Jon Cookle to help revamp their diet.
"Safely, we went through four dozen (eggs) a week," Ryan said.
The promise to changing their lifestyle was tied into their gym's "Fit Body Boot Camps 6-Week Challenge," a vow their trainer, Jon, said the couple did together.
"The biggest thing I saw was teamwork and support to one another," Jon, who trained the duo during the entire competition, said. "If they didn't have each other, they wouldn't have seen as good of results."
The carrot dangling at the end of the road for the competitors was a trip to Jamaica for grand prize winner of the six-week challenge.
"The support system was huge and we supported each other as too," Bri said.
The Haagenson's total weight loss once the challenge was complete: 40 pounds. And the weight keeps coming off. The couple wasn't just rewarded with a new look, but Ryan was the grand prize winner. Now that hard-earned trip to warmer weather has turned into their honeymoon.
"This is best wedding gift he could have given me. He worked his butt off – literally," Bri said.
Although, Ryan still has one last request before their trip -- a resized wedding ring.
"I lost so much weight, a couple times Bri noticed it (the ring) wasn't on and we had to go searching around our place," Ryan said.
Ryan's goal isn't over yet. He wants to lose 50 pounds. He's hoping to drop another 10 pounds before their trip to Jamaica in 2 weeks.