Extreme Makeover Season 2 (Jacqui)

Top Quotes From The Season 2

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition

This episode featured Jacqui, a 30 year old who’s starting weight was 355 pounds.

Jacqui began to put on weight at the age of 14, after she was sexually assaulted. It is not uncommon for victims of sexual abuse to gain a significant amount of weight. Sometimes it is intentional. The thought process is that ‘If I’m fat no one will find me attractive. If I’m not attractive no one will ever sexually abuse me again.”

Sometimes it is unintentional. It seems like victims of sexual assault often carry a great deal of shame or guilt. This shame and guilt often evolves into insecurity, self-doubt and a sense of unworthiness.

This is so sad. I can’t imagine how horrible it must be to be a victim of a sexual assault. These victims did absolutely nothing wrong. They are every bit as worthy of good health, confidence, self-esteem and happiness as everyone else. We have to find a way to stop this self-sabotaging emotional and behavioral action that so often follow sexual abuse!

If you or anyone that you know has been a victim please know that you are 100 percent worthy of all of the good things that life has to offer.

I am by no means qualified to offer any type of guidance for people who’ve experience this type of trauma. Please seek out a qualified professional in your area. I can help with nutrition and exercise advice. It can be a team effort!

Now for the quotes from this weeks episode

“It’ makes you feel very alone and very sub-human.”

“It’ just came out and that passion that I have for my future pushed me to something that I didn’t know that I had.”

“I forgot how strong I could be.”

“I have to prove to myself that I can do more than I ever thought possible.”

“I used my weight as and excuse not achieve all of my hopes and dreams.”

“Now I feel like I’m worthwhile and I’m strong. and I’ve done something great and that’s a healthy feeling.”

“The biggest change besides the weight  loss was changing my mind.”

“I could have lost any amount of weight, but if I didn’t chose to love myself and change my mind about how I feel about myself I would still be and empty shell of a person.”

 

Jacqui also took every task, every short-term goal and stayed focused. She never wavered from her program. Because of this she hit every goal and actually lost more weight in one year than any other female client that Chris Powell had ever worked with. She lost 207 pounds.

Way to go Jacqui…you DESERVE IT!!!

 

See you next week…

Extreme Makeover Season 2 Premier (Tony)

Top Quotes From The Season 2 Premier

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition

Because each episode of this show follows a very similar format, I’ve decided not to go through a thorough run down of each show this season. Instead I’ll mention some key moments and lessons and share them with you. Plus I’ll list the top inspirational and motivational quotes from each show. Hopefully this inspiration will help you to reach your weight loss goals.

The overall take away message that I want to share is that Tony overcame a ton of “real life” obstacles during his year.  Yet he didn’t allow any of them to derail him. He was unemployed, broke up with his fiance, ended up homeless and started a new career in Security. All of this at the age of 49.

Despite all of this he still lost 200 pounds in 12 months!

If he can have that type of success in the face of that much turmoil, certainly you can find a way to reach your weight loss goals.

The time for excuses is over!

Now for the top quotes

“Food makes me happy.”

“Food gave me pleasure, gave me joy, gave me love, I enjoy it.”

“Eating is where I got my joy and love from.”

Tony clearly was an emotional eater. He had a very deep rooted emotional relationship with food. It is very common for people who have this type of emotional connection with food to struggle with their weight. If you identify with this, you’ll need to address your own personal emotional relationship with food to be successful. You will probably struggle if you just focus on the behavioral and habitual aspects of nutrition and weight loss. If you need help with this you should find an experienced counselor in your area.

“I don’t want to die obese. I don’t, I’m scared.”

“It just seem like we’ve both been overweight for so long. It’s kind of hard to know that you’re not going to be obese anymore.”

You’ll also have to overcome any fear that you might have about a new self-identity of “an obese person” to be successful.

“Life does seem unfair at times. But I don’t think that life throws anything at you that you can handle or you can’t change if you have the will or the determination.”

“You don’t have to give up. You just need to dig deep down inside and say, ‘I’m doing to do this for myself’ and you have to love yourself”

Notice the evolution of the language that Tony used from the beginning of the year through the end of the year. This weight loss journey is all about the changes that occur on the inside. You have to change your mind to be able to change your body. Your body is just a physical manifestation of what is happening on the inside.

Start your journey…see you next week!

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Finale (Krista)

The Season Finale of Extreme Makeover Weight Lose Edition

Chris Powell chose Krista a 34 year old stay at home mom, who definitely has had some bad things happen to her in her life. The most significant thing was that her daughter began to have seizures at the age of two. The doctors decided to remove the left side of Krista’s daughter’s brain. Her daughter, Gabie, seemed to recover fine, but definitely has some special needs.

Krista began putting on weight about the same time that Gabie began to experience the seizures. It was classic emotional eating. But Krista gained so much weight that she realized that she wanted to stop the cycle and lose weight. She realized that Gabie would need her to live as long a possible to help her with her needs.

Krista’s start weight was 445 pounds.  Chris set a goal to lose 100 pounds in the first 3 months of the program. If she did, she’d win a brand new car. This was a big deal because Krista and her husband only had one car to keep their expenses down. So they could afford the special care that Gabie required. Krista felt like a prisoner in her own home, because her husband had the car all day.

Chris also took her shopping for a wedding gown, so that Krista and her husband could renew their vows. She found a dress that she loved but the largest size that it came in is 18 and she is currently a size 28. Her goal for the end of the year is to fit into the dress so that she can have the wedding ceremony that she never had.

At the 3 month weigh-in Krista lost a total of 105 pounds and now weighed 340 pounds. She won the car. A Mustang!

The goal for the second 3 month phase was to lose 60 pounds.

During the second phase Krista began to have problems. She really began to struggle. She told Chris that she was worried about her finances and may need to find a part-time job. She stopped returning calls and emails for three weeks. On day 140 Chris surprised her with an unannounced visit. He showed up at 11am, and woke her up.

He confronted her and all she did was make excuses as to why she couldn’t do this. Chris kept pressing her until he found out the real reason. Krista was scared that something bad was going to happen to Gabie again and her fear was resulting in her reverting back to emotional eating again. He asked her if she wanted to talk to someone about this on a regular basis. I think this was a good call on Chris’ part. Her emotional trigger is very deep rooted and beyond the scope of a fitness and nutrition expert to deal with.

Krista seemed to respond well to this and got back on track. At the 180 day weigh-in she weighed 295 pounds and had lost 45 pounds during the second phase. Although she didn’t reach her goal both she and Chris were happy with the progress. That’s because when Chris weighed her during his surprise visit, she had actually gained weight. So it appeared that she had really turned the corner.

Her goal for the third 3-month phase was to lose 75 pounds.

Oh Yeah, she also ran a half marathon and the Disneyland resort. It wasn’t easy, but she did finish it. As I watched this part of the show I realized it was just an ad for Disneyland. Plus don’t forget that Disney owns ABC…

During the third phase Gabie began to experience seizures again. This caused Krista to struggle with staying on track, and understandable so. At the 9 month weigh-in Krista weighed 325 pounds. She had gained 30 pounds. But the good news is that Gabie’s condition stabilized and that allowed Krista to get back on the program.

There was no mention of the skin removal surgery in this episode. I don’t know if that’s because Krista never planned to have it done or if her struggles during the second and third phases of the year eliminated her as a candidate. Either way I really like the episodes where the people don’t have the surgery. I like to see them put in a full year of weight loss, or better yet, complete the weight loss process entirely before electing to have the skin removal surgery.

So with Gabie stabilized and Krista back on track the goal to get into the size 18 wedding dress was still a reality during the fourth phase of the year. At the reveal it was obvious that Krista had a good three months, and had lost a considerable amount of weight.

At the final weigh-in Krista weighed in at 265 pounds. She lost 60 pounds in the fourth phase and a total of 180 pounds for the year. She fit into her wedding dress and she and her husband renewed their vows.

I’m glad that they used this episode for the final. There are a couple of really important things that happened in this show that I think everyone can learn form and be inspired by.

The first thing is that it’s important to understand that things may come up in your life that negatively impact your weight loss goals. When they do, deal with them. Don’t let distractions become an excuse to abandon your goals. Deal with the distractions and then get back on track. Krista had some really significant and genuine distractions, yet she never gave up. Although she might have been able to lose more weight, she still lost 180 pounds in one year. If she can do it, anyone can.

Second, It was beautiful to watch the sacrifices and unconditional love both she and her husband had for Gabbie.

And third. By the end of the year Krista had found that inner confidence that always results from eating right and exercising. It can’t be denied. She was confident that she was going to keep losing until she reached her goal of 160 pounds. And you know what, I believe her.

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition is done for the year. I hope it comes back. I know that Chris Powell is genuine! I do hope that they tweak the format a little. The process of every episode was essential the same, so the last few episodes did become somewhat predicable.

Chris Powell is awesome and the eight people that he helped this season are inspirational!

Here are the quotes from this weeks episode

“The pain that you feel now is far greater than any workout.”

“Until Krista stops making excuses and stops justifying her actions she can lose all the wight in the world, but she’s not going to keep it off. It’s gonna come right back.”

“You don’t have to do shit!. I want you to want this too.”

“What you decide to do, is going to define who you are.”

“No matter what, we always finish what we start.”

“It’s about falling down and getting back up.”

“Just do more than you did before.”

Remember to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

Until next season…

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 7 (Staci)

This week Chris Powell chose Staci

Staci is a 30 year old mother of two. She also has a husband who suffered a stroke and has no sensation on the left side of his body. Because of this Staci also works full time as a mobile radiology tech. to support the family.

She has some very classic weight gain issues. She always puts the needs of everyone else before herself. This appeared to be rooted in the fact that she gained weight early and always considered herself a failure to her mother. So she gave up trying and kept putting weight on. It’s a vicious cycle of, I don’t like myself, I’ll put everyone else first, I’ll gain weight and like myself less.

Luckily for Staci, Chris Powell chose her. Her starting weight was 456 pounds and her first 3 month phase goal was to lose 100 pounds. If she did Chris would get her a nanny to help ease some of her responsibilities at home, for the second 3 month phase.

After ninety days Staci weighed 350 pounds. She lost 106 pounds. And she got the nanny.

Her second phase goal was to lose 60 pounds. With the help of the nanny she continued to do great and she lost exactly 60 pounds.

One thing that was interesting in this show compared to the previous episode was that there was finally some proof of the nutrition program that Chris Powell uses to help people to lose weight. When he moved in during the first phase he was carrying a STAX System.

And during the second phase there was a scene where Staci was preparing food and had a STAX System on the counter and all of the STAX food containers neatly stacked (pun intended), in her cabinets. So if you are interested in losing the type of weight that you’ve seen on the show. Get a STAX today!

After six month Staci went through a grueling firefighter skills and drills training program as a milestone for all of her accomplishments. Because of the heat and the extreme requirements she came up a little short of completing the fire hose carry up 6 flights of stairs. But she did regroup and completed the task without all of the gear.

Staci is a very hard worker and she’s getting the most out of this opportunity so far.

Her third phase goal was to lose and additional 60 pounds. If she did she’d be a candidate for skin removal surgery. Without Chris and the nanny in the house, Staci struggled with all of the responsibilities of work, family, exercise and nutrition. During the third phase she actually gained 4 pounds. She wouldn’t be able to have the skin removal surgery.

But she did have a personal weight loss goal to lose 200 pounds during the year. She refocuses and at the final weigh-in weighed 255 pounds. She lost a total of 201 pounds in 1 year without having skin removal surgery.

At the end of the show Chris really challenged viewers of the show to come up with excuses why they can’t lose weight. He basically said that if Staci can do it, than anyone can. Everything was working against her having success. Yet she changed her priorities and made the conscious decision to change. And Change occurred.

Awesome work Staci, you deserve it!

Now for the quotes from the show

“I can do it and I will do it”

“I didn’t take care of myself, I put everyone else first”

“Are you ready to start living again? Are you ready to do it fo9r yourself and not anyone else?”

“I’m ready to hear it, because I’m ready to change it.”

“I didn’t quit, I didn’t stop, I kept going and i proved it to myself that once I start something I can finish it. No matter what.”

“She has to learn how to live this lifestyle without any special assistance.”

“I want it really bad.”

“You have to love yourself.”

Remember to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

See you next week…

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 6 (Wally)

OK This episode was much different than the rest!

After watching the previous 5 shows, a definite pattern was starting to develop. The shows were beginning to get very predicable. I’m glad that this weeks show was different, and there is a ton that we can learn from it.

This week Chris Powell chose to help Wally a 26 year old with a wife and a young daughter. Early in the show it became clear that Wally had something more serious going on. He obesity wasn’t the result of simply having poor habits. Wally is a food addict.

His Starting weight was 490lbs.

His 3 month goal was to lose 110 pounds. Remember that during the first three months Chris spends considerably more time with the people he is helping (read comments from the previous episodes post on whether or not he actually lives with them for 3 months). Anyway with Chris’s guidance Wally lost 110 pounds exactly and won a trip to Disney World with his family (although more subtle than The Biggest Loser, this still was an ad for Disney).

His goal for the second 3 month phase was to lose 70lbs.

Chris met Wally and his family at Disney World for the six month weigh-in. It was obvious that Wally hadn’t lost very much weight. Turns out that he only lost 21 additional pounds. He admitted to Chris that he had been cheating. This didn’t go over very well because all along Wally had been telling Chris that he’d been right on track.

Chris clearly was angry and he called Wally out, yelled at him a lot. He was doing the “tough love” trainer thing. Which probably seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But as you’ll see it probably wasn’t.

Then Chris made a decision that I disagree with. Even though Wally had not been fully engaged in the process, Chris still decided to go ahead with their plans to go on a 100 mile bike ride. I get what Chris was trying to accomplish. He wanted to show Wally that he was capable of doing more than he though he could. And that makes some sense, sometimes you have to push yourself and get uncomfortable to realize how strong you really are.

But this ride appeared to be in the Orlando Fl. area, and they kept talking about the heat. OK I get it, it get’s really hot in Orlando. But Chris kept saying that it was 112 degrees. Maybe he was talking about the heat index, because it doesn’t get that hot in Orlando ever! Anyway I think it was a mistake to have a 359 pound person, who hasn’t been training for long distance cycling and isn’t fully engaged in the weight loss journey for a 100 mile bike ride on a hot day in Florida!

And it didn’t turn out well. Wally didn’t finish. He had symptoms of heat exhaustion for sure. Luckily they didn’t force him to continue and the medical staff took care of him.

Chris made some great comments at this point in the show. He basically said that Wally was either going to react to this struggle on the bike by stepping up and re-committing to the program, or he would shut it down and struggle.

Turns out he struggled.

Wally was making videos and he kept talking about how difficult things were. He struggled with the temptations of fast food, doing the workouts. When he cheated he kept punishing himself my eating more food. During the 8th month of the program he stopped responding to emails and phone calls from Chris.

Just before the 9 month weigh-in he sent Chris a letter and explained that he was a failure, that he hated himself.

Chris got on a plane and flew to Chicago to intervene. When he got there he met Wally’s wife, pulled her aside and showed her the letter. He asked for her support. When Wally returned (supposedly from a workout, but really from a fast food restaurant), Chris confronted him.

Wally admitted that he wasn’t following the program and that he’d been eating fast food almost everyday. He said he was depressed and had been suicidal for the past month. I think I knew at this point what Chris was going to do but I wasn’t sure.

They weighed Wally and he had gained back 60 pounds!

Chris admitted that he couldn’t help Wally. That his program will only work if Wally want to help himself. He knew that Wally was a food addict and needed help beyond Chris’s expertise. There is a program in Chicago (and probably most mid to large cities), that helps people with food addictions. Chris asked if Wally wanted to go there for help.

Wally agreed and Chris took him.

There is so much to learn from this show.

1. Nutrition plans and exercise programs only help people who are willing and/or capable of  helping themselves.

2. No matter how much someone might know and how much expertise one has, there is always a chance that the help someone needs is beyond your scope.

3. Not everyone is going to be successful when attempting to lose weight.

4. Chris Powell made the right call, Wally needed help in ways that Chris couldn’t provide and he made an appropriate referral.

 

Admitting some of those things are very difficult for me. When I wake up every morning I believe that the combination of my education, experience and the programs that I’ve developed are enough to help everyone accomplish any goal that they may have.

But the truth is they aren’t enough. Not for everyone! I can’t help everyone. I can only help people who are ready to receive the information that I share and have a willingness to help themselves. I’m humbled by this realization.

So I’ll help those who are ready and hope those who aren’t will look me up when they are.

Chris Powell is an awesome guy. He made an incredible decision after only 9 months with Wally. And it was the right decision.

I hope that Wally has found the help he needs.

Here are to quotes from this (These aren’t quite as uplifting as previous episodes, but they are powerful)

“If you can get your mind right, at least there is hope (that you will reach your weight loss goals).”

“Fast food has become the opiate for the masses.”

“I can’t help you. I can give you all the tools in the world but Wally only you can help yourself.”

“Whatever emotions I have I find an excuse to eat. And I have to change that.”

“Life got too complicated and I just when back to old habits.”

“Ultimately fast food is a lifestyle that Wally has to choose to give up.”

“Obesity is a terminal illness, it’ll kill you.”

 

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

See you next week…

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 5

This Week Chris Powell worked with LaRhonda

LaRhonda is a 24 year old whose starting weight was 433lbs. This show followed the same format as the previous 4 episodes.

  • Chris Powell surprises the person
  • They go to a week of boot camp
  • Chris moves in with them for the first 3 months
  • Goals are broken down into 3 month segments
  • There is a reveal and a final weigh-in

Here’s what made this show unique and interesting. LaRhonda had a very fun and dynamic personality. You could tell as the show progressed that she and Chris really liked each other. They had great repoire. LaRhonda began to put on weight at the age of 8. She did this because she was molested. And as Chris said it was the only thing she knew how to do to protect herself and prevent it from happening again.

LaRhonda also lost her mother at a young age (48 years old), due to a heart attack that was the result of complications of diabetes. She was concerned that she was at risk also. She has been saving her mother’s unused insulin needles, because they remind her of her mother. Chris eventually got her to get rid of the needles. He didn’t want her to define/remember her mother as a diabetic.

Her First Phase goal was to lose 100lbs. At the 3 month weigh-in she weighed 333lbs., she lost exactly 100lbs. That was incredible. Her prize for reaching her goal was a new car! She got a Toyota FJ!!!

OK, what’s up with that? Remember last week. James prize for hitting his goal was a bike. If I’m James, I’m calling up ABC and calling a major prize foul on that one!!!

Her Second Phase goal was to lose 60lbs. When she showed up for the weigh-in it was obvious that she had lost a lot of weight. But Chris was concerned because he had been watching her on the monitor and saw that she was cheating a little on the nutrition and exercise. At the Six Month Weigh-in she weighed 273lbs. Again she reached her goal of 60lbs on the dot. I don’t know how she does it, but LaRhonda has a knack for reaching goals.

There was an interesting lesson to be learned from her cheating. She said that she needed to learn how to eat a few chips and dip then stop. Her old behavior was to eat a few then beat herself up, get depressed and finish the whole bag. Lesson learned people, follow LaRhonda’s example. If you stray from your plan, stop and get back on it. There is no reason to punish yourself.

Her Third Phase goal was to lose enough weight to be at about 50% of her start weight. If she did that she’d be a candidate for the skin removal surgery. At the Nine Month Weigh-in she weighed 237lbs. and had lost 45.27% of her total weight. She was eligible for the surgery.

At the reveal she looked great. Her final weight was 231lbs. She lost a total of 202lbs. in one year. I liked the way that LaRhonda pushed herself during the year. She was the first person on the show to lose a significant amount of weight during each phase of the first 9 month. It didn’t matter if Chris was there or not, she stayed on track the first three months.

Even though she lost a total of 202lbs. Her last 3 months weren’t that impressive. She only lost 6lbs. The skin removal surgery took off more than that, so in actuality she probably gained some weight during the last quarter. But she did say one thing that was revealing. “It was hard to lose weight when you’re layed up for so long after the surgery.” I think that skin removal surgery if very hard on people and it’s a long recovery.

It’s too bad in LaRhonda’s case that she couldn’t have gone the entire 12 months losing weight and then have surgery. I think she could have lost another 30lbs., then had at least another 30lbs. of skin removed and weighed-in around 170lbs. I know that the 1 year time frame is a cleaner more “made for TV” time period. And they have to do the surgery 3 months before the end of the show so that the reveal is more dramatic.

Either way it was an amazing transformation. Congrats LaRhonda and as usual Chris Powell did an amazing job!

Now for the quotes of the show:

“This is all for you.”

“Why am I allowing myself to be this big?”

“Are you ready to start loving yourself?”

“I’ve been exhausted for 16 years. I’m over it.”

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

“Losing 100lbs. in 90 days is a lot of weight. The best thing about it, is that it’s completely doable.”

“Trust yourself and just go.”

“Take it meal by meal, it’s a lifestyle now.”

“I didn’t know what I was missing. If I had known what I was missing, I would have done it a long time ago.”

“I’m not destination happy, I’m journey happy”

Another Great Show!

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

 

 

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 4

Chris Powell set a new record for total weight loss in a year!

This episode featured James, a 26 year old. James is a former football player and power lifter from Ft. Worth Tx. He began gaining weight in high school after a football injury. He seemed to be a promising player. I’m not sure if the injury was career ending, but the weight gain sure was. He believed that he weighed as much as 700lbs. He had already begun losing weight on his own.

His starting weight with Chris was 651 pounds.

The show followed the same model as the previous three episode

  • Chris surprises the person
  • They go to LA to a health and longevity institute
  • They weigh in on a loading dock scale
  • There is a week of boot camp
  • Chris trains them really hard to see if they are ready
  • Chris moves in with them for the first three months
  • They are given 3 or 4 three month goals
  • There is a reveal at the end

 

James was a little different than the previous three people on the show. His football and power lifting personality came through in that he was combative, confrontational but very determined. I think there were some moments that Chris might have been a little afraid of him..

His Phase 1 Goal was to lose 150 pounds. That is crazy. That is 50 pounds a month… If he lost the weight Chris would give him a bike that can support up to 500lbs. Again I really like this reward, it has nothing to do with food!

During the first 3 months James lost 154lbs. That is awesome. He got the bike.

The Phase 2 goal was to lose 80lbs. During the second three months James ended up with pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism. He spent a week in the hospital. His attitude was that he wasn’t going to focus on his weight loss until he was fully recovered. He didn’t focus on it and it showed. He only lost 11lbs. during the second phase.

Chris had set up a football scrimmage with some “pros”. I don’t know if there were or not but they definitely were real athletes. Both Michael Irvin and Nate Newton (former Cowboy’s) were there to drill James. Man did they, but James responded and earned their respect. I found it interesting that Nate Newton was there. He was huge when he played football. Apparently he has lost over 100 pounds since his playing days. It was a great example for James to see.

Then I think that Chris Powell made the decision of the year! He allowed James to set his own goal for the third phase. It was a great decision because as Chris said to James, “I think you like to do things your way.” Allowing James to take control of his journey and the inspiration that came from the football scrimmage seemed to make all the difference.

At the 9 month weigh in James lost another 92lbs.

Because of James’ weight and a hernia that will need to be operated on, he wasn’t a candidate for skin removal surgery.

At the reveal James weighed in at 338lbs. He had lost a total of 313 pounds in 12 months. That is incredible.

At the end of the show they mentioned that he had moved to Austin to start a new life and he was still trying to get below 300lbs so he could have the hernia surgery.

Awesome transformation!

Here are the quotes from the show.

“Go back to the happiest moment of your life. Remember how you felt, and start your journey there.”

“How’s it fell to be alive?”

“Your new environment must be conducive to your weight loss.”

“Understand how powerful and extraordinary you really are.”

“This is your journey and your journey alone.”

“One day you run out of excuses and when that day comes, that’s when your life starts to change.”

Another Great Show!

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

 

See you next week…

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 3

I liked this episode the best so far!

That’s because this week’s show was more about what was happening on the inside. Until you address what is going on inside of you, you will struggle with what is happening to your body. The physical condition of your body is just a side effect of what is going on inside. Get your mind right and the body will follow.

This week we were introduced to Dana, a single 44 year old gospel singer. Oh yeah, the other thing that was good about this show was that Dana had a more interesting and dynamic personality than the people on the first two shows.

The show followed the same format so I won’t get into too many details. Dana’s starting weight was 498lbs. The first phase (three month goal) was to lose 110lbs. OK, that’s a lot of weight to lose in three months!

But remember Chris Powell lives with these people during the first phase. So that’s usually when they lose the most weight. Chris seemed very aware that Dana was not letting go of the real reasons for his weight gain. He knew that Dana didn’t like himself. Chris kept trying to get to the root cause of Dana’s weight. Chris is smart, he knows that Dana won’t have a breakthrough until he addresses the true reasons that he gained weight in the first place.

While Chris was living with Dana, he found some junk food in the refrigerator. He called Dana out and challenged him for the reasons that he was continuing to sabotage himself. This led to a search of Dana’s car and the trash (this felt a little like scripted tv). But eventually Chris got to the truth. Dana had been sexually abused as a child.

I will say this. I saw this coming from very early on in the show. I knew it was coming at the initial weigh in when Chris said to Dana, “I’m looking at someone who doesn’t like himself” (ok that a paraphrase more than a quote). It is not uncommon for people who’ve been sexually abused as a child to use food and the obesity that results from it to protect themselves from more abuse. I know both Chris and David Smith (Chris’ first amazing transformation), and David had a similar experience (he spoke of it on TV so I’m not revealing anything).

But it’s important to note that sexual abuse is by no means the only reason that people are obese.

At the first weigh in Dana lost 111lbs. He met his goal and won a private vocal coach. Chris set his second phase goal to lose 70 pounds. But Dana struggled and only lost 29lbs.

For Dana to be a candidate of skin removal surgery Dana would have to lose 108lbs. during the third phase.  When he came back to LA to weigh-in he got to sing in a concert with his brother. I will say that all the weight loss, exercise and vocal training did make a huge difference. He was singing much better than he did at the beginning of the show. See how every aspect of your life improves when you lose weight?

At the third phase weigh in Dana lost 48lbs. He wouldn’t be a candidate for surgery.

After the weigh in it was obvious that Dana was still struggling with something and that was why he wasn’t reaching his weight loss goals. He pulled Chris outside and told Chris that he was gay. Chris congratulated him and thanked him for his honesty. He knew that was the breakthrough that was necessary for Dana to continue his successful weight loss journey.

Commentary – Isn’t it a shame that we live in a world/country that someone can be so ashamed of who they are that they eat enough food to weigh 498lbs.? Come on people, really, let’s treat everyone better than that.

Ok, back to the show. I will say that Dana’s enthusiasm, dedication and general outlook seemed a lot better during the final three months. This show was a little different because in the first two, both people had the skin removal surgery. Once they had the surgery we didn’t see them again until the reveal. I’d guess because they were recovering from surgery. But in this show Dana still was working out.

At the final weigh in he weighed 295lbs. He lost a total of 203lbs. That’s incredible for one year. Especially when you consider he didn’t have the skin removal surgery which could account for 40-80lbs.

Great Work Dana, Another Amazing Transformation

Here are the best quotes from this week’s show

“Change has got to come my way, or it’s over.”

“If you can’t control your weight, you can’t control your life.”

“Your journey is learning to love yourself.”

“This has everything to do with your journey, with your health and your happiness.”

“Every time you reach for food for your comfort, you’re reliving and you keep punishing yourself for something that was never your fault.”

“When you figure out what it is that’s driving you, it’ll be a life long transformation, because it’s the answer th that question that is the solution.”

 

Another Great Show!

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

 

See you next week…

 

 

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 2

Chris Powell’s done it once again – Another amazing transformation!

In this episode of Extreme Makeover; Weight Loss Edition, Chris Powell chose to work with Alex. Alex is 23. The sad part of this story is that Alex’s mom passed away when he was a senior in high school. When she was sick the made her promise that she’d be there for him the next day. Near the endof her life, instead of promising to be there for him, she asked Alex to “get healthy for her”.  It was obvious that Alex has struggled with the loss of his mother. And instead of honoring her wishes to focus on his health, he turned to food to deal with his emotions.

As someone who has yet to lose his mother, let alone losing a mother at such a young and pivotal age, it’s hard for me to relate to what Alex was experiencing. Even though I can’t relate I can understand. It’s not uncommon for people who are dealing with deep rooted emotional issues to turn to food and self-sabotage their health.

There is another reason why Alex became morbidly obese, his environment. His father was overweight (though not morbidly obese), his mother was overweight in the video footage from the show and both of his brothers (I think he had two), are overweight and well on their way to becoming morbidly obese. Alex is a baseball fanatic and apparently quite good, but he was so overweight in high school that we was unable to make the team.

So his environment, his behavior, his habits were already in place for him to become morbidly obese prior to the passing of his mother. That was just the trigger that sent his health spiraling downward.

In comes Chris Powell.

The show followed the same format as the premier episode. Chris and Alex went to LA for “Boot Camp” (one week of Chris educating Alex on what it will take to be successful). Then the weigh-in, Alex’s starting weight was 459 pounds.

Just like in the first episode Chris took Alex through a tough workout to see if he was “ready”. He was, if he wasn’t there wouldn’t have been a show…

The goal for the first 3 month phase of Alex’s journey was to lose 100 pounds. If he did, he’d win season tickets to the Atlanta Braves. I love this type of reward, it has nothing to do with rewarding yourself with food. Alex lost 97 pounds during the first 3 months. He came up short of his goal but both he and Chris were proud of his efforts and progress, and rightfully so!

During the first 3 months Chris lived with Alex and they set up a home gym. To help motivate and keep Alex on track they put up a large picture of Alex’s mom in the room. It was to remind Alex of his mom’s wish for him to focus on his health. While it makes for great TV, in principle I don’t agree with this type of motivation.

I believe that the motivation, and determination to improve one’s health must come from within. If you are doing it for someone else, you’ll reduce your chances of success. When you make yourself a priority and focus on improving your heath it will also improve the lives of everyone around you.

Instead of winning season tickets Chris and Alex went to a Braves game. They got to go into the clubhouse and meet a bunch of the Braves. You get to do some really cool crap when you get a TV show!

Alex’s goal for the second three month phase was to lose 60 pounds. Chris had some security cameras  set up in Alex’s house and monitored his program. The show made it seem like Alex was playing video games and procrastinating on doing his workouts. At the 6 month weigh-in Alex weighed 341 pounds. He only lost 21 pounds. So I guess he was not fully committed to his program.

It’s interesting to me to see that people struggle at times during their weight loss journey, even under the guidance of Chris Powell. The important thing to learn from this is that if you’re planning on losing weight you should understand that you’ll have some struggles along the way. When you do you’ll have two choices, give up and put weight back on or find the inner strength to battle through the struggles and reach your goals. CHOOSE THE LATER!

After the 6 month weigh-in Alex went to 24 hours of Army boot camp. Which I think was an advertisement for the Army. It was interesting to watch and they made it seem like he found something in himself during the 24 hours. His third phase goal was to lose 70 pounds.

Maybe the Army thing worked because he seemed to be fully engaged and dedicated during the third quarter of the program. At the nine month weight-in he weighed 264 pounds. Alex lost 77 pounds in three months. He also appeared to have found his self-confidence.

He went into skin removal surgury. Then he showed up at the reveal for his friends and family. His final weight was 243 pounds. He lost a total of 216 pounds in 1 years. The city dedicated a baseball field in his mom’s name and everyone cried!

Awesome work Alex that was an incredible transformation, both inside and out.

Now for the quotes of the episode;

“It’s a new day, a new person. It’s time to change for good.”

“I get the feeling that Alex has never believed in himself.”

“What are you waiting for? Get up and finish this fight!”

“You’re stronger than you think.”

“When you set a goal, you want to reach it.”

“He can be a winner. He can choose to be a success or he can shoos to be a failure, and whichever one he chooses that’s what he’s going to be.”

“Consistency is the key, that’s what it’s going to take.”

“One vision, one goal, get to it and fulfil your mission”

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

See you next week…

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition Premier

Last night ABC premiered a brand new show from the Extreme Makeover brand, Extreme Makeover, Weight Loss Edition. I’ve been waiting for this show to air for a long time. Because the host and trainer of the show is Chris Powell. Chris is a friend of mine, so I’m definitely biased when I write about this show. I met Chris about 5 years ago when we both worked at Fitness Experience in Scottsdale, AZ. His energy, passion and enthusiasm is 100% genuine. The person that you see on TV is exactly the same person that you’d see over lunch. I love the guy and I’m so happy for him.

The other thing that is so awesome about Chris, that didn’t get mentioned in the show, is that while he helped David Smith lose over 400lbs he created an awesome nutrition System. It’s called STAX Nutrition System. It works and it’s the only nutrition plan that I recommend. I’m positive that the nutrition advise that he is giving to the people on Extreme Makeover, Weight Loss Edition follows the principles of the STAX Nutrition System.

Those principles are; eat whole, natural food, eat the proper portions and eat in regular (5-7 times a day) intervals.

If you follow those principles and the STAX Nutrition System, you’ve discovered the secrets to permanent weight loss.

OK, now for the show.

Each episode of Extreme Make0ver Weight Loss Edition follows a single person. That person works with Chris to lose weight. Every person on the show is “super” obese, meaning they have well over 100lbs to lose.

In the first episode we met Rachael. Rachael’s starting weight was 369lbs. She was 220lbs. overweight. She’s a classic overachieverver (valedictorian, homecoming queen, tons of trophies and awards, etc.) yet she was never really able to be successful at losing weight. This is a fairly typical profile for an obese person. All of her successes were about seeking approval, getting other people to notice and acknowledge her abilities. She sought out this type of external attention because she never really liked herself or felt worthy of the good things in her life. You have to have confidence in who you are, like yourself and know that you are worth something, before you’ll ever begin to take care of yourself.

And that is what Chris had to teach Rachael.

Chris and Rachael went back to California for a week of boot camp. During this week he began to teach her all of the things that she’d need to know to be successful. He pushed her really hard during the workouts to test her and to find out if she was really committed. At one point when she began to give up, she found the strength and said something really important. “I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for me”!

When it comes to your health always remember that; you should be doing it for yourself. If you think your doing it for someone else, you may not succeed.

Then it was off to her house in Jenkinsberg, GA. where Chris had set up a home gym for Rachael. He then set a 3 month goal for her to reach. If she loses 80 pounds during the first 90 days, she’d win a trip to Greece. I was conflicted here! First of all I love the breaking down of long term goals into shorter more achievable goals. I also like the fact that the reward wasn’t unhealthy food. And I also thought the reward was a crazy cool gift to win.

Oh yeah, by the way Rachel lost exactly 80lbs. and won the trip to Greece.

But what I wasn’t so sure about was the fact that here’s a young lady who has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight and after three months she’s off to a foreign country? It’s difficult to maintain, let alone lose weight when you travel. But to go to another country, where you may not fully understand the culture and the temptations of food, seemed a little silly to me. That portion of the show also was the least entertaining part of the entire episode. I’m guessing that the Greek Travel Bureau paid for the exposure (it was an ad for Greece).

Anyway Chris set a goal of losing 55lbs during the next 90 days. She flew back to CA for the weigh in and she lost 50lbs. She came up a little short but overall she was happy because she had lost a total of 130lbs. in six months. I have to agree with her. She should be happy. I know that she came up a little short of her goal, but she is definitely moving in the right direction. If she had reached her goal she would have hiked Mt. Whitney with Chris. But she was experiencing severe plantar fasciitis, so that had been cancelled from the plans. So she really wasn’t out anything other than knowing that she came up short of her goal.

Instead she and Chris hiked up a short trail to “The Bridge to Nowhere” and she’d have a chance to bungee jump. At this point she may have had the quote of the show.

“I want to do it, because it scares me.”

Her goal for the third phase of the year was to lose and additional 50-60lbs. This is where the show let me down a little. The reason that she needed to lose the weight was so she could be a candidate for skin removal surgery. When someone loses an extreme amount of weight it is almost always necessary to have the extra skin removed surgically at the end of the journey. But I don’t think getting into surgery should become a goal itself.

During months 6-9 Rachael was on her own. She flew into California again for her weigh-in. She only lost 3 pounds. She said that she gave it everything that she had during the workouts. But she ate extra food at the end of the day after she ate planned meals. You can always mess up great workouts with poor nutrition. If you goal is to lose weight (fat) then you will have to be dedicated to your eating plan.

Turns out she still had the surgery, which I think was premature. But at the reveal she did look great and she lost a total of 161pounds in one year.

Chris Powell in incredible when it comes to helping obese people lose weight.

I can’t wait for next week’s episode!

If you want to see the best quotes from the show check out my twitter profile

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

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