"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.appNavStyle = 7; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.bDhtml = 0; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.appLayout = 2; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.copyHeight = 540; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.copyWidth = 580; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS.copyMargin = 9; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Amy before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/JFC_1109_before4.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "273", "211", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I felt like food was the only thing in my life that I could control,” said 35-year-old Amy Barnes, who once weighed 490 pounds. “Looking back now, I realize that food controlled me ... Food was my addiction.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club recalls a challenging childhood, having always been a “big kid.” But it wasn’t until she entered an abusive relationship at 270 pounds that she really put on significant weight.
For nearly five years, Amy suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of a boyfriend. In response, she turned to food to mourn, to vent – to process all emotions. It wasn’t long before she put on an additional 200 pounds.
Amy was unable to fit in an airplane seat, walk into in a bathroom stall, or even sit in an armchair. “I always had food in my hand, because it was comforting. It was the only thing I felt like I had.”
The abuse took a big toll, and one day Amy found herself homeless and living in a battered women’s shelter. Even worse, the state took away her sons and handed them over to her parents. It was a devastating wake-up call – but the judge gave her an ultimatum: Get healthy and get your life in order.
“I knew I needed to be a healthy mom,” Amy said. “My kids were my motivation.”
Amy was used to eating abnormally large portions; for example, an entire tray of brownies in one sitting. She also was unaccustomed to exercise; she had never really worked out, especially since her weight caused achy knees and joints. As a result, her initial progress was difficult – but she was determined to lose weight and put her family back together.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Amy started out with small goals, such as “walk three miles a week” or “drink 64 ounces of water.” Gradually, she was able to build herself up to bigger, more important ones. To stay motivated, she would reward herself for achieving even the smallest goals, including completing home-video workouts in her living room (where she exercised because she was too embarrassed to show her body at the local gym).
Amy then turned to overhauling her diet, focusing on vegetables, lean proteins and egg whites. Her list of banned items included bread, pasta, and canned or prepackaged foods. “I gave up that control over food,” she said, “and [instead] used food to live – it changed my entire concept of food.”
It took about four years, but Amy was finally able to reach her ultimate goal: She lost 340 pounds and now weighs just 150 pounds. Along with having regained her self-confidence and health, she’s overjoyed that she proved she could do what was most important to her – be a parent.
Now that she has regained custody of her sons, “There is nothing that feels better than being able to play with my children,” Amy said. Today she has not only has a happy family, but her own health and wellness company and even a nutritionist certification.
“It’s been a really hard journey,” Amy admitted of her weight loss, “but by far my biggest accomplishment.” Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“My daughters were in high school and I avoided many of their band concerts and games,” said 46-year-old Lynn Haraldson-Bering, who once weighed 296 pounds. “I stopped visiting my family in other parts of the country because I didn't want them to see me so heavy.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, causing her to go from 200 to 300 pounds in just a few years. Uncomfortable and depressed, she often went into hiding because she was ashamed to let people see her at such a large size.
It wasn’t that Lynn ate bad food; just that she had too much of it. She recalls making a baked chicken recipe, only to eat the entire chicken.
Her diet typically provided enough food for four people. “My body became unrecognizable,” she said. “I allowed my weight to dictate how I lived my life.”
In fact, it wasn’t long before Lynn’s weight affected every aspect of her life – her family, her friendships, even her career. She quit her job as a newspaper writer because she felt unable to cope with the constant public interaction, “but it wasn't the public I was running away from,” she said. “It was me.”
Years of severe insecurities and depression took their toll. Lynn didn’t have a huge epiphany; she recalls simply deciding it was time to do something drastic: “I just said ‘something has to change,’ and I needed and wanted to be thin again.”
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "What finally put Lynn on the road to weight loss was a complete shift in attitude. She made a commitment to think about “everything” she put in her mouth, focusing on cleaning up her portions and diet staples.
She gave up her carbohydrate-heavy bagel and cream cheese breakfast for a lean, protein-rich egg white omelet with reduced-fat cheese. She used to devour a bowl of buttered popcorn topped with parmesan cheese roughly five nights a week; now she opts for a portion-controlled 100-calorie pack of microwave popcorn before bed.
Lynn also began walking regularly, before adding sessions on an elliptical machine six to seven times a week. Today she works out five hours a week, focusing on strength training and cardio. “I [exercise] in moderation and I've learned to listen to my body,” she explained.
It took Lynn two years, two months and 12 days to finally lose an astounding amount of weight: 168 pounds. She now weighs in at 128 pounds and wears a svelte size 6 – a change so drastic that neighbors often fail to recognize her in the supermarket. She regained her health and started writing again, for a diet and fitness blog. And she started reaching out to other weight-loss enthusiasts.
More than anything, Lynn is glad her new health and outlook permit her to join in family occasions again. “I missed out on so much of life when I was morbidly obese, but I'm making up for it now as a healthy, 46-year-old grandmother,” she said. Watch the video
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Patricia before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/JFC_101909_Patricia.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "273", "377", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I was the ‘fun one,’ not the beautiful one,” said Patricia Appleton Beazer, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I didn’t want any extra attention. I felt like my worth as a person was directly attached to my size.”
The 37-year-old mom from Alberta, Canada, struggled with her weight throughout her marriage, during which she generally gained 10 to 15 pounds per year. The situation only worsened once she began having children and turned to food for emotional comfort during times of stress. “Food was a necessary evil ... it was really an up-and-down battle on the scale that was almost acceptable, as I was having babies. At least I could justify it that way.”
After she had five children, Patricia couldn’t find the time or energy to force herself to live a healthy lifestyle. To cater to her kids, who were picky eaters, Patricia opted for tasty but fatty meals or fast-food takeout. Her daily intake included an omelet with cheese and several bowls of cereal for breakfast; grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch; and macaroni and cheese with hot dogs for dinner.
It wasn’t long before Patricia weighed 265 pounds and suffered from severe insecurities, most notably that she was a bad example to her young brood. She felt that she was simply “existing,” not actively living the life she had envisioned for herself when she was younger.
Deep down, Patricia was painfully aware that her inability to take control of her health – and happiness – was harming her family life. “I knew that I used to be a confident person who had some great life skills, but that person was becoming less and less apparent,” she said. “I realized that who I was becoming was going to affect who my children would become, and I did not want self-conscious children who were afraid to try things for fear of what others might think!”
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Patricia was finally motivated to change in her doctor’s office during her last pregnancy. After running all the requisite tests, the doctor said everything was normal. Then, uncharacteristically, he paused, allowing Patricia to finish his sentence: “For now.” She knew she was at risk for serious health problems, having spent the last few years dealing with back, foot and thyroid issues caused by her weight.
Patricia needed a nudge to live a healthier lifestyle, and her doctor supplied it. He suggested she join a new program in which she’d meet weekly with a nurse who would monitor her diet and progress.
Patricia was nervous at first, but she knew her health – and family life – depended on her ability to seek help. “Who wants to go to a healthy, skinny little nurse [and have] her tell you that you are still fat every week, and that you need to eat less and exercise more? I didn’t want to, but I knew deep down [that] if I didn’t do it, I would get more health problems.”
Although she was still pregnant, Patricia agreed to begin the lifestyle program. It wasn’t easy, considering her schedule – raising four kids, maintaining a household, renovating a house and more – but she was determined to give it an “honest try.”
Her first goal included losing 12 pounds, which she lost in just three months by walking every day and completely overhauling her meals: oatmeal for breakfast; chicken with spinach and roasted vegetables for lunch; lean meat or fish with quinoa or brown rice for dinner; and fruit smoothies for snacks. At five months, she had lost 50 pounds; by one year, 80; and by a year and a half, a total of 100 pounds.
“Each 20 pounds amazed me,” Patricia recalled. “I just didn’t want to fail!” She didn’t; four months later, she reached her ultimate goal of losing 120 pounds.
Patricia had initially feared working with a nurse, but over time her feelings changed and she began opening up to her. “My lifestyle nurse became one of my greatest supporters. I learned that although she had not ever been [obese], she struggled with a lot of similar emotional eating issues that I had. She even became my triathlon buddy.”
Today, at 145 pounds, Patricia feels like a new person. Not only does she feel light; she has become more confident about her skills. She has begun organizing activities, reaching out to people, and getting involved in her community. She’s no longer plagued by insecurities or doubtful about how her kids view her.
Patricia is finally at peace with who she is. “People definitely treat me differently – which sometimes still makes me mad that they didn’t see me for who I was when I was overweight,” she said. “But I didn’t even see myself for who I was, so how could they?” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“Food was my friend, my blanket, my comfort, my lover – my drug,” said Kimberly Anne Evans. “I replaced my need for love with [meals] ... I walked around in a food coma for 39 years.”
The 42-year-old member of the Joy Fit Club, who once weighed 347 pounds, relied on fatty foods to satisfy all her emotional needs. From early childhood, Kimberly viewed food as something she could always count on to comfort her in times of distress. “In school, I was called many names, had things thrown at me, and had kids whisper and laugh behind my back,” she recalled.
Kimberly spent the next three decades gaining an abnormal amount of weight, subsisting on a diet of large portions: two McDonald’s breakfast burritos with hash browns in the morning; two cheeseburgers with fries and shakes for lunch; and a pizza with four scoops of ice cream for dinner. Overall, it came to roughly 9,000 calories and 150 to 200 grams of fat per day. “Little did I realize it was slowly killing me,” she said.
Kimberly felt like a prisoner of her size. Her life was entirely controlled by its limitations: She couldn’t walk long distances, fit into airplane or restaurant seats, or even apply for a job without feeling like her weight stood in the way. “I worked extremely hard to prove that, despite my outward appearance, I was highly competent, hard-working,” she recalled. “‘Normal’-size people have no idea what they take for granted.”
Kimberly thought she would outgrow her obesity, but as she approached 40, she began to believe she might always be fat and that her goals, including having a relationship, would remain forever unfulfilled. She was 39 years old and had still never been kissed. “I stopped thinking about my soul mate, and when I would see [romantic movies], my heart would ache. I would cry, reminded of how truly lonely I really was.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Although Kimberly was unhappy with her lifestyle, it took years until she finally felt motivated to make a change. It all came down to one moment with a DVD – and Gerard Butler.
She had just turned 39 when a friend loaned her a copy of the movie musical “Phantom of the Opera,” whose title character, like her, was an outcast yearning for love. It had a huge impact. “Gerard Butler’s portrayal of the Phantom changed my life,” Kimberly said. “His talent woke me up from my food coma. From that moment on, my soul was alive.”
Kimberly completed changed her eating habits, switching from pizza to Subway sandwiches for lunch, ditching fast food meals for baked chicken or tilapia, and recruiting family and friends to locate nonfat ice cream that tasted “just like the real thing.” She began tracking all her calories and looking for nutritional information on restaurant menus and supermarket food labels. “The problem is, so many dishes appear healthy by their title, description, or look – but they aren’t,” she explained.
That doesn’t mean Kimberly doesn’t allow herself a well-earned reward now or then. “When I do indulge on the holidays, I appreciate the taste of the food so much more – it is such a treat.”
As for exercise, Kimberly took baby steps, starting with walking every day. She then graduated to a stationary bike, slowly increasing the intensity and time over several weeks. After a while, she added in weight-lifting and general floor exercises, and committed to working out seven days a week.
The transition wasn’t easy; it was often hard to find the energy to exercise in the morning. But Kimberly soon learned that “once you start, you feel the energy come to you.”
In just under 21 months Kimberly was able to shed 211 pounds, and she now weighs in at 136 pounds. She finally feels confident about her appearance, and has found a new zest for life. “I literally run up and down the stairs now. I am never out of breath and look for opportunities to hit the stairs more for exercise ... it is unbelievable!”
Physically, she’s now able to enjoy simple everyday activities that once thwarted her, like crossing her legs or sitting in an airplane seat comfortably. In fact, Kimberly just recently met a man, who finally gave her what she fantasized about for three decades: a kiss. “He told me he wished he’d known because he would’ve made it even more special,” Kimberly said. “He’s very sweet and we’ve been getting along very well.” As for her future, Kimberly looks forward to many more exciting “firsts”:
“I want to live for the first time and experience everything – I want to travel, have fun and [go on an] adventure. I lost so many years to my ‘fat suit’... I have a lot left to do.” Watch the video
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kristin before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Kristin_Before_4.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "358", "269", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "At 245 pounds, 26-year-old Kristin Lee LaSalle “was very aware” of her weight, she said. “I was told every day by my ex-boyfriend, made fun of [by others] -- and I couldn’t go shopping because stores I liked didn’t carry a size past 11.”
The former nanny had only started gaining significant weight in 2005, after she started a string of fad diets, followed by a pregnancy during which she put on 100 pounds. It wasn’t long before her daily intake included a roster of fatty, high-calorie foods like pizza and a gallon of ice cream for breakfast, Doritos for lunch, and pasta with a whole bag of cookies for dinner. “I was used to eating whatever I wanted with little exercise or consequence,” she explained. “But then it caught up with me -- it was scary and almost impossible to stop.”
Unaccustomed to regulating her intake, Kristin kept gaining weight until she felt out of control. “Every month at the doctor’s office, I was 10 pounds heavier,” she said. “Eight months after [giving birth], I was still wearing my maternity clothes. I felt horrible when people would ask when I was due and my baby was already almost a year old.”
It took a substantial emotional toll on Kristin; she cried regularly, sought therapy for her lack of self-esteem, and generally avoided social outings. Worst of all, it affected her parenting skills.
“I couldn’t be the mother I wanted [to be],” Kristin said of the years following her birth, “I was so down about the changes that occurred to my body that I couldn’t focus on anything but the weight -- it consumed me. I couldn’t enjoy the joys of being a new mother.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "It got to the point where Kristin felt paralyzed by her depression and suffered anxiety and panic attacks in public. After years of self-loathing, she came to the realization that it had left her tired and isolated. “I was moody, depressed and unlikable -- I became a hermit,” she said.
To add to her pain, her own boyfriend wouldn’t hug or kiss her. “I realized I was missing the joys of being a mom and being young,” Kristin said. “I wanted my life back!”
Kristin’s first step was starting the Slim-Fast 12 week challenge, with which she lost a whopping 30 pounds in just 12 weeks. It was just the motivation she needed: she was so thrilled with the results that she joined a local gym, where she committed herself to three light cardio workouts a week. After several weeks she felt herself plateau, so she took up fitness classes and started changing her diet, switching from soda to water, cookies to dried fruit, and pizza to tuna salad.
By the time her son was 2, Kristin had lost 85 pounds. To celebrate, she added 10 minutes more of cardio a day, which helped her lose a total of 110 pounds. Svelte and healthy, she now weighs in at 135.
Today, Kristin doesn’t take her newfound health for granted. Once plagued by insecurity, she now holds her head high. “I feel like Kristin again,” she said. “My self-esteem is better and this experience made me realize who my true friends are.” Her confidence helped her have the courage to leave her emotionally abusive boyfriend, and more importantly, set a good example for her child.
“I’m ready to be a great mom; [I] look pretty, treat others well, and have a lot of love for my life,” Kristin said. “I feel like I got a second chance.”
"; tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Russ, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/russlane_0909021_beforephoto2.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I felt everyone’s unspoken comments,” said 30-year-old Russ Lane, who once weighed 350 pounds. “I had no confidence.”
The newest member of the Joy Fit Club once boasted a 58-inch waist and a closet full of size XXX-L shirts. “I avoided shopping like the plague,” he recalled. “I had to be dragged kicking and screaming.”
Russ had a nontraditional diet: He skipped meals during the day, but would gorge on pizza and 14 cans of Mountain Dew soda in the middle of the night. If he was ever upset or distraught, he sought comfort in food, especially bagels or biscuits. “There was no rhyme or reason; it was when I felt like eating, not when I wanted to eat.”
He recalls his daily life as a music critic in college as both physically and emotionally challenging. Not only was he self-conscious about his appearance, his physical setbacks left him anxious and frustrated. Even the most minor activities, like walking or sitting, were difficult. “I was uncomfortable: It was really hard to sit with my thighs chafing together -- my thighs would bleed quite a bit, or I would get hernias.”
While attending concerts, he was quite aware that he looked far different than the young, fashionable crowd having a good time on the dance floor. He’d quietly observe the concertgoers from a distance, acknowledging the fashions he “couldn’t imagine fitting on [his] calf.”
However, the most painful aspect of his size remained people’s perceptions. “There was the quiet disapproval of the pizza delivery guy stating the price of a large pepperoni with extra cheese at 3:30 a.m. The transparent chatter of co-workers who wrote me off. And my mom’s hushed frustration on drives back from the Big and Tall shop. I was miserable.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "At age 23, after years of silent suffering, Russ decided he’d had enough. He woke up one morning and realized he was about to embark on his adult life, and it was time to finally be responsible for his decisions. “It took 23 years to make this decision in two seconds,” he said.
He lost his first 100 pounds by adhering to the Atkins diet -- “by the book, not just bacon” -- and walking two and a half miles every day, followed by lifting weights with a personal trainer two to three times a week. On the days in between, he did various cardio exercises. As his workouts increased, Russ introduced whole grains and lower-fat protein into his diet, following the Abs Diet from Men’s Health Magazine.
Russ then switched from music writing for a new gig: restaurant reviewing. Whenever he had to cover a tempting topic, he observed a careful menu selection: “It began with painstaking autopsies on pizza slices, wrapping myself in a miserably tight leash ... But I forged a ‘two-bite’ rule on indulgent dishes, managing my calories through the whole day when I knew I’d be tasting a lot.”
Working so closely with food forced Russ to redefine his relationship with it. By restraining his urges on a daily basis, he was able to learn how to taste and savor meals in a healthy manner. Within two years, he dropped a whopping 187 pounds, and he now weighs in at just 163.
Not only that: Through his transformation, Russ rediscovered his writing voice. He now pens a column on life after weight loss called “Second Helping.”
Russ realizes that he is now a stronger, more grounded version of himself. “I reclaimed and surpassed my original fitness goal, ran a half-marathon, and left my hometown behind to live in New Orleans,” he said. “The lessons I learned in food, weight loss, life and death are given to the public: No matter what wall you’re up against, you always seek solutions and dare yourself to defy everyone’s low expectations – even your own.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I was invisible,” said Rosemarie Jeanpierre, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I was constantly thinking people were judging me through my physical appearance. As a defensive mechanism, I developed a personality that would keep people off.”
The 45-year-old nurse from Los Angeles, who once weighed 220 pounds, recalls a painful, chubby childhood. She dreaded attending school because she was teased and bullied by her peers. From a young age, she felt inferior and self-conscious; she thought she would “never measure up to anything.” Physically, she suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, chronic joint pain and severe migraines. Her one comfort — and cause of pain — was food.
“[Eating] made me feel better when I was feeling down,” Rosemarie explained. “I would stuff my emotional hurt with food.” This unhealthy habit continued until she was in her 30s and felt too old to change. “I felt stuck in a rut.”
Her daily intake consisted of four fried eggs, four hot dogs, four pieces of bacon and two glasses of milk for breakfast; two plates of rice, five pieces of pork and two cups of ice cream for lunch; and two plates of rice, fried beef, three bowls of vegetables and several chocolate bars for dinner.
“I was eating well over triple portions for all my meals, with snacks in between,” Rosemarie recalled. “Food was like a drug to me.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Rosemarie never felt motivated enough to change, until a routine checkup with her doctor alerted her to the severity of her situation: She was in danger of having a heart attack.
“My doctor said that I was pre-diabetic and my cholesterol was critically high — I was so scared of what could become of me,” Rosemarie explained. “It was at that moment that I decided I had to lose weight.”
The very next morning, Rosemarie marched to her local library, intent on educating herself on nutrition and exercise. Her newly adopted motto was “When you know better, you do better,” as Maya Angelou said.
She then proceeded to cut down on fatty foods and opt instead for high-protein, low-carb meals, like baked chicken with spinach for dinner or hard-boiled eggs on whole-wheat toast for breakfast. For exercise, she mapped out a light cardio workout, concentrating on one hour on a treadmill and half an hour with weights, which helped her immediately shed noticeable weight.
Her treadmill routine morphed into a running habit, which soon became a daily passion. And for the first time in her life, Rosemarie felt empowered.
Through discipline and strong family support, Rosemarie was able to lose 110 pounds in just 18 months. Now, at 110 pounds, she can walk with her head held high, unashamed. People treat her differently – not only because of her new physique, but because her confidence is noticeable.
“I’m no longer invisible,” Rosemarie said. “My new lifestyle gave birth to a new me. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“It was very lonely and sad,” said Jamie Lynn Francisco of her decades-long battle with weight loss. “And it was very tiring. I never had any energy at all.” The 33-year-old medical technician from Wolcott, Conn., recalls an alienated adolescence in which she constantly avoided social outings. Surrounded by thinner peers, she refused invitations in fear of being the “fat one in the bunch.” And though friends and strangers rarely addressed her weight – which loomed around 230 pounds – she felt a need to constantly disparage herself. “Humor was my way of coping,” she explained. The most painful aspect, however, was Jamie’s inability to fully enjoy her daughters. Exhausted by her body, she could barely keep her eyes open during family activities or even while watching TV with her children on the couch. “Physically, everything was difficult. Everything hurt – my back, hips, knee, et cetera. I think about that now and it makes me so sad, all that lost time. I remember feeling so hopeless.” The 36-year-old mom from Lebanon, Ohio, recalls struggling with normal, everyday activities. At 312 pounds, she could barely walk or run errands without feeling exhausted or pained. She couldn’t even play ball with her children. “I had trouble going up and down stairs without stopping to catch my breath,” she said. Although dissatisfied with her lifestyle, Jennifer couldn’t find the willpower to stop constantly grazing on food. For each meal, she would stuff herself with at least three portions of side items. Her daily intake consisted of three doughnuts for breakfast; french fries and bacon for lunch; and a cheeseburger with fries and ice cream for dinner. “For each meal I would eat until my belly hurt,” Jennifer said. “Food was just something to do. It was the center of everything.” It wasn’t until Jennifer realized the extent of her dissatisfaction with her body that she decided to overhaul her lifestyle. While out shopping, she spotted old friends -- and instead of saying hello, she hid. “I did not want them to see how far out of control I let myself go!” “I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself,” Jennifer said. “I knew then I never wanted to hide from anyone again. I want to be able to go up to anyone and say, ‘Hi, I am Jennifer Powell -- nice to meet you.’\" With the help of TOPS, Jennifer was able to build up a running regimen and slowly eliminate fatty carbohydrates from her diet. And within a year, she dropped 85 pounds. But just as she was finally reclaiming her health and self-confidence, tragedies struck: Within one week, her husband’s aunt committed suicide, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and her husband’s job was relocated to Mexico. “The night of the funeral, I woke up and my chest was hurting. [We] had to call 911 to get to the closest hospital.” Due to stress, Jennifer had suffered a heart attack at age 32. The doctor informed her that had she not lost so much weight in the past year, she would have surely died. “[In rehab], I passed a sign that said ‘Count your blessings and not your problems.’ That was a real eye-opener for me,” Jennifer said. To recover from her heart attack, Jennifer had to take a break from running or anything that would elevate her heart rate above 140. But she focused on her blessings – that she was even alive – and tackled her diet instead. She gave up red meat and started incorporating more fruits and vegetables into meals. “I love to cook with ground turkey now. I don't use grease in my house. I bake fries, or we just don't eat greasy fries.” “I get a lot more compliments, and people look me in the eye and say hi, even strangers. I am so much happier now and can run into any old friend and go up to them and talk away.” Watch the video Darren and Melissa completely changed how they prepared their meals, switching from eating carelessly to counting calories with the Weight Watchers flex points system. To avoid the temptations of takeout, they rearranged their lifestyle to cut out unnecessary restaurant or bar outings. Within a month, they each lost 5 pounds, which was just the encouragement they needed. \"Excitement took over, and we were motivated to work even harder to see how much we could lose the next week,\" Darren said. “He knew I wasn’t happy about being heavy, so we talked about being healthy and fit for our family and the kids,” she said. “That’s the motivation that I needed. I needed to be better for my family.” Watch the video here, or read more about Tammey's story here. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I never knew what it was like to be fit, or even ‘normal’ sized,” said 41-year-old Kathy Das Gupta of her chubby childhood. “Other people look at someone who is overweight and assume that the large person is lazy, or dirty, or less capable.” The medical practice manager from Hendersonville, Tenn., recalls a challenging childhood in which she struggled to maintain a healthy weight because of scoliosis. “I was in a cast, which kept me from being physically active at all,” she said. “I always knew I was bigger than all my friends.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I spent my entire life as ‘the fat girl,’ ” said 45-year-old Cindy Dominick. “I always felt like an outsider, the third wheel.” And now Cindy can hold her head high instead of feeling like “the fat girl.” Her friends, family and coworkers now know her as happy, healthy and confident. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I refused to deal with it,” said Rochelle Culp, who at 230 pounds wore baggy clothing and avoided mirrors, hoping to convince herself that her weight wasn’t a big deal. “I was concerned but didn’t want to address the issue.” Upon returning from the hospital, Brian and his fiancee cleared their entire kitchen cabinet of any fatty, unhealthy foods. From that point on, Brian committed himself to reading labels and stocking his home with only nutritious foods. “It’s a liberating feeling to know you’ve rid yourself of such a physical and mental limitation,” Brian said of his new outlook. “My energy level has skyrocketed and I’ve found a new love and affection for life... I am a different person.” Watch the video TOPS was instrumental in helping Susan tackle her biggest obstacle – snacking: “The biggest thing I did was to cut way down on snacking, and when I did snack, it was always on healthy, low-fat, low-calorie foods,” said Susan, who now turns to almonds, fruit and low-fat cheese for a midday treat. With a new diet and an exercise routine that included walking 45-minutes a day, six days a week, Susan was able to shed 151 pounds. Now, at 161 pounds, Susan concentrates on nutrition instead of “rewarding” her body with snacks or using food to sooth her emotions. “I am definitely happier now, and my self-esteem has improved tremendously,” she said. “I know my life will never be the same. It will be so much better!” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“Food was the solution to my loneliness,” said 35-year-old Angela Patton. “I would eat to comfort myself during sad and happy times, or even when I was just bored.” For more information on Angela's journey, visit www.self.com/challenge. With her friends’ encouragement, Deb finally joined Weight Watchers. “I was very skeptical, and worried about being on display as the largest member there,” she said, but it wasn’t long until the program inspired her to completely overhaul her eating habits. She swapped cookies for apples, bagels for fat-free yogurt, and tacos for fresh salads. “Temptations were still there, but I was motivated by the continued results,” Deb recalled. At 335 pounds, the aspiring comedian used humor to compensate for his lack of self-esteem, often joking about his weight and appearance. But Van was terribly insecure — he feared talking to girls, meeting strangers, and worst, pursuing his career goals. When considering potential acting roles, he generally ignored his abilities and instead focused on whether his weight would restrict him. “It was always ‘Hey, could a fat guy play this role?” Van recalled. “I would dream of leading-man roles, but would wake up to the funny best friend role, at best.” Van’s daily intake consisted of fried, fatty carbohydrates, with pizza for lunch, macaroni and cheese for dinner and a pint of ice cream for dessert. Every snack was a meal, and every meal was a feast. “If it was super sized and dripping with grease or cheese, I ate five of them... I ate because I was bored, sad, happy, tired, angry — all emotions required food. My entire life became a cycle of what I ate and what I was going to eat.” \"As I was sitting in the wings, watching my peers soak up the spotlight, it all kind of hit me at once,” Van recalled. “This was how it was going to be for the rest of my life.” Van immediately joined Weight Watchers, and roped in his mother to help keep him on track. With his family’s support, he attended the meetings and took baby steps to make over his diet, the first being to swap soda for water and work out on a treadmill three times a week. “I kept pushing myself — the hardest part I faced was learning to control the amount of food I could eat.” His new diet consisted of oatmeal for breakfast, pita bread with low-fat cheese for lunch, and a grilled chicken salad for dinner. With his new eating habits and exercise regimen, Van lost 162 pounds and now weighs in at 173. Today, Van no longer eats to satisfy his emotions. He finally feels comfortable in his body, and his new healthy lifestyle has impacted everything from his career to his love life; he has a girlfriend and feels like an entirely new performer when it comes to comedy. “I am confident in what I do, and I’m no longer afraid to show the world what I’ve got,” he said. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I had given up hope on ever getting married,” said Jonathan Stanton. “My whole life seemed to revolve around food... and I hated what I saw in the mirror.” At 430 pounds, the 32-year-old communications director from Ovid, Mich., constantly felt insecure about his appearance and his inability to control his eating habits. Although popular and social, he felt he couldn’t sustain a romantic relationship and that he always had to compensate for his looks. And it wasn’t long before his weight took a toll on his professional goals as well as his personal ones. “I would often fall short of reaching them because of a physical breakdown, or because they required me to do something that I couldn't because of my weight,” he said. “Life was busy, but often not very fun -- especially once I reached my 30s.” Jonathan’s daily intake consisted of fried, fatty foods, including six cream-filled doughnuts for breakfast or four double cheeseburgers with large fries and nuggets for dinner. “I always had ‘when is the next time I eat’ at the forefront of my mind,” he said. “I just decided that I had had enough and I wasn't going to do this anymore,” Jonathan said. With support from his family, friends and Jodi Davis, the first Joy Fit Club member, Jonathan slowly overhauled his eating habits. With baby steps, he swapped doughnuts for fiber cereal, fast-food hamburgers for Subway chicken sandwiches, and Little Debbie snacks for Dannon Light & Fit yogurt. Jonathan then lightly integrated an exercise routine of walking -- 1.5 miles a day -- gradually adding distance as his weight began dropping. By sticking to 1,200-1,500 calories and walking every day, Jonathan lost 229 pounds and now weighs in at 201. In addition to regaining his health, he’s never been happier or more confident. “Photos of me now show a smiling face instead of a caricature of the Pillsbury Doughboy,” he said. “And I'm starting to look for a wife!” Watch the video \"I often ate three Lean Cuisines and hot dog sandwiches, all in the same sitting,\" she said. \"I learned that I could rely on food to always be there for me.\" But decades of unhealthy eating and a poor self-image took their toll. For Rachel, the most painful part of obesity was strangers' looks of disgust or their avoidance of eye contact. \"When I walked into stores, no one would wait on me,\" she said. When it was time for Rachel to get insurance for her own medical practice, the reality of her obesity caught up with her. Her test results showed she was pre-diabetic and had hypertension, high triglycerides and a fatty liver. As a doctor, she knew what it meant: \"I was a medical mess, and if I didn't do something to get healthy, I would not live to see my sons grow up.\" “My husband was very supportive,” Rachel said, “and we started cooking healthy meals at home and not going out to eat at all.” Not that it came easily. “I would want to eat to cope with the stress, but I had to learn how to find other ways to do this,” Rachel said of the first year. “I bought a shuffle iPod and put relaxing music on it so that whenever I felt stressed at work, I would listen to the music instead of eat.” Today, at 170 pounds, Rachel feels stronger, more capable, and confident. She’s completed more than six triathlons and she’s far more adventurous than she’d ever been. “My advice for other people who struggle like me is to stop making excuses -- you are never too busy to eat healthy or to exercise,” she said. “Take control of your eating habits, and start enjoying life.” Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Brenda Willis, a 51-year-old \"grammy\" from Frisco, Texas, decided she needed to lose weight when her health began deteriorating. At her heaviest, 248 pounds, Brenda found herself at risk for diabetes and high blood pressure. She was also tired and lacked energy, becoming out of breath from just walking across a room. Brenda ate fried food all day, and was constantly depressed after failed attempts at dieting. With little to no exercise and poor eating habits (including drinking up to 10 diet sodas a day), Brenda struggled with her weight for most of her adult life. \"I have gained a whole new outlook on life,\" she said. \"When negative events take place in my life, I handle them so much better.\" Brenda adds that now when she walks out of the house with her 26-year-old daughter, people think that they are sisters. Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Nearly 20 years ago, Deborah Taylor was raped while on a college spring break trip. She turned to food to deal with the pain, putting on 100 pounds within six months of the traumatic experience. “It was my security blanket,” said Deborah, now a nurse in Dallas, Texas. “I thought that if I had extra weight, I wouldn't get attention from men.” With a daily intake of high-calorie carbohydrates, pastries and sweets, including brownies and large bags of M&Ms, Deborah’s weight ballooned to 320 pounds. Finally, she had enough. “I didn’t want to be a victim anymore. My obesity caused me to withdraw from some of the things that I loved most in life.” “By keeping all of this weight on my frame I was being a victim to my rape,” she said. “At age 36, I still had a whole life ahead of me to live and it was 100 percent up to me to live it.” She began by religiously counting calories and sticking to a 1,500-calorie diet. In just four months, she lost 20 pounds, which motivated her to take up aerobics. “I put my heart into each workout and gradually began to see my body change — I felt stronger and the workouts became easier,” she said. Within just one year, she lost 170 pounds, and now weighs in at 150. Today, Deborah exercises six days a week and is training for her first marathon. As for her eating habits, she replaced her love of pastries with sugar free Jell-O and whole-grain cookies. “When I combined diet and exercise together, that was magic — the weight started to fall off,” she said. Apart from the emotional healing, Deborah said she finally feels confident to pursue new goals and activities. “I wore a bikini for the first time ever!” Watch the video At 340 pounds, Brian planned his entire day around meals. He consumed enough fatty foods to feed three or more people, with a heavy dependence on pizza, ice cream, chips and soda. \"It never occurred to me to be concerned,\" Brian said. But over the years, Brian noticed that his weight affected his social life and career: He couldn't stand long on his achy feet during school rotations, bending down to treat a dog would make him break out in a sweat, and he lacked the strength to stand upright in surgeries. And when it came to dating, Brian accepted that he would always be \"the friend. \"The constant fear of rejection was worse than painful – it was devastating,\" Brian said.";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Brian reached a turning point when he saw an unflattering photo of himself in a bathing suit on his father's desk. \"I looked like an engorged tick that was just about to explode,\" Brian said. When he asked his father to throw it out, he exclaimed, \"Well, that's what you look like.\" With his family nudging him to join a gym, Brian finally took the plunge and began walking on a treadmill for 20-30 minutes, two to three times a week. \"I didn't follow any specific dietary plan,\" Brian said of his first few months. After six months, Brian turned up the intensity and began lifting weights in addition to purifying his daily intake. He then took it a step further and took up running, and within another year, slimmed down to 185 pounds. Now married and having just completed the New York City Marathon, Brian couldn't be happier – or healthier. \"I feel like I have conquered every obstacle now!\" Kimmie, who owns a cleaning business, would drink 17 cans of Dr. Pepper (2,625 calories) and eat so much food – fatty carbohydrates like pizza, garlic bread and brownies – that she thought she would vomit. Often bored, Kimmie turned to food for a quick fix, but generally felt disgusted soon thereafter. “All I wanted to do was sleep and eat,” she said of her routine, which prevented her from dating and pursuing her career goals. “I never went after my dreams because I thought my weight would be an issue.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Kimmie finally felt motivated to change after a most dreaded fashion moment: Her emergency baggy pants weren’t so baggy anymore. “They were so tight they wouldn’t even button.” She immediately signed up for a gym membership and took baby steps to change her lifestyle. She swapped Dr. Peppers for just one Diet Coke, cheeseburgers for turkey hotdogs, Snickers for sugar-free Jell-O, and forced herself to commit to 60 minutes of cardio every day. “I stuck it out and kept plugging away,” she said of her weight-loss routine. Now, at 170 pounds, Kimmie finally has the energy and self-esteem to accomplish her goals. “My advice for people struggling with their weight is believe in yourself,\" she said. \"If you want something badly enough, you will stop at nothing to achieve it.” Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I was teased on a daily basis,” said Nicole Dennison, a 31-year-old nurse from Wadsworth, Ohio, of her difficult childhood. “I wasn’t even able to walk into the school cafeteria because kids would make ‘moo’ sounds. It was horrifying.” Because she never learned proper portion control as a child, Nicole’s poor eating habits – and subsequent depression – followed her well into adulthood. At 460 pounds, she ate nearly everything in multiples and constantly snacked on fatty foods, like pizza or fried chicken. “Emotionally, I was numb,” she said. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "It wasn’t until Nicole considered an extreme alternative – gastric bypass – that she finally changed her lifestyle. She qualified for the procedure, yet needed to lose 30 pounds first. But while working to lose the weight, she realized she could do without surgery. “I had already lost 160 pounds on my own... so I quickly canceled the appointment,” she said. By counting calories and cutting carbohydrates from her diet, Nicole lost 300 pounds. Of her success, Nicole said, “it was all done with sheer willpower and determination.” Watch the video When stressed or overwhelmed by either her teaching position or a personal obstacle, Stacy turned to food. Fried foods and starches quickly became an addiction. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Stacy realized she needed to change when she saw that her son, who gained more than 40 pounds, had picked up her bad habits. To celebrate her commitment to change, Stacy ordered an exercise machine and got moving. She began with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week, and set a strict low-fat diet that required 1,200-1,500 calories a day. To stay focused, she kept track of her calories and exercise in a food journal. Stacy lost 120 pounds and now weighs in at 163. Watch the video Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“Too much drinking, eating out and making bad decisions,” 25-year-old Leah Nichols (left) said of the reasons behind her gradual weight gain. “Food became a comfort and a habit.” The speech pathologist from Indianapolis, Ind., gained weight and recalls that she couldn’t fully enjoy herself because she feared friends, love interests and strangers viewed her as “the fat one.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Leah began by chronicling her daily caloric intake on sparkpeople.com, a free food diary Web site, and attempted to stay within a range of 1,500-1,700 calories and 30 fat grams per day. She also started a light, 30-minute cardio three times a week, and eventually opted for a personal trainer. Now, she has lost 110 pounds. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "From an early age, 39-year-old Sheri Harkness was taught to enjoy a large amount of food without ever considering the nutritional intake. Most things seemed to revolve around food in her home, and it was regarded as a constant source of joy and excitement. Eventually, food became a way for her to find comfort.";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Sheri cut back on portions and nixed soda from her diet. She also worked up to walking 3.6 miles per hour on the treadmill for 20 minutes, then started weight training three days a week. By sticking to a better diet and visiting the gym on a regular basis, Sheri lost 127 pounds and is now 155 pounds and a size 4. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"My weight had affected everything in my life,\" said 25-year-old Jenn Barton. “From low self-esteem to holding back from trying new activities, I didn't want to fail at yet another thing.” The social worker from Gorham, Maine, used to sneak home junk food and ate large portions of home-cooked meals. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "In 18 months, Jenn lost 114 pounds and now weighs in at just 143. Where she once feared the gym, Jenn now views physical activities as a challenge waiting to be conquered. She regularly pursues high-impact sports, such as snowboarding, hiking, marathon running and swimming, and even finally enjoys clothes-shopping. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "April Wood of Murfreesboro, Tenn., lived by the philosophy that nothing should go to waste, and developed an inability to control her eating habits.";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "She incorporated healthier foods and exercise into her regimen. Though it was tough, her motto of “failure is not an option, so choose something else,” eventually helped her lose 105 pounds in 11 months. Now she weighs 145 pounds. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Jill Cacciatore, 36, of Lititz, Penn., began having weight problems after she gave birth to her children, which left her too busy to dedicate time to fully getting back into shape. ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "By throwing out her (former) favorite snacks, Jill was able to lose 110 pounds, and now weighs 140. She walks three miles, five times a week and relies on almonds, 100-calorie snack packs and fruit to curb her snack cravings. Watch the video ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Adina Stewart, a 38-year-old customer service representative in Carthage, Texas, has struggled with her weight since she was 10 years old.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Adina Stewart, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080714/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit_080714.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Adina decided she needed to change, and left her diet in the hands of NutriSystem, which redefined her idea of portion size. She also joined a gym, and found encouragement from the staff. Adina lost 121 pounds and now weighs just 135. Watch the video";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Linda Horton, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/B_Horton3.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "273", "239", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Linda Horton, a customer service specialist from Knoxville, Tenn., dealt with being teased for her size throughout her childhood. “I remember that even the biggest sizes at the big girls’ store wouldn’t fit me anymore,\" she said.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Linda Horton, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/080714/080714_joyfitclub_linda.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "242", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "But Linda started making healthy food choices and cut out soda, a staple in her previous diet. Linda lost 294 pounds and now weighs 252 pounds. Watch the video ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Bunny Dimmel, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/BeforeBunny1.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "269", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"That is not a bunny, that is an elephant!” kids would say in reference to Vivian \"Bunny\" Dimmel's nickname.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Bunny Dimmel, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080623/tdy_kotb_joyfit_080623.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "But, the 58-year-old teacher from Liverpool, N.Y., took control of her life and now, with daily six-mile walks and regular gym workouts, Bunny has lost a total of 250 pounds and now weighs 172 pounds. Watch the video ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Veolia Gibson, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/B_Veolia_4FIRST.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "375", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Veolia Gibson, a 54-year-old nanny from Atlanta, Ga., began putting on pounds at the age of 17 after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. After her mother passed away, Veolia took on the role of family caregiver -- and the pressure was often too much for her to handle. Instead of dealing with her gradual weight gain, Veolia opted to put her issues on the back burner. Watch the video ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Michelle Schafer, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/B_Michelle2.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "404", "", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Michelle Schafer, a 48-year-old elementary school teacher from Williamsville, Ill., used food for comfort when she was stressed.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Michelle Schafer, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080609/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit_080609.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "By following the South Beach Diet, walking regularly and limiting her meal intake, Michelle lost 134 pounds. She now weighs 162 pounds. Watch the video ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kathy Stuart, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/B_Kathy1_wedding.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "233", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Kathy Stuart, a 34-year-old teacher from North Ridgeville, Ohio, was a nighttime snacker who didn't exercise and didn't have the stamina to be active with her kids. ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kathy Stuart, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080602/tdy_kotbgifford_weight_080602.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "In nine months, she lost 140 pounds and now, at 156 pounds, she says, \"My boys now have a mother who is ready to run and experience life with them...\" Watch the video";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Marilyn Morrison, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Christmas2005034.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "384", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Marilyn Morrison, 64,(left) of Woodlands, Texas, was committed to losing weight alongside her three daughters and began journaling her daily food intake and incorporating exercise into her routine. ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Marilyn Morrison, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080526/tdy_kotb_joyfitclub_080526.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Marilyn lost 105 pounds and now weighs 140. “I can sit down on the floor with my great-grandkids and play or go outside with them and play — it's wonderful the way I feel,\" she says. Watch the video";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Sissy Lusk, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/SissyBEFORE6.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "247", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Sissy Lusk, 43, of Canton, Ga., became introverted growing up because she was embarrassed by her size. ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Sissy Lusk, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080519/tdy_kotb_joyfitclub_080519.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Sissy joined Weight Watchers and began exercising each day on a stationary bike and by walking. She lost 215 pounds and now weighs 130. \"I love being me. I know I am a much happier person to be around and I don't seem to stress over the little things anymore,\" Sissy says. Watch the video";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Danielle Carter, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080509/080509-clip-image2.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Danielle Carter, a 28-year-old real estate specialist from Oceanport, N.J., gained weight after being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian disease. ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Danielle Carter, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/080714/080714_joyfitclub_danielle.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Danielle joined the NutriSystem program, and as for exercise, she says, “Eventually my 10 minutes of treadmill hell had turned into walking and running 16 miles a day at a level 10 incline, split between two workouts — in the morning before work and again in the evening after.” She lost 248 pounds and now weighs in at just 127 pounds. Watch the video";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Mary Rosner, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/plane.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "358", "251", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Mary Rosner, a 54-year-old realtor’s assistant from Spokane, Wash., had been been overweight since she was 13 years old.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Mary Rosner, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080505/tdy_kotb_joyfitclub_080505.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Now, Mary wakes up at 3:30 a.m. five days a week to go to the gym and she eats six small, healthy meals a day. Mary has lost a total of 174 pounds and now weighs 171. Watch the video";
// END editorial data
Although self-conscious and frustrated with her size, Jamie just couldn’t control her insatiable snacking and emotional eating. Typically her daily intake included several doughnuts for breakfast, Buffalo chicken wings and chips for lunch, and fried foods covered in gravy for dinner. “Everything seemed to revolve around food,” she recalled. “It was definitely an addiction. When I was eating, I felt fine. Afterward the depression would hit, and the cycle would just repeat over and over again.”
But despite her unhappiness, Jamie didn’t commit to change until her family suffered a health scare. One night she came home from work to find her husband holding his chest in pain, crawling up the stairs. Suspecting a heart attack, she rushed him to the hospital – to discover he had pulled the muscles lining his chest wall. He fully recovered, but the experience shook Jamie into reevaluating her family’s health.
“At that moment, my life without him flashed before me [and I thought],‘This is not a life I wanted.’ If we didn’t make some changes, life as we know it was in jeopardy. We had to reverse our poor health. The battle was on!”";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Jamie, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/Projects/KLG%20and%20Hoda/tdy_klg_joyfit_090907.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I knew this time had to be different or I would give up like all the other times before,” Jamie said. “I made a conscious decision to eat better, not diet.” She started by making healthier food choices, cutting out soda, fried foods and fatty carbohydrates. Instead, she opted for water, lean meats and incorporating more vegetables into her meals. Her new intake consists of fiber cereal with a banana for breakfast; whole-wheat bread with turkey and avocado for lunch; and a turkey burger with sweet potatoes for dinner. Just by these food choices alone, she was able to drop 20 pounds within the first few months. With that motivation, Jamie looked towards her next goal: exercise.
She began her regimen by simply walking on a treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes a day, and soon enough she was able to increase her routine, adding more time whenever she felt herself plateau. She repeated the process for a year and a half, until she lost 105 pounds – and weighed in at an astonishing 125 pounds. Now slim and energized, Jamie’s family lives a full, active lifestyle. They’re constantly at the park, biking outdoors or taking long walks around the neighborhood. “My weight loss has affected our entire family, we never slow down. We spend so much more time together as a family, and that is priceless.”
Jamie no longer uses food for emotional comfort, as she is now comforted by the fact she is doing all she can to be healthy: “It makes me feel really good when I eat right.” Whereas her day used to revolve around her next fatty feast, she now looks forward to making healthy meals of fresh vegetables and lean proteins.
“I catch myself using such different words to describe food; now I say things like, ‘This is so fresh and crispy.’ That is not something I would have said two years ago. I would have said something like: ‘This is so creamy; more gravy, please!’”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I felt like I was a disease, that people treated me different,” said Jennifer Powell, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I could feel people staring at me. My family accepted me for who I was, but strangers wouldn't even hold the door open for me.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Jennifer began with baby steps, like walking a block with her children, skipping sugar in her coffee, or simply writing down her day’s food intake. She then joined the weight-loss group TOPS to surround herself with a strong support system, which became a large part of her success. “My chapter would send me cards and e-mails or call me throughout the week to tell me it was OK when I had gained weight, that I could do it.”
With her latest diet, Jennifer was able to lose 142 pounds and now weighs in at 170. Apart from regaining her health, she’s finally the confident person she always wanted to be.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I just accepted my gradual weight gain over the years,” said 38-year-old Christa Early. “Getting older, stress from being a working mother, picking up meals on the go ... Next thing I knew, I was pregnant with my second child and pushing 200 pounds.”
By her mid-30s, the sales manager from Knoxville, Tenn., hit 229 pounds and was increasingly self-conscious, both professionally and personally. She despised social functions because her clothes never fit, she couldn’t partake in physical activities with her children, and her inactive lifestyle made a long day’s work exhausting. Although her boss and her husband constantly tried to reassure her about her appearance and her talents, Christa felt as if her life was “spiraling downward.”
Her daily intake consisted of bagels and pastries for breakfast, double cheeseburgers and fries for lunch, and four slices of pizza coupled with three enchiladas for dinner. It wasn’t long before Christa’s habits became a vicious cycle in which she emotionally ate to subdue her guilt about overeating.
“I found myself constantly snacking on comfort foods and eating desserts after every meal,” Christa recalled. “Everything I did was planned around a meal. As a result of my inactivity, I was sleeping more and more. I had no energy ... I was in denial.”
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Christa after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/090810/tdy_klg_joyfit_090810.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "TODAY", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "During her second pregnancy, at 229 pounds, Christa refused to look at the scale. “I was ashamed of what I would see,” she said. “I was wearing a size 18W.”
It was during a religious service that she was inspired to overhaul her lifestyle. Her pastor was delivering a sermon on taking care of God’s gifts when it hit home: Christa wasn’t caring for herself.
“It really captured me,” Christa explained. “I thought I could make a few adjustments, and with determination I began changing some of my bad habits, like skipping desserts and snacks.”
Christa started by joining LA Weight Loss and planning small, realistic goals – most of which dealt with portion control. She slowly cut out fatty foods and sugary snacks, and within just a few months she lost 20 pounds. Her new diet consisted of oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast, grilled chicken with fruit for lunch, and grilled grouper with squash for dinner.
She then tackled fitness, incorporating walking into her daily routine by making sure to get outside before her kids were up. As she became more active, she took up running four to five times a week with the help of an after-work running buddy.
In just 18 months, Christa lost 101 pounds; she now weighs in at 128. Her enthusiasm for nutrition has extended to the rest of her family, and she now plants vegetables with her daughter and enjoys participating in active pursuits.
“My new lifestyle has been an awakening to food and health for me. I always thought of food as something to comfort me, and I thought, ‘It wouldn’t taste good if it were healthy, so why try it?’ Now I am so excited about preparing each meal for my family and trying new healthy foods.” Watch the video here";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I was quickly approaching 300 pounds and I was scared,” said Natalie Evernham, the newest member of the Joy Fit Club. “I knew I was in for some serious health issues if I didn’t make some changes to my lifestyle.”
The 38-year-old mom from Helena, Mont., weighed over 200 pounds for the majority of her adult life, which made her feel self-conscious, anxious and shy. Growing up, she recalls constantly being told: “You have such a pretty face ... if you would just lose some weight.”
Because Natalie felt insecure and ashamed about her appearance, her weight became a factor in every relationship and affected all of her goals, both personal and professional. She tried to pursue acting in college, but during rehearsals and sessions, she was repeatedly reminded to lose weight by her professors.
“I never felt normal,” she said. “I always felt like I was too heavy, and in turn, I never felt good about myself. I was depressed a lot ... I didn’t have the confidence to follow my dreams.”
Natalie was an emotional eater, and her diet consisted of fatty fast-food and sugary snacks. She would have bagels with cream cheese for breakfast; fried chicken and deli sandwiches for lunch; and pizza for dinner. It wasn’t until she became a mom that she realized the impact of her daily food choices – she was now a role model, and she considered it her duty to teach her children a healthy lifestyle.
After she had her second son, Natalie hit an all-time high of 270 pounds and was on the border of gestational diabetes. “I was out of breath walking up a flight of stairs,” she recalls. “I knew I needed to break the unhealthy eating cycle for my whole family. Here I had everything I ever wanted: a wonderful husband, two beautiful children and a beautiful home. We had the perfect life ... and I was risking not being around to enjoy it and see my children grow up.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "After nearly two decades of unsuccessful fad diets, Natalie committed herself to taking a slower approach to overhauling her eating habits. She began with gradual changes, like incorporating fruits and vegetables into her meals and cooking more instead of relying on takeout. “Watching [Rachael Ray] took [away] the fear I had of cooking, and I substituted a lot of things and started making recipes healthier.”
She also started walking, setting small goals for herself. At first she couldn’t even walk half a mile, but over time, she was able to work up to a full mile a day.
It wasn’t long before the weight started to come off; within months, Natalie hit her goal of 50 pounds. She loved showing her family how easy and fun it was to exercise and enjoy a healthy diet. Once she hit 200 pounds, she took it a step further and began educating herself on nutrition, even keeping a food journal.
“Tracking everything I ate kept me accountable,” she said of her daily regimen. “I also stepped up my exercise routine with weights and harder video workouts. Along with that, I was walking every day and got an exercise bike. I started toning my muscles, and it was fun to see my body taking on a new shape.”
When Natalie reached a plateau, she ratcheted up her workout routine to “push through it” and jump-start the weight loss. It took only a year and a half for her to drop 100 pounds – and shortly thereafter, another 40. ”I think what really helped me was that I never thought of it as dieting. I entered into the process thinking of getting and being healthy, so now when I eat, it’s more about fueling my body.”
Now, at 130 pounds, Natalie wakes up every day with a newfound energy and appreciation for her revamped lifestyle. She’s able to finally feel good about herself, enabling her to improve her relationships and, most important, play with her children. “I’m a much stronger person and I have a more positive outlook on life,” she says. “I have a house filled with pictures of our family, most of which I am overweight in, and I just look at them and say: ‘I’m never going back there again.’\"
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Darren, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Darrenandwife.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"I learned to put up a good front and kept the less fun parts to myself,\" said 33-year-old Darren Norman of his former self. \"[It] turned me into the type of person that doesn't really open up to people -- even those closest to me.\"
The Renton, Wash., engineer, who once weighed 378 pounds, had been dealing with insecurities and poor self-esteem since he was a child, when his peers derided him about his size. He recalls feeling nervous in social situations, and meeting new people was often awkward. \"I felt like I had to work harder to fit in or be liked because of my weight,\" Darren said. \"The worst part was that I had just accepted that it was my lot in life.\"
Darren often found himself overindulging at meals out of boredom or for other emotional reasons. His daily intake consisted of five sausages, three eggs and buttered toast for breakfast; a large serving of macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets and chips for lunch; and pot roast, several dinner rolls and four scoops of ice cream for dinner.
\"Between meals, snacking on candy or beef jerky and washing it down with a couple cans of soda was common,\" Darren said. \"It got to the point where eating was automatic.\"
Although Darren had suffered with his obesity since a young age, it wasn’t till he was 30 that he decided to make a drastic change. \"I got to the point where I had to lift my leg with my hands to get it into my pant-leg in the mornings,\" he said. Finally, Darren's doctor told him that he had to shed the weight -- or he'd pay dearly for it later.
Following the doctor visit, Darren sat down with his wife, Melissa. Together, they agreed to finally do something about his weight.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "With Melissa, Darren signed up for Weight Watchers. The couple also enlisted his sister-in-law, a personal trainer, who put them on a steady routine of 90-minute cardio and strength-training sessions three times a week.
Their new menu consisted of high-fiber toast with cottage cheese for breakfast; Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch; and turkey breast burgers with baked fries for dinner.
\"The two of us working on losing weight together, and having each other to get through it, was probably the single most important key,\" Darren said.
The couple decided to stick to small, attainable goals – rewarding themselves for even a few pounds lost. By sticking to a regular workout schedule and opting for home-cooked meals, Darren hit the 100-mark in just over seven months – and then reached his goal of 142 pounds three months later.
Now, at 236 pounds, Darren boasts a newfound energy and has seen a drastic improvement in all aspects of his life. \"I almost feel like a kid in a candy store wanting to try all sorts of different things,\" he said. \"I no longer see sideways glances from people.\"
As for Melissa, she lost 76 pounds in seven months, and then lost 40 more pounds after she had a baby.
\"All through that time, our friends and families were behind us both 100 percent -- but the biggest support that my wife and I had was each other,\" Darren said of his weight-loss journey. \"My wife and I now have a 17-month-old son, and I have no idea how I would have kept up with him while I was so big. I've never felt better about my health. \"
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“In the back of your mind, it’s all-consuming,” said 35-year-old Rachael Wyrick. “I stayed inside a lot because I was usually hot, sweaty and generally uncomfortable.”
At 252 pounds, the size-22 mom struggled with basic everyday activities and chores. She recalls feeling “defeated” when trying to fit into theater or restaurant seats, and “humiliated” when shopping for new clothes. But as frustrated as she was, she couldn’t find the motivation control her eating habits.
Rachael’s daily intake consisted of sausages, pancakes and biscuits for breakfast; pizza and sandwiches for lunch, and dressing-soaked salads and fatty starches for dinner. Rachael thought she was eating healthy by having salads, tuna and chicken, but she didn't know to refrain from drenching her meals in dressings and oily sauces.
Insecure and unhappy, she worried about how her weight and her mood might affect her small children. “[They] would have seen bad habits and then done them themselves,” she said. “My daughter thinks anytime I'm big, it means I'm pregnant.”
When Rachael had her last child, she realized it was time for a change. As she finished nursing her son, her husband – who had always supported her and seen her as beautiful no matter her size – approached her about considering weight loss.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "With support and encouragement from her husband, Rachael first set out to make over her diet. She swapped her fatty favorites for lean meats and salads – without the calorie-heavy dressings. For breakfast, she’d eat cereal or oatmeal; for lunch, a turkey or peanut-butter sandwich. And at dinner, she would eat a salad with grilled chicken or tuna.
Rachael then focused on getting in shape by slowly incorporating exercise into her lifestyle. At first, she could only walk on the treadmill or an elliptical machine for 20 minutes. But with patience and baby steps, she soon started hiking and biking regularly.
Within a year and a half, Rachael was able to do cardio exercises at least five times a week – and subsequently lost 112 pounds. Now at 140 pounds and boasting a size 8, she can’t believe she once lived such an inactive, immobile lifestyle.
“I am absolutely amazed at the things I will try and what I can do,” Rachael said. “My children and I are now regulars at the park, gym and swimming pool. I feel as though I now see in the mirror the woman my husband has always been able to see.
“When his arms wrap all the way around me for an even closer and tighter hug, this is the best reward!”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“Being overweight was extremely confining, embarrassing and shameful,” said 50-year-old Tammey Burns. “I was afraid to go out into public.”
The latest member of the Joy Fit Club, who once weighed 575 pounds, recalls avoiding social outings due to her abnormal size: She shunned the movies because she couldn’t fit into theater seats; declined friends’ dinner invites lest she break a table chair; never drove anywhere because the car door wasn’t wide enough to fit her. She couldn’t even go out because walking more than several steps left her out of breath.
Then, when she was in her late 40s, doctors had to perform a tracheotomy on her to improve her breathing.
“The trach tube was my wake-up call as I did not want it sticking out of my throat for the rest of my life,” Tammey said. “I hated myself and what I had let myself become – I was weak, both physically and emotionally.” She felt hopeless, lost, and – most of all – guilty about the burden to her family she had become.
Tammey’s daily intake included two slices of pizza for breakfast, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for lunch, and buttered white bread and ice cream for dinner. “Food was my drug of choice,” she said. “I used food for my emotional ups and downs, my disappointments, and any stress going on at the time.”";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "After trying but failing to diet for decades, Tammey “gave up all hope.” Frustrated and isolated by her weight, she couldn’t see her situation improving. And so, in 2002, she attempted suicide.
“I was unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she explained. “I did not want to be a burden to anyone.”
After her suicide attempt failed, it was clear to Tammey that that she needed professional help to overcome her weaknesses. Determined to heal “from the inside out,” she turned to a psychologist to begin healing the emotional wounds that often led her to binge-eating.
Tammey began with small steps – water-walking in a therapy pool, then the NuStep bike. Soon thereafter, she took up walking four days a week with a trainer.
She then transformed her diet to Kashi cereal for breakfast, Kashi frozen chicken entrée for lunch, and skinless chicken with vegetables for dinner. Her new dessert? Apples.
With her new regimen, Tammey lost 410 pounds and now weighs in at 165 pounds. Today she lives a happy, healthy (and trach-free) life.
“I am no longer the fat girl on the sideline,” Tammey said. “I realized that there is no drug or food that could give me the high, the joy, the pride that I feel when I am training and when I cross the finish line.”
The outgoing high school teacher from Sparta, N.J., spent decades trying to compensate for her weight. Although she always had a positive attitude, she often felt the need to exaggerate her sunny disposition in an effort to “prove” her worth to strangers and even friends.
“I always pursued my interests and was confident,” Kathy recalled. “[But] I sometimes think that my personality developed to compensate for my insecurity about my weight.”
For Kathy, food was often a source of comfort. Having grown up in a household where meals brought the family together, Kathy associated food with love and warmth – and as she got older, it became her emotional crutch. “During my battle with infertility and the adoption of our son, I certainly soothed myself with food. It filled me physically, and I tried to make it fill me emotionally.”
Her daily intake consisted of bagels, waffles and sausage for breakfast; two helpings of dinner leftovers for lunch, and several helpings of chicken, rice and brownies for dinner. “These foods were always homemade, but high in fat and calories,” Kathy said.
As Kathy approached 40, she realized her “luck would not hold out forever.” At 289 pounds, she worried her health would deteriorate further and that she might not live to see her two children marry. “These thoughts began to depress and scare me.”";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Kathy briefly contemplated gastric bypass and lap-band surgery, but decided the risks were too high. Having been in and out of the hospital in years past, she was reluctant to don another patient gown. “I realized that the only alternative was to make some small changes, and see what happened,” she said.
With a goal of losing 40 pounds, Kathy made her first real attempt at changing her habits: She stopped putting sugar in coffee. Once she mastered her morning joe, she then moved on to swapping butter for Smart Balance. Then she switched her whole family to whole-grain bread.
Slowly, bit by bit, she adopted a new, nutritious lifestyle. “I did not follow any special program or diet,” Kathy said. “I decided that every meal and every snack is a choice, and I am the only person who has control over what I choose to eat.” It wasn’t long before she was eating egg whites with yogurt for breakfast, low-fat turkey on whole-grain bread for lunch, and chicken with vegetables for dinner.
Kathy then adopted an exercise routine. She joined a local gym, where she worked with a trainer on resistance exercise and running – and eventually, she even started training for a marathon. [My trainer] Josh treated me like an athlete in training,” Kathy explained. “This boosted my confidence more than anything else.”
It took Kathy one year to lose 100 pounds. She now weighs in at 190. She’s gone from a size 26 to a size 14.
Today, Kathy cherishes her moments spent exercising and taking care of her body. “Crossing the finish line of a race feels great -- and lifting weights makes me feel strong,” she said. “And I love that I have enough energy to keep up with my job and my family.
“But the greatest part of my weight loss is that I feel that I am a positive role model for my daughter. I am proud to be a fit, 40-year-old, size 14 woman.”
Watch the video";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I ate all the time,” confessed 39-year-old single mom Michelle Brett, who once weighed 308 pounds. “I ate when I was happy, sad, stressed, or celebrating.”
As she grew older, her eating habits spiraled out of control. It wasn’t long before her diet consisted of steak and sausage biscuits for breakfast, fast-food hamburgers for lunch, and fried chicken or eggrolls with fries for dinner. As her size expanded, she developed severe back problems that made exercise or even basic mobility difficult.
But it wasn’t until her daughters went away to college and Michelle was all alone for the first time in 20 years that she decided to do something about her weight.
“I was lost and was eating more than ever,” she said. “I had promised myself several times that I would drop the weight ... [but] this time was different. I knew my girls were getting older and would hopefully be getting married at some point, and I refused to be fat in their wedding photos.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Michelle’s first step was to commit to making grocery lists of healthy foods to buy at the market. “For me it was all or nothing,” she said of her initial phase. “So I went cold turkey on just about everything.” That meant no soda (she had generally had four a day), fried foods, white bread, Chinese food and, most importantly, fast food. “The temporary pleasure of how [fast food] tastes isn’t worth the long-term result of what it does to my body,” she explained. She stocked up on protein bars for breakfast, Lean Cuisine meals for lunch, and grilled salmon for dinner.
Michelle then gradually adopted an exercise routine that consisted of 10 to 12 minutes on a treadmill. Over time, she increased her time and incorporated strength training, using 3-pound weights for basic arm exercises. “The amount of the weights changed, but this was the basic plan I followed for the first 12 months,” she said.
After one year, Michelle had lost an impressive 110 pounds, and rewarded herself with a membership to the local YMCA. Now she works out for an hour a day, five times a week. “I never thought I would say this, but I have found exercise is something that I crave now.”
Today, after losing a total of 126 pounds and weighing in at 182, Michelle feels better than ever. “I can’t imagine not living the rest of my life this way. [My daughters] always loved me no matter what my size was, but they are truly proud of me now -- and that means the world to me.”
The finance director from Jackson, Miss., struggled with her weight since she was young. As a middle-school child, she was dubbed “swamp monster” by her peers and recalls having to rent a scooter at Disney World since she was too heavy to walk around the park. “I was in hell,” Cindy said.
At 285 pounds, Cindy was certainly aware of her size, but felt hopeless about controlling her eating habits. She never felt satisfied by three meals and she’d often catch herself snacking on fatty fast food like fried chicken, McDonald’s fries or take-out pizza. She’d then top it off with a king-size Snickers bar.
“I would literally eat until my stomach was so stretched out it hurt,” Cindy said of her daily ritual. “The more I stretched my stomach, the more I could eat. I felt great the entire time I was shoveling it in, but felt sick and even more depressed when I was done.”
But it wasn’t until she felt she was shortening her life that she finally decided to make a change. When her mother died several years ago, Cindy was devastated. In response, she got even bigger – and each time she visited her doctor, he would add another prescription. Soon she was taking medications for blood pressure, asthma, cholesterol and acid reflux. Tired from being overmedicated – and concerned after her home state had been named the fattest in the nation – Cindy put on her sneakers and started walking.
“I have not stopped moving since,” she said.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Inspired by the mantra “stay the course,” Cindy set out walking until she felt ready to join a gym. There she would devote an hour a day to the treadmill, coupled with circuit-training classes three times a week. Whenever she felt hit a plateau, she hired a trainer. “[It’s] just what I needed to push me all the way to my end goal.”
As for her diet, her first step was to eliminate fast food from her daily routine and replace it with Lean Cuisine. Chocolate, however, was more difficult; instead of a giant Snickers bar, she now treats herself to five pieces of Hershey’s miniatures each night. “It satisfies my cravings and keeps me moving in the right direction,” she said.
By sticking to her new regimen, Cindy lost 130 pounds and now weighs in at 155. “I feel like I am 20 years old again,” she said of her new-found energy. “I love life, I smile all of the time ... Food is now for nourishment to my body, not a drug to soothe feelings.”
“Just the other day, I attended an awards banquet for my youngest son, and this time, when I walked in, I heard ‘Look at my pretty momma.’ Man, you gotta love that.” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I’ve been overweight all of my life,” said 41-year-old Gina Pezzino. “I knew that I needed to lose the weight, but had no idea how to do it.”
Following her pregnancies, the office assistant from Whitestone, N.Y., ballooned to 326 pounds and felt helpless about attempting to control her eating habits. Since she never learned proper nutrition as a child, she considered herself a hopeless case. “I thought that I was too far gone to ever lose 150 pounds — I thought it was impossible,” she said.
But Gina decided she needed to overhaul her diet when she realized she was transferring her poor eating patterns — specifically, using food for comfort — to her children. “I was teaching my kids the same bad eating habits that I had learned as a child. This caused us all to gain weight,” she said.
Gina was a year shy of her 40th birthday and her daughter’s first communion when she decided she’d had enough of feeling emotionally and physically exhausted by her weight. She wanted to finally feel good about herself.
“I wanted to take our first family photo, and I didn’t want to be the one that stood out in the pictures... I was tired of just existing.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Gina’s first step was to accompany her sister to a Weight Watchers meeting. “I’d already joined once before and quit, but this time things were different,” she said. Her goal was simple: lose enough weight to enjoy simple, everyday activities with her family.
“I wanted to be able to get on a roller coaster with my kids and not worry whether I’d fit in the seat. I wanted to go to the beach and not feel like everyone was staring at me because of my weight.”
She began by adhering to two rules: control portions, and walk every day. With help from Weight Watchers, Gina reduced her dependence on carbohydrates and incorporated long walks into her daily routine, even though it was often challenging to fit them into her family’s schedule.
“I needed to find a way to exercise and take care of my kids at the same time. So, I’d take them to the park and I’d power-walk behind them while they rode their bikes.”
Several months later, she was walking 5 to 6 miles a day. As for her diet, she substituted fatty meats for lean turkey, white bread for whole wheat, and vegetable soup for pasta. Today, a typical dinner consists of a fish fillet with black olives and capers, brown rice or baked potato, and steamed vegetables.
With her new routine, Gina lost 154 pounds and slimmed down to 174. And for the first time, she’s participating in family outings instead of discouraging them. “I’ve ridden a roller coaster with my 15-year-old son for the first time. I’ve gone swimming in the ocean with my kids and they can’t keep up with me,” she said of her new lifestyle.
Now Gina feels confident that food no longer controls her; instead, she controls it. “My health is my main priority so that I can be the best wife and mother that I can be.” Watch the video
The 44-year-old program director from Jackson, Miss., had struggled with her weight since she was a chubby child. Teased and mocked by her slimmer peers, Rochelle developed body image issues before she even left middle school. “That was when I first started to use food for comfort,” she said.
By the time she was in her 30s, Rochelle’s bad eating habits had spiraled out-of-control. She ate sausage biscuits with tater tots for breakfast, fast-food hamburgers for lunch, and four slices of pizza along with ice cream for dessert. “I was not realistic about how heavy I was getting,” Rochelle said. “My self-esteem was extremely low.”
As much as Rochelle tried to push her problems away, reminders always crept back into her life. She recalls looking at old photos of herself with friends, when one pal exclaimed, “Wow, what happened to you?”
Rochelle knew she needed a dramatic change, especially because her obese father had passed away at age 36. “I know that I wanted a better quality of life for my thirties, forties, fifties, et cetera.” ";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Rochelle was “tired of being tired”; she felt emotionally and physically exhausted from carrying around additional weight that not only impacted her social life, but contributed to severe back and joint pain. And when couldn’t even complete a 3-mile walk, she knew she had to address her lack of exercise.
Rochelle began by walking each day before joining a gym at three months to take up aerobics and weight training. “I consistently developed different workouts to challenge myself,” she said of her commitment to push boundaries. “That led to participating in marathons, a body-building contest, boot camp programs, spin marathons and more.”
She also re-taught herself how to eat and read nutritional labels. Through research, and with help from a college-level nutrition textbook, she developed a healthy eating plan that included oatmeal or egg whites for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, and chicken with vegetables for dinner. Her new snack choices were then limited to nuts, raisins, fruit, trail mix and hard candies.
In just 18 months, Rochelle dropped more than 100 pounds, weighing in at an astounding 152 pounds. The dramatic change affected everything from her self-esteem to her career choices. “I switched jobs, I’m more self-assured, and I don’t sweat the small stuff,” Rochelle said of her lifestyle. “The choices that I make now are an investment in the quality of life I will be able to experience in my senior years.” Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“It was something that happened gradually,” said 33-year-old Brian Bishop of his weight gain, which skyrocketed to 280 pounds. “It was partially due to stress and time constraints. I just kept eating... I was in denial.”
An emotional eater, Brian generally snacked on fatty carbohydrates, like McDonald’s biscuits or Dunkin’ Donuts bagels, when stricken with anxiety – a habit that soon affected all his relationships, both familial and romantic. It was a vicious cycle. “Lashing out on the ones I loved lead to heightened anxiety and then depressed feelings, which I could satisfy with my favorite foods,” he said.
The property manager from New Hampshire spent over a decade hoping he would shed the pounds as soon as he “got the chance,” but he never made the time to commit to a steady weight loss plan. “I did what I wanted. I ate what I wanted,” he said.";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "It wasn’t until Brian received a rude wake-up call that he finally attempted to change. At just 28 years old, Brian awoke to find himself in a hospital’s cardiac care unit after a night of uncontrollable hot sweats. He had suffered a heart attack.
“I looked around at the other patients who were twice my age and I realized I didn’t belong there. I was going to do whatever it took to not return.”
His breakfast now consists of half a bagel with fruit; lunch includes a turkey sandwich; and dinner is grilled fish with steamed vegetables. Brian now also exercises six days a week, focusing on weight training, swimming – and he even ran a half marathon this past summer. He lost 113 pounds and now weighs in at 167 pounds.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“It was awful,” said Susan Olthof of her former lifestyle at 311 pounds. “I couldn't walk far, I couldn’t fit in restaurant booths, I dreaded going downstairs, and I even stole a seat-belt extender on a plane because I was too embarrassed to ask for it.”
The 57-year-old psychiatric nurse from Grand Rapids, Mich. struggled with her weight since she was a young teen, often using food as a means to subdue her emotions or calm her anxiety. On a daily basis, Susan would consume over 3,000 calories – gorging on cereal for breakfast, meat and mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch, and buttered steak with ice cream for dinner. “I was eating nonstop and stopping at fast food places,” Susan said. “I knew I was eating too much, too often, but couldn’t seem to stop.”
Although she was self-conscious and frustrated – she wasn’t as active with her grandchildren or at family outings as she would have liked – it wasn’t until her daughter voiced her concern that Susan realized she needed a drastic change. “My oldest daughter said, ‘Mom, I notice you are having trouble getting around. I am worried about you. I couldn’t deal with it if anything happened to you!’ ”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Knowing she had more than 100 pounds to lose, Susan had little hope about reaching her goal, so she took baby steps in the beginning months. Her first step was to attend a TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meeting, where she was met with a supportive group that was committed to weekly weigh-ins and educating members. “I had to make a pledge, and starting from there – as soon as I heard myself saying the pledge – it clicked: I had to just do it.”
The customer service agent from Indianapolis had a history of weight issues, from when she started gaining weight in junior high to when she graduated high school at 230 pounds. Shy and embarrassed by her appearance, Angela retreated from social settings – a habit that followed her well into adulthood. “I didn’t socialize much outside of family gatherings and I never dated anyone... I felt I was too heavy to have anyone like me.”
Angela’s daily intake consisted of four egg-and-sausage patties with seven strips of bacon for breakfast; two cheeseburgers for lunch, and two double cheeseburgers with a milkshake for dinner.
By the time Angela reached 30, she weighed 311 pounds and it was obvious how her weight held her back. She constantly second-guessed people’s intentions, strangers would ask her if she was pregnant, she tired easily from walking, and she couldn’t fit into amusement park rides. “These incidents just left me feeling lonelier, like I was the biggest person around,” Angela said. “I would try a new diet and would fail at it and it just made me feel like a failure.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Angela finally committed to changing her eating habits when her doctor informed her that she was pre-diabetic, which hit close to home. “I have immediate family members who are living with diabetes, and it scared me to think that could be me,” she said.
Angela immediately set up a meeting with a nutritionist and forced herself to exercise, starting with walks in the park or pedaling on a stationary bike. Although she found it challenging at first, she followed her nutritionist’s advice and started eating smaller portions as well as switching to less processed foods. During the first few months, she let herself have her old favorite foods only on weekends.
“I continued the walking, the stationary bike and eating healthier, and built up my endurance to where I could walk or ride that bike for an hour at a time,” Angela recalled. By now she was shedding 1 to 2 pounds a week; during that first year and a half, she lost 100 pounds.
With small baby steps, and by recording her progress in a food and exercise journal, Angela lost 156 pounds and now weighs 155. No longer pre-diabetic, she relishes the freedom of her new size: She enjoys shopping for new clothes and not being restricted to plus-size specialty shops, and she no longer holds herself back from meeting new people.
“I feel like a new person... and I feel better about myself and enjoy talking about my weight loss, because I like to show people that it can be done just by exercising and eating healthier,” she said.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I loved to eat when I was happy, sad, bored, stressed or just anytime – the more I would try to stay away, the more I was drawn to it,” confessed Deb Macomber. “I was addicted and out of control.” At 335 pounds, the 50-year-old nurse consumed abnormal amounts of fatty carbohydrates and “treats”: two bagels with bacon and cheese for breakfast, pasta and cookies for lunch, tacos and ice cream for dinner.
Along with her emotional distress, Deb also struggled with everyday activities like walking up a flight of stairs or bending over to tie her shoes. The simplest chores left her frustrated and out of breath. “I was unhappy,” she said of her former lifestyle. And it wasn’t long before her weight took a toll on her job, family and future. Her doctor informed her that if she didn’t want surgery, she’d need to quickly find a healthy weight-loss plan.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Three years ago, Deb realized she was in desperate need of a change after she nearly suffered an anxiety attack at an airport. She was set to fly with her husband to Florida, but upon entering the plane, she worried whether she would need a seat-belt extender to fit around her. “I was mortified and ashamed,” she said. “I did not even say anything to my husband... I know he has been affected by my weight.”
A year and a half later, Deb had lost an astonishing amount: 175 pounds. Now, at 160 pounds, she feels happier and more energetic than at any other point in her life. Even better, she doesn’t have to fear embarrassing situations or health risks anymore: “I no longer worry about fitting in restaurant booths or roller-coaster seats. Those forbidden places I used to dread? I go with confidence now.”
Watch the video
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I started wearing shirts in the swimming pool when I was 9 years old,” said 20-year-old Van Corona. “At 13, I could not run up and down the sports field, and by 18, I just accepted that I was going to be obese for the rest of my life.”
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Van finally found the strength to change after he realized how his weight would affect his future. Not long after he was turned away from giving blood because of high blood pressure, he was cut from a theater number for being overweight.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "As Jonathan entered his 30s, he noticed his health “going downhill fast.” He had diabetes, his hair was falling out in clumps and he often felt so lethargic that he could barely function. At a medical checkup, his doctor notified him that if he didn’t change his lifestyle, he would be dead by age 50.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"Eating dulled my pain -- it made me feel good,\" recalls Rachel Kramer, a 41-year-old obstetrician from Sudbury, Md., who once weighed in at 286 pounds. As a child coping with her parents’ divorce, Rachel turned to food for comfort, but it was a habit that only grew stronger over the years, especially during medical school.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Rachel started out by strictly adhering to the South Beach diet, which fit her lifestyle and eating habits. She counted her calories (which ranged between 1,200 and 1,800), diligently wrote in her food journal, and committed herself to bringing lunch to work. It wasn’t long before she inspired those around her.
After tackling her diet, Rachel hit the gym -- waking up at 5:30 a.m. to run on the elliptical machine. She soon incorporated weightlifting, running, swimming and stair-climbing into her workout routines. In just nine months, she lost 116 pounds.
";
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tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "It's been five years since Brenda went from a size 26 to a svelte size 0 after losing 140 pounds. Brenda purchased a treadmill and began walking -- slowly at first -- 45 minutes a day before going to bed. She started eating four to five small meals each day, including grilled chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables, and she skipped the soda in favor of water.
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Deborah Taylor, After","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/081215/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit_081215.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "After almost two decades years of dealing with a poor self-esteem and body issues, Deborah decided to take control of her weight.
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Brian Spar, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/081201/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit3_081201.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"All I ever wanted to do was eat,\" said Brian Spar, a 32-year-old veterinarian from Oceanside, New York. \"Food was the center of all social activities.\"
Watch the video ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kimmie Briley Before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/KimmieREV.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "368", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "\"I remember a guy saying that I was beautiful but ‘I just couldn’t date a girl your size,’” said 36-year-old Kimmie Briley, who weighed 287 pounds. “That really hit home.”
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Stacy Allendorf, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Philly05.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "358", "240", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "“I remember physically feeling healthy, but emotionally I was shy and lacked confidence,” said Stacy Thurstin Allendorf, a 49-year-old science teacher from Columbia, S.C. \"This image of myself led to some pretty stupid dieting, fasting being the favorite.\"
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kymm Hansen, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/Kymm_b1.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "358", "222", "", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "At 308 pounds, 37-year-old Kymm Hansen was so ashamed of her body that she opted to spend much of her time isolated from her friends and family, and even shied away from her long-held dream: acting. \"I was unable to believe that people accepted me the way I was,\" she said. \"Comments such as 'You have such a pretty face' would be interpreted as 'It's a shame we can't do something about the rest of you!'\"
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Kymm Hansen, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/081013/tdy_kotb_joyfitclub_081013.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Kymm committed herself to planning out her meals in a food journal and checking them off each day. She got into the rhythm of restricting her diet to healthy foods and met with her L.A. Weight Loss counselors three times a week to assess her daily intake and monitor her exercise. After 14 months, Kymm lost a total of 144 pounds and now weighs in at 164.
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Lisa Griffis, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Nightly%20News/Personal/Raphael/Lisa_b1.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "369", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Insecure and socially anxious, Lisa Griffis, a 49-year-old newspaper deputy design director from Ohio, ate to combat the stress and loneliness in her life. But by eating “too much of everything,” Lisa just dug herself into a bigger, darker hole. She ate to make herself “feel better,” but it was a vicious cycle that ultimately only made her feel worse. ";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Lisa Griffis, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/081006/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit_081006.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Committed to finding a new way to eat, Lisa learned to love cooking and discovering new ways to find healthier, leaner alternatives for favorite recipes. Today, she also works out nearly three hours a day. In two-and-a-half years, Lisa has shed a total of 177 pounds and has maintained her weight of 160 pounds since then.
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Arianna Chaves, before","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Personal/Raphael/JFC_Arianna_b4_FIRST.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "When Arianna Chaves, a 30-year-old college adviser from Texas, reached an astounding 307 pounds, she found herself with physical and emotional hardships. In addition to her shortness of breath, achy feet, etc., Arianna felt she was limited from activities, outings and the interests of her peers.";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Arianna Chavez, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080929/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfitclub_080929.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Arianna stopped going to drive-thru and eating high-calorie, sugary snacks. She focused on consuming healthy proteins and a healthy intake of fiber and calcium. She also added a casual workout regimen of light calisthenics. Arianna lost a total of 127 pounds and now weighs in at 180.
";
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i++] = new Array("","Veolia Gibson, after","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080616/tdy_kotbgifford_joyfit_080616.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
tdy_Joy_FitClub_SS[i-1].body = "Veolia lost a total of 262 pounds from her heaviest weight of 400 pounds by walking daily and abiding by her motto, \"if you want it, eat it,\" with controlled portions. \"Now, I love my body!” Veolia says. “I have kept the weight off for 19 months. I now focus on eating healthy and exercising daily.”