PITTSBURGH -- The last time WTAE Channel 4 Action News told you how to drop a dress size, the response to the motivational stories about women losing inches and pounds and gaining confidence was overwhelming.

With summer approaching, reporter Janelle Hall wanted to share more weight loss secrets and how the women of boot camp are doing it in four week camps.

You'll also learn some nutritional tricks to help your diet without leaving you feeling hungry all day.

Hall said she woke up Friday morning to rain, contemplating skipping her boot camp workout, but she said, "Pittsburgh women are so willing to stand in this stuff for a Steelers game. It's silly we won't consider doing the same to stay healthy."

Since the last story aired, the boot camp class has doubled. Instead of being held indoors, it was held outside at North Park in McCandless on Friday.

"The drop a dress size, that's what's important, is the inches," said personal trainer Brian Fabian. "People get focused on the scale, and the scale might not change at all. The inches, how the clothes fit, that's what's important. That's the motivating factor, to get back into that size they were in high school or in college."

"I was looking for something different to do that was going to get me off my butt," said boot camp participant Jennifer Allen.

Since January, Allen, 31, has lost 11 inches off of her body overall.

"Your confidence level just soars," said Allen. "It's great whenever your husband starts noticing things as well."

More importantly, Allen said WTAE's first story inspired her mom, a breast cancer survivor, to sign up this time around.

The 55-year-old suffers from osteopenia and needs to shed some pounds to lessen the pressure on her joints.

Cancer is a driving force behind Jennifer Fusilli's workouts. Her husband bravely beat brain cancer, but lung and brain cancer took her mother's life two years ago.

"I'm signed up to do the Nike women's half marathon in San Francisco for the Leukemia Society, which is in October, so I thought I better start getting in shape now," she said.

The boot camp involves a lot of cardio, from jumping jacks to a one-mile run. You can run or walk.

"It's great to see all of the women out here," said Fusilli. "We're working together, and everyone's cheering each other on."

Paige Ritchey plugs away at her own pace during the boot camps.

"I can't run," she said. "I only walk, and I was walking as fast as my legs could carry me. Everyone's cheering. It really felt good."

Fabian said 80 percent of the results depend on your diet, so nutrition is key in looking good and dropping a dress size.

He said stay away from bad sugars and stick to the perimeter of the grocery store.

"If you think about it, that's where all your produce is, your vegetables, your meats all the good natural foods," he said. "So, stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. When you get into the aisles, that's where you get into all the boxed stuff, all the junk."

For the best results with every meal, combine a carb, a source of protein and a source of fat. Also, eat healthy snacks in between your main meals to keep your metabolism up.

"I like to think of your metabolism as a fire place," said Fabian. "If you want to keep it burning, you have to feed it and put a log on every so often."

Remember, the boot camp workout is about intensity, not always endurance. Pick up the pace to burn more calories so you're not on a treadmill or at the gym as long.

The boot camp program costs $15 per class. It's held at five different locations around the Pittsburgh area.

For more information on class locations and times, visit www.PittsburghBootCamp.com.

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