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Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Finale (Krista)
July 26, 2011 by John Leave a Comment
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
Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover
Until next season…
Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: chris powell, extreme makeover, stax, stax nutrition, stax nutrition system, weight loss, weight loss edition
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."
Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: chris powell, extreme makeover, healthy eating, healty weight loss, stax, stax nutrition, stax nutrition system, weight loss, weight loss edition, weight loss goals
Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 5
June 29, 2011 by John 4 Comments
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!
Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: chris powell, Diet, extreme makeover, healthy eating, healty weight loss, stax, stax nutrition, stax nutrition system, weight loss, weight loss edition
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."
Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: chris powell, extreme makeover, healthy eating, healty weight loss, stax, stax nutrition, stax nutrition system, weight loss edition
Biggest Loser Week 16
A lot of what happened this week was very similar to last week.
Everyone is still in New Zealand, but they moved from Auckland to Queenstown. I must say Queenstown is amongst the most beautiful places that I've ever seen in the world.
Now I really, really want to go!
So the show was still a big advertisement for New Zealand tourism, but it was a little more subtle than last week. And it was so beautiful that I really didn't care. They still focused on the same issue. Over coming your fears.
I've come to the understanding that at the very core of obesity is fear. The fear is deep rooted and is emotional and psychological in nature. It is way beyond my training in fitness and beyond my scope of expertise. For obese people the fear seems to be rooted in a lack of confidence and insecurity. They seem to find comfort in their obesity at the same time they are tourtured by it.
But the uncertainty of who they'll become once (or if) they lose the weight seems to trump the tortured life of being obese. So they stay fat.
Until the emotional, psychological issues, and the core reasons behind the fear are addressed, their chances at successfully losing weight is minimal. The proven science that support both exercise and nutrition will fail them.
The path to successful weight loss begins within one's mind. And the body will follow.
Now this is hard for me to admit. I'm a fitness person, and I know quite a bit about nutrition. My answer for clients who've wanted to lose weight was always "Eat what I tell you to eat, keep a food journal, and do the exercises that I tell you to do". To me it was always simple. Because it is indisputable that proper nutrition and exercise will work, every time, it's simple.
But I don't believe that it's simple anymore. At least not for the obese.
Their journey begins within their own mind. And they've got a lot of work to do, and a lot to accept about who they are and who they'll become if they address those issues.
Then and only then will the proven science of proper nutrition and exercise work for them!
OK back to the show
The only changes this week were that all of the teams have been dissolved. The contestants now are competing as individuals. So the two that lose the least amount of weight will "fall below the yellow line". And the rest of the contestants will have to vote one of them off.
Oh Yeah! Brett Hoebel is back!!!
As I said earlier this episode used the beautiful scenery and outdoor adventure of New Zealand to challenge everyone's fears. Some of them rock climbed, some bungee jumped, and some did a "Canyon Swing".
There was one challenge and the winner would earn immunity and a helicopter ride over Milford Sound. They all had to River Board for a half mile on a river that had some pretty good rapids. Olivia won and she took her sister Hannah on the trip. Again it was super beautiful.
The other big theme this week was that Hannah (remember I picked her to win the whole thing last week), was stressing about not being on a team. She had some doubts about whether she could do well on her own. She was scared that she'd "fall below the yellow line" and face elimination. She was afraid to go home. She said that she wasn't ready, that she still needed help.
What up with my pick stressing out and losing so much confidence in one week?
Any way it wasn't unwarranted
At the weight in Hannah came in second to last, losing only 3 pounds. And Ken came in last, losing a total of 4 pounds. Remember it's not total weight loss that they measure, it's a percentage of total weight. Since Ken weighs more than Hannah, his 4 pounds was a lower percentage than her 3 pounds.
They both had some very c0mpelling reasons to stay on the show. So it was pretty difficult to guess who would be voted off. Obviously I was hoping they'd vote Ken off, because Hannah's my girl!!!
In case of a tie Ken would be going home since he came in last at the weigh in. So Ken only needed three votes to lose, but Hannah would need four votes. There were are couple of obvious picks. Austin voted for Hannah, because Ken is his dad. Olivia voted for Ken, because Hannah is her sister…but what would happen next?….
I'll tell you…
Kaylee voted for Hannah, only because Ken had been on Kaylee's teams for most of the show. Then Irene voted for Ken…the tension was mounting!
Jay then voted for Ken, and he really didn't have any great reason. But his vote meant that Ken was eliminated.
WHEW!!! My girl, Hannah, is still on the show.
Now for the quotes of the week
"I can do anything, there are no limits for me"
"Fear has gripped my life for many, many years. It's such a debilitating thing, you don't realize it until you're not afraid any more"
"I'm ready to live my life the way that I've always wanted to live it. I've always been too scared, too broken, too fat to do it"
"It feels good to be strong, it just feels good. We've earned our life back"
"There are great things ahead for me"
"Go all out"
"It's so empowering and so motivating to me. I've proven to myself that I can do this on my own. I'm strong and I don't need anyone else. I can do this"
"It truly is a whole new life for me"
Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: biggest loser, extreme makeover, the biggest loser, weight loss, weight loss edition, weight loss goals
Protected: Chris Powell Explains How To Begin Your Weight Loss Journey
Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition Tagged With: Diet, diets, extreme makeover, extreme weight loss, health, healthy eating, healty weight loss, nutrition, stax, stax nutrition, stax nutrition system, weight loss, weight loss edition, weight loss goals
I believe in the benefits a good coach or trainer can provide and I've hired my share of them over the years to help me achieve my financial, personal and professional goals. I believe John Preston is one of the best.
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