Shaw family members take a spin on elliptical machines at Kent State University Trumbull Campus in Champion. From left, are son Aaron Shaw of Weight Busters Fitness Challenge team, and dad Rick and mom Donna, both of the Pound Puppies. Aaron has sweated and eaten his way to a 46-pound weight loss over the first eight weeks of the Fitness Challenge, while his parents each have lost about 30 pounds.

He’s 22. And he thought he was on the verge of a heart attack. The will to live — and to live lighter and better — is why Aaron Shaw entered the Tribune Chronicle-St. Elizabeth / St. Joseph Centers Fitness Challenge weight loss competition for charity. He’s a star for the Weight Busters, a team based out of the Elm Road Panera Bread in Warren. ‘‘I actually started right after Christmas,’’ Aaron said. ‘‘At work, my heart was racing from sweeping the floor. I worried that I was going to have a heart attack.’’ He had 265 pounds bunched about his 6-foot-1 frame. By the Jan. 14 initial weigh-in for the Fitness Challenge, Aaron was down to 253. Eight weeks later, he’s at 207 pounds and dropping. ‘‘It’s good now,’’ Aaron said of his heart. ‘‘Everything is easier. And the food cravings aren’t like they were after the first few weeks.’’ Mom Donna Shaw said, ‘‘It helps when you don’t have it in the house to tempt you.