Three weeks into her regimen, Ekiti Lowe has lost five pounds. Well, actually, that's lost nine pounds of fat and gained four pounds of muscle, she said.

"It's coming along," the Durham Fitness winner said. "I think it's just a combination of the meal plan and my trainer trying to build muscle first, because that burns fat quicker."

No matter what the scale said, it's how the people around her notice the difference that's the best indicator of her success, she said.

"My friends and family, even people who see me all the time, look at me and say, 'Yeah, I can really tell,'" she said. "That's the true test there."

Lowe and two other winners of the 2010 Durham Fitness Challenge are getting help setting fitness goals, and planning workouts and meals over three months.

The challenge is sponsored by the David Turner Lymphoma Foundation, named for a Durham resident who was diagnosed at 24 with Stage IV lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. The Durham News will report on the participants' progress through November.

It's been hard to fit in workouts two days a week with her trainer Brad Calhoun, Lowe said. Her job in finance management at Duke University leaves little quality time for her family and outside interests, although she does manage to get out and walk or squeeze in some time on her elliptical machine at home. Calhoun's routines are focused mainly on building muscle, she said.

Calhoun recently gave her a book by Marco Borges, "Power Moves: The Four Motions to Transform Your Body for Life," to inspire her to keep going. Borges, a trainer to the stars, relies on moves that primarily involve the neck, shoulders, hips and knees.

"It talks about how to make changes in your mindset to take care of your body and the things that you need to take care of your body," she said. "Doing moves with those four things will really help work out your entire body."

Lowe said she's also trying to fit a new, low-carbohydrate diet plan into her routine.

"The types of foods on there are not typically things that I would eat, so that's made it a lot harder," she said. "With this meal plan, I've really had to do some substituting, to at least make it easy for me to make meals every day, especially now that I'm at work."

Move It Be Fit owner John Hinkle said Lowe's plan was changed to see if something different would work better for her.

"People want to work out and eat whatever they want. You can't do that," he said.

Lowe said she has been tempted to stray from her diet more than once. September was filled with parties for people going away, getting a new job or celebrating a birthday.

"I admit taking a little bit of cake at one, but I just say I can't do it," she said. "You have to keep looking at the goal - keep the eye on the prize."