Dave, Red Oak, Texas
Dave lost 47 pounds* using Jillian's meal and exercise plans; he then
finished a half marathon as part of a Message Board challenge!
I hated being an overweight child. People either made fun of me or
(worse) tried to be polite and said, “He’s just plump.” What adolescent
boy wants to hear that? In grade school I was so big they made me play
on the upper grades’ football team. By middle school, I had grown out
of my heaviness, and by the time I graduated high school, I was 6 feet
tall and skinny at 145 pounds. Life was good, and I swore I’d never be
fat again.
Over the years, I filled out. At 30, when I married my wife, I was at a
muscular and comfortable 185 pounds. Over the next 15 years, I slowly
gained another 20 pounds. I was still active, so I got used to it, and
nobody would’ve guessed I weighed over 200 pounds — I just had a little
bit of paunch around the middle. It was September of last year, after I
quit smoking, when I really started to blow up. I gained 25 pounds in
four months, and I was speeding through clothes sizes: The people at J.
C. Penney knew me by name. I was out of control and in denial every
step of the way.
In May 2008, my wife and I went to Cancún for our yearly
five-day sabbatical. When I was shopping for beach clothes, I realized
I was at least four inches bigger around the waist than I had been the
summer before. The size 38 shorts I bought were tight, but I couldn’t
stand the thought of going to a size 40. Still, we had a great time on
our trip, lounging on the beach with a cold drink in one hand and a
plate in the other (all-inclusive hotels are handy but not very
health-friendly).
At home, when I started downloading the pictures from the trip, I was
shocked to see a strange fat guy next to my wife in every picture. I
knew I wasn’t in the best shape, but that was a serious gut and set of
chins I was looking at! While I was sitting there trying to decide
whether to delete all those pictures, I got an e-mail; it was one of
Jillian’s newsletters. The timing was perfect — it had to be a sign. I
immediately logged on to her site and signed up, and then I picked up
the equipment I would need to work out and started planning my meals.
A couple of weeks after I started working out and eating the meals from
the site’s plan, I began reading the Message Boards to find some
like-minded people for additional information and support, and those
ladies set me straight on my eating habits. It turns out I wasn’t
eating enough, and after a few adjustments, I started losing in a big
way.
In just 19 weeks, I lost 47 pounds, an average of almost 2.5 pounds per
week — even better than the plan said I’d do. I attribute my speedy
success to sticking strictly to Jillian’s exercise and meal plans. I
occasionally had a bad food day or missed a workout, but for the most
part I was right there. I love the meal plan; counting calories isn’t
my thing, so the ease of printing shopping lists and getting all the
daily recipes was right up my alley. Even now that I’ve lost the
weight, I still use the plan and just substitute some higher-calorie
ingredients or have a larger serving.
For the first few months, I stuck to the circuits on the site, and
that’s when I posted the biggest losses. In August, one of the ladies
from the “Fearless,” a group that had formed on the Message Boards,
challenged me to run a half marathon. What was she thinking? Me, a
runner? I was the defensive lineman and shot-putter — the big guy in
school who never had to run. I still don’t know what made me accept the
challenge, but I’m glad I did. The first time I ran 10 miles without
stopping or walking, I almost cried (don’t tell anyone). My oldest
daughter ran the November 2 race with me, and we finished it together.
My next race is a 10K in Fort Worth, and I think I’ve talked one of my
friends from the site into joining me. This running stuff seems to be
contagious!
Best compliment: I’ve received so many compliments about my weight
loss, but none stands out more than the one my horse, Dixie, gave me:
When I saddled up and climbed on, she turned around and looked me right
in the face to see if it was me. I swear I saw a smile and a wink as
she turned back around and we headed down the trail.
Activities now: This weight-loss and health journey has been the best
thing I’ve ever done for myself. I can chase my grandkids around the
yard now. I can climb the stairs in my house without my knees hurting.
I’m planning my vacations to include hiking and exercise instead of
avoiding them.
Advice for others: I have a few pieces of advice for those who really
want to succeed:
Stick to the plan. Jillian wouldn’t
put her name on this if it didn’t work just like it is.
Tell yourself that this is what you do now. You eat right and work out.
End of conversation.
If you do have a weak moment, get over it and punish yourself with a
little more exercise, not with doubt and self-pity.
Work out hard. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right. Many
people on this program have had broken bones or some other bad injury
at some point in their lives, and many of the women have given birth —
that’s pain. These exercises are only temporary discomfort. It’s not
all fun, but it’s just what we do now to achieve results.
Use the Message Boards on the site. You’ll find an amazing amount of
knowledge, emotional support, challenges, and fun!
*Weight loss varies by individual. You may not achieve similar results.
Amber, Oklahoma City, OK
Using Jillian's program to lose nearly
90 pounds*, Amber not only won the 10-Ton Challenge (along with a
one-on-one workout with Jillian!), she also won her life and health
back!
Growing up, I always led a very active life. I played softball and
basketball, ran track, and was a member of the cheer and pom squad.
However, during college I lost a lot of weight (down to 107 pounds at
5'6") due to a bacterial ulcer that doctors didn't pinpoint for two
years. After two weeks on a heavy antibiotic, I was good as new…or so I
thought. After two years of near starvation, my body started to hold on
to every morsel of food I put in my body. For the next ten years, I
slowly gained pounds at a time, and I struggled to find myself. Not
happy in my personal life, I dove headfirst into my career in politics,
never realizing just how out of control my weight had become.
The final straw came in May 2007 at my sister's wedding. She had asked
me to be a part of her big day, and I turned her down, because at 247
pounds I didn't want to stand up in front
of so many people. I was never so ashamed of myself for allowing my
life to get so far out of my control. I made a vow to myself that day I
would shed 100 pounds and take control of my life.
It took time for the transition: I needed my friends and family for
accountability, and I threw out all my bad food and restocked my fridge
with healthier food. On Monday, June 4, 2007, I officially began my
journey. I developed better eating habits first, and in late July I
started working out. Like almost everything else I do in life, I went
full-steam ahead, not realizing that the years of being sedentary
weren't going to allow me instantly to run for two miles. I got an
overuse injury, but I was determined to not let it stop me from
accomplishing the goals I had set for myself.
During this time, I found Jillian's site and the 10-Ton Challenge — it
was exactly what I needed to motivate me. I saw how passionate and
deeply caring Jillian was with her contestants on The Biggest Loser,
but I also admired how she pushed them out of their comfort zone both
mentally and physically at the same time. I started doing circuit
training "beatings" religiously, leaving out the lower-body portions
because of the injury but eventually working my way up to completing
all five circuits, as well as two more days of spin class and two
additional days of running. I purchased a heart-rate monitor to ensure
my workouts are on point and a calorie-counting book to make sure my
diet is on point. My goal, which Jillian helped me formulate, is to be
able to maintain five hours of exercise a week for the rest of my life.
I am grateful for Jillian Michaels's passion to help others lead
healthy, fulfilled lives. After winning the 10-Ton Challenge essay, I
was amazed by the time I spent with Jillian in Los Angeles. In my
one-on-one workout she helped me realize something about myself that I
hadn't known up until that day — I'm strong and capable of much more
than I ever thought possible. I'm still learning, growing, succeeding,
and failing. And I'm okay with all of it. Before I couldn't and
wouldn't tell people "No," but now I say it regularly without guilt. I
love that I feel confident enough to wear cute little tank tops, I love
that exercise makes me feel strong, and I love not being scared of what
lies ahead.
The extra weight I carried around for a little more than a decade not
only weighed me down physically, it also weighed down my personality.
Now that the weight has been literally lifted off my shoulders, I feel
like a completely different person. I'm the Amber I used to be — I've
always laughed a lot and enjoyed making others laugh, but now it has a
whole new meaning. I'm not laughing to cover up insecurities in my
life; I'm laughing because of the pure joy I feel deep inside myself.
*Weight loss varies by individual.You may not achieve these results.
