Rut Roh!

Rut Roh!  Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition in trouble

An article from Diets in Review landed in my inbox this weekend.

“Anyone who watches reality television knows that it isn’t all real, after all, whether it’s Loser, Housewives, or Hills, they still have a story to tell and a show to produce. But it’s one of those things that no one talks about.  Until now. James Garrison, a participant in Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition‘s first season earlier this year, is calling himself a whistle blower and exposing what he describes as mistreatment of the shows participants.

“You read it here first… The Biggest Extreme Makeover Loser WhistleBlower,” said Garrison at the end of a nearly 2000-word diatribe against Extreme Makeover’s producers and cast, calling out by name JD Roth (the man also behind Biggest Loser) and the show’s trainer Chris Powell.

In our interview with James after his episode aired he described health problems he was having as, he says, a result of his rapid weight loss, which meant losing 313 pounds in 365 days. This month he had another rush to the hospital which resulted in the removal of his gall bladder. It got him thinking.

“Well it took another near death stay in the hospital, my second in a year, to realize exactly what I was promoting. Yes, I lost 313lbs in one year on ABC’s Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, but should you? The answer is no. No one should lose that much weight that fast and if anything I am proof positive as to why its not a good idea. Those are unrealistic expectations that in reality are more harmful than good,” is the statement Garrison wrote in the blog post that started it all.

He says that post was also followed up by personal emails to Roth and Powell, explaining his health problems, the $50,000 in hospital bills from the past year, and asking for help with it all, which he says were ignored.

“I guess what is hard to understand is, after emailing JD. Roth and Chris Powell asking for assistance with my medical and over $50,000 in hospital bills I was ignored.”

The only response he got was a cease and desist from show attorneys, which he posts a copy of on his blog.

“I write a blog about my health and why I don’t think its a good idea to lose 313lbs in one year on a Saturday night because to be honest it was weighing on my conscious that America believes that this is okay and by Sunday morning I have a cease and desist letter and phone calls from show producers and attorneys. They were all threatening calls, and none of which was about helping me. The attorney asked me to take the blog down out of good faith and to see if we can get this resolved but Its been 10 days and still no word back from him other than he is looking into it?”

All of this comes from a blog post Garrison published on October 12, 2011, where he’s also posted images of emails between him and show producers. One such email is from Chris Powell to the show’s participants encouraging them and outlining for them how to do a flush to help them lose up to an extra 30 pounds of water weight before their weigh ins.

Garrison says that the flushes Powell encouraged them to do goes against everything that Powell has taught in his fitness career. He also calls out that they never followed the diet described on the show.

“None of us were on that 2,000 calorie diet that CHLI designed [the Extreme Makeover Diet]. We pretty much were told to eat less and less in email and later just verbally as in their words “your body is fighting back, we need these numbers”. Or what was better “there going to cancel the show, we wont be able to inspire anyone”. We even went without carbs 2-3 days a week,  at their suggestion to get better numbers and better results.”

Other things about the show that Garrison “outs” in his blog post include:

• “We were made to take diet pills 2-3 times a day
• “Chris Powell did not live with us for three months each. The fact is I maybe saw him 5 days last year…”
• “We were made to dehydrate ourselves every single week beginning on Thursday and ending on Saturday morning.”
• Garrison is certainly not the first weight loss reality star to reveal his experience. Kai Hibbard, a member of Biggest Loser season 3, famously spoke out against that show citing similar unhealthy weight loss tactics to help the contestants lose weight.

  We have reached out to ABC publicity and James Garrison for comment and will update as those are available.

  UPDATED 10/14/11 at 10:20pm:

  We spoke with James by phone and he told his actions are an attempt to right a wrong. “By participating in that show I was wrong.” He also responded to critics saying “If I was out for fortune I wouldn’t be hanging myself right now.” He says some of his fellow castmates have “turned their backs on me” but others have voiced support.

  October 14th, 2011″

When I recaped the show, the question kept popping up about how much time was REALLY spent with each client.  Also, the lack of nutritional information given on the show.  Now it all makes sense…..  What are your thoughts concerning this new revelation?  They are already taping/taped season 2, should they cancel the show?  And by the way, Chris Powell has a book coming out any day now.  Would you buy it?

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 8

A voice over announces this is the season finale of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.  Very short season but that seems to be trend in television these days, short 1st seasons.  My DVR tells me there are no episodes scheduled for the next 2 weeks.  Does this mean no reunion show?  I am going to tweet Chris Powell and ask him.  Hopefully he will answer me.

Tonight we meet Krista, a  34 yr old married mother of a very sick child.  Her daughter has a seizure disorder and needs brain surgery.  Her daughter’s hospital stays are heart wrenching and Krista has neglected herself while caring for her child.  At the 1st weigh- in we discover Krista weighs 445 lbs.  She has to be weighed on a freight scale and is demoralized by that aspect of the process.  Week one boot camp shows Krista can’t do the most basic exercises and things get emotional right from the  jump.  Chris goes home with Krista to spend 3 days months training her personally.  She is given the now customary home gym with the latest in fitness equipment.  Chris announces her 3 month goal is to loss 100 lbs and her reward will be a much needed 2nd family car.  Talk about motivation!  We then see the typical collage of Chris training Krista, 5:00 am wake up calls with acoustic guitar serenades (maybe not the treat it appears to be).  During the 3 day month stay Chris takes Krista to a bridal boutique.  When she first married her husband, it was a quickie affair with a black dress because she couldn’t fit into a typical dress.  Chris offers Krista a do over with the dress of her dreams.  But we hit a snag in that the largest dress comes in a size 18 and Krista is a 32.  So we figure her final goal weight is whatever will get her into that size 18.  I found myself getting a little emotional  at this point.   Even at my heaviest, I’ve always been able to walk into a store and grab something off the rack.  I didn’t like the numbers at times, but not being able to find clothes to fit me was never an issue.  I felt her pain at holding a beautiful gown and only being able to look at it on the hanger.  At the 90 day weigh-in Chris mentions the car being gifted is courtesy of reshapethenation. (com?), his online weight loss website.  He doesn’t even give the whole name of the site.  All season long has been riddled with missed opportunities.  No recipes, exercise techniques, or fitness tips of any kind.  So along with a book that’s not out yet, we find out about a website he only partially mentions.  Is this show just a filler with no intentions of returning?  Anyway, Krista losses the 100 lbs plus 5lbs for extra measure :-).

Now comes the part where we say goodbye to Chris and his backpack.  Krista’s next 3 month goal is to lose 60 lbs.  I see the trend here with all the show participants.  They’ve all been given similar weight loss goals at each phase.  I suspect there is a meal plan that is calculated to achieve the weight loss Chris predicts each time…  Krista struggles with the program due to financial troubles at home. A middle of the cycle weigh- in reveals a disappointing with a 25 lb weight GAIN.  After  Talking with Chris Krista is rejuvenated and throws herself back into the program.  She runs a 5K and trains for a marathon.  Chris surprises her while running with a scale in hand for an ambush 6 month weigh-in.  Krista only losses 45 of the 60 lbs  promised but close enough.  Chris flies Krista out to Disneyland for a marathon runs it with her.  Old doubts rear their ugly head as Krista attempts to quit several times during the race.  Then she remembers her daughter and pushes herself to cross the finish line.

Back at home Krista experiences another setback when her daughter has seizures and she abandons the program to care for her child.  At the 9 month weigh- in Krista acknowledges she fell off the wagon and gained 30 lbs.  Understandable considering the circumstances.  Chris then proceeds to take her to the gym and makes her do  30 reps/ 30 lbs of everything.  They work out like it was the first time and get inspired all over again.

At the final weigh- in, we see a lovely reception set up.  Chris stands in front of a blown up photo of Krista in the beginning wearing a sports bra and biker shorts with her belly hanging out for all to see. Krista prances in looking much fitter and full of life.  Krista has lost a respectable 180 lbs.  Chris has built his reputation on getting clients to lose 200 lbs or more in less than a year so he seems somewhat “meh” about the whole thing.  Krista changes into her beautiful new size 18 gown and renews her vows in front of friends and family.  The end credits inform us that Krista is continuing to lose weight and is now a personal trainer.

Will there be a reunion?  Will there be a season 2?  Stay tuned…

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 7

Girl power!  This week we meet Staci, a 30 yr old mother of two.  Staci describes herself as being bigger than the biggest person on The Biggest Loser.  I think she’s being a bit hard on herself.  Staci is Wonder Woman.  In addition to taking care of her two kids, she helps take care of her husband who is partially paralyzed from a stroke.  Staci is overwhelmed and to save time she often cuts corners by feeding her family almost exclusively fast food.  Staci really needs this intervention.

At her first weigh-in, Staci comes in at 456 lbs.  The week long boot camp shows Staci is ready to fight for her health.  Something about these boot camps always cause people to break down and have an epiphany.  I for one am rooting for her :-).  Once again we see them working with a nutritionist but the viewer is left out of the loop.  Are we supposed to wait for Chris’s book to come out to learn his secret to weight loss?  If that’s the case, I’ll pass.   These little teasers leave me NOT wanting more.

After boot camp, Chris and his back pack join Staci for a an alleged 3 month stay.  Chris has given Staci the customary at home gym and then comes the announcement of the challenge.  Staci must lose 100 lbs and her reward will be a nanny.  Cool!  A nanny is worth more than gold to a working mom.  The weigh-in arrives and Staci does it plus 6 lbs!  Yeah for Staci.  Proud of her accomplishment, Staci arranges to meet with her mother for lunch to have a heart to heart.  The only problem is Staci’s mom doesn’t have a friggin heart.  This woman is so cold and it was very sad to see Staci practically beg her mom for praise.

We get treated to a montage of Staci discussing her new eating habits and working out with her cute little girl.  Weigh-in #2 has Staci needing to lose 60 lbs.  She meets this goal and is ecstatic to be under  300 lbs for the first time in years.  Chris has arranged for Staci to train with the Dallas Fire Dept for a day.  Staci realizes how strong she has become during this challenge, there is vomit at one point, but she completes the training :-).  Chris gives Staci another 60 lb goal in order to qualify for skin reduction surgery.  This time around Staci appears to be losing momentum.  Household chores begin piling up and Staci reunites with her old friend, the bbq shack.  Staci knows she’s backsliding and in a talking head Chris reveals she hasn’t been returning his calls or emails.  The 3rd weigh-in shows Staci not only didn’t lose weight, she gained 4 lbs.  Chris wanted Staci to lose 220 +lbs but Staci reveals she’d just be happy with 200 lbs.  Way to sell yourself short with a celebrity trainer at your disposal, girlfriend :-(.  I can smell the self sabotage thru my t.v. screen…

The final weigh-in rolls around and not only has Staci lost weight, her husband who looked approx. 30-40 lbs overweight has lost 100 lbs himself!  Happy happy joy joy :-D.  Staci arrives looking hot to death.  The scale tells us she achieved her personal cop out goal of 200 lbs.  200 lbs is nothing to sneeze at and I’m happy for her.  I just wonder how far she could have gone if she hadn’t given up 2/3’s of the way in.  The credits at the end tell us she is continuing to lose weight.  I really hope there is a follow up show and we get to see Staci under 200 lbs.

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 6

This episode begins with a voice over informing us this was “A very special Extreme Makeover“.  I thought of the after school specials from childhood and episodes of “The Facts of Life”.  I had no idea the emotional roller coaster this would turn out to be.  We meet Wally, a 26 yr old married man with a hearing impaired daughter.  Wally has eaten poorly all his life but he wants to get healthy so he can be there for his daughter as she grows up.  Unlike many former clients, Wally doesn’t have any major traumas in his life that caused him to become obese.  He reveals he is haunted by childhood teasing due to his weight.  Wally acknowledges that he hasn’t a clue about healthy living and appears to be a good candidate with a great attitude.  His first weigh-in puts him at 490 lbs.  After a 1 week boot camp which mentions nutrition classes and meal plans that are kept a secret to the viewers, Wally heads back home to Chicago with Chris and his backpack.  Chris has given Wally a home gym in his basement with every piece of equipment you can imagine.  Chris gives him a 90 day challenge of 110 lbs to win a family trip to Disney World.  We get treated to a montage of clips showing Chris training Wally but no info is given once again.  Just to show off, Chris takes Wally to the Sears tower and challenges him to walk the entire 103 stories to the roof after the first 30 days of training.  Wally successfully completes the challenge and they hug it out on the roof. 😀

The real world is making things hard on Wally.  Visiting relatives bring goodies that Wally finds hard to resist.  The first weigh-in arrives and Wally meets his goal weight!  And now we must say good bye to Chris and his backpack.  Chris gives Wally a new 90 day goal of 70 lbs to be capped off with a 100 mile bike race.

With Chris gone, Wally’s talking heads start to sound like a crack addict.  He points out the plethora of fast food joints he passes every day on his commute.  Wally is shown pretending to prepare healthy meals for the mentally challenged clients he works with.  Wally spouts a lot of self affirmations.  But at the 6 month, 2nd 90 day weigh-in he looks pretty much the same as the last time we saw him.  The scale reveals only a 21 lb weight loss.  Chris rips him a new one and reduces Wally to tears.  Wally admits he’s weak and needs help.  After a heart to heart, Chris agrees to continue working with Wally but he’s gonna make him earn it.  The bike race is the next day.  The combination of 112 degree heat and lack of working out causes Wally to succumb to heat exhaustion at the halfway mark.  Wally gets taken away by medics and Chris worries that this setback will cause him to fall off track for good.

And fall off is exactly what Wally does.  Wally is shown digging into bags of chips and his talking heads reveals he has pretty much given up.  Chris tells us Wally  sent him a letter after avoiding him for over a month.  The letter sounds very suicidal and Chris gets on the next plane to offer Wally assistance.  Chris meets with Wally’s wife and shows her the food receipts being submitted to him.  His wife has no idea how Wally is getting these foods.  She is under the impression that he leaves the house with no money or credit cards.  Wally’s addict behavior is so well hidden even she isn’t aware of how bad it is.  When Wally pulls up into the driveway, the camera zooms in on a fast food bag lying in the front seat.  Wally knows he is busted.  Wally and Chris have a sit down where Wally reveals he is indeed having suicidal thoughts.  The scale is brought out and 60 lbs has been regained.  Chris tell him he needs rehab.  A local outpatient program is his area is enlisted to help and Wally goes the next day.  This episode did not have a happy ending.  There was no big reveal in front of friends and family.  They don’t give us an update at the end of the show.  Maybe we will find out his fate on the reunion show, if there is one.  I was a little disappointed with how they ended this episode.  Hopefully they will let us know how Wally is doing following treatment.

 

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 5

We finally get a woman featured! Yeah, I know Rachel was the first one but she got robbed on the home makeover part ;-).  We meet LaRhonda,  24 yrs old.  We also meet her belly which she has nicknamed Bertha.  LaRhonda’s mother died of a heart attack and complications from diabetes.  She keeps her mother’s insuline needles as a reminder but it doesn’t stop her from overeating.  At the first weigh-in, LaRhonda is brought to tears at the realization that she is getting weighed on a freight scale.  She comes in at 433 lbs.  Whoa!  During the 1 week boot camp LaRhonda reveals she was molested at  8yrs old but never told anyone.  She comforted herself with food.  After revealing her secret she is ready to change her life and is no longer a victim.  When Chris reveals her home gym and new dinning table set, LaRhonda is once again moved to tears.  She is truly humbled by the gift.  Chris gives her a  90 day challenge of  100 lbs with the prize of a new car as incentive.  We see some funny footage of Chris singing LaRhonda awake with an acoustic guitar.  And we finally see what looks like nutrition education, food shopping, and physical training going on.  Too bad we don’t actually know what we are looking at.  Chris prepared what looked like a tasty wrap for lunch but didn’t disclose the recipe :-(.

Day 90 arrives and the 2nd weigh-in.  LaRhonda meets her goal and is given a nice shiny red jeep.  This gift was the best out of all of them so far.  Then we have the tearful goodbye with Chris and his backpack. 

During the next 90 days we see LaRhonda struggle to stay on track.  She is shown eating not only chips, but chips and dip!  How in the world is she gonna meet the  60lb goal Chris set for her?  Weigh-in time comes and LaRhonda manages to squeak by with a 60 lb loss!  She is now ready to let go of her mothers old needles and with Chris by her side she visits her mother’s grave to do just that.

Phase 3’s challenge is to lose a total of 40-50% of her beginning weight and qualify for skin reduction surgery.   She meets her goal and has lost 190lbs.  Fast forward to her plastic surgery and then the final weigh-in…

La Rhonda shows up looking fierce and hot to death! A collage of her 1 yr journey flashes across the screen.  Final weight is  231 lbs 🙂 and it is truly a happy ending.

 

In case you haven’t noticed we are making a few cosmetic as well as content changes to the blog.  More is on the way so stay tuned!

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episodes 3 & 4

Episode 3 spotlights Dana Baker.  Dana is described as an aspiring Gospel singer.  I think the folks at ABC have never heard Gospel music before.  Dana gave several performances during the show and what I saw was a classically trained singer singing Opera and Christian standards :-).  Dana, at the age of 44 has ballooned up to 498lbs.  Because of his weight gain Dana has chosen to alienate himself from his seven siblings for fear of judgement.

After 1 week of boot camp and a complete kitchen remodel, Dana is given a 3 month weight loss goal of 110lbs.  Dana is slowly but surely losing weight but Chris is suspicious.  Chris checks Dana’s fridge and finds ginger ale and canned fruit packed in syrup.  Chris then checks Dana’s car and find fast food wrappers.  Dana initially denies any knowledge of the fast food and then tries to blame passengers for the contraband.  But wait a minute… I thought Chris lived with the participants?  How did he not know Dana was drinking ginger ale and eating fruit cocktail if he lived with him?  BUSTED ABC and Chris Powell!  Dana finally admits to self sabotage as a way to medicate his pain from childhood sexual abuse.  Dana and Chris hug it out and agree to start anew.

During a fitness challenge Dana gets heckled by a homeless person and Chris goes off!  Dana reveals that no one has ever stood for him when being made fun of over his weight.  At his 90 day weigh- in Dana meets and surpasses his 110lb goal by 1lb.  His prize is professional vocal coaching.  He gets an additional gift of a trip to California to perform with one of his brothers in a church.

After experiencing knee pain it is discovered Dana needs knee replacement surgery.  Chris vows to help him thru this and revamps his fitness program so as to not aggravate his injury.  It is now time for the 6 month weigh-in.  Dan has to lose 70 lbs.  He comes up short with only a 29lb loss.  Since he was shown chowing down on 2 large pizzas at one point, I’m not surprised.  Chris gives Dana a final challenge of 108lbs to qualify for skin reduction surgery.  At the 90 day mark Dana once again falls short by only losing 40lbs.  While this is great, it’s not in line with the program.  Chris confronts Dana with grocery  receipts submitted to the show.  Pizza, chocolate bars, and ice cream are amongst items Dana regularly ate while attempting to lose weight.  Chris barely rips him a new one and I wanted to reach thru the screen and smack the both of them.  Dana reveals that he is a closeted homosexual and comes out to Chris.  So now we get to see that carrying the shame and guilt of childhood molestation and  hiding his sexuality has caused him to self medicate with food.  I’m happy that Dana is on the path to healing by revealing these things but I almost feel like its an excuse.  Maybe I’m just too jaded from watching a lot of reality TV.

At the final weigh-in Dana looks very slim and it appears he is no longer hiding from his family since they are all in attendance.  His final weight is 295lbs.  Dana nearly feints at being under 300lbs.  A loss of 203lbs is fantastic.    Way to go 🙂

Next up on episode 4 is James, 26yrs old and living in his grandparents basement.  James’s weight is so out of control he causes floor tiles to crack in his grandparents house.  His heaviest weight was over 700lbs.  James admits to frequently eating two lunches, two dinners, etc.  His wake up call was watching a documentary of a super morbidly obese man who had to be cut out of his home and realizing he weighed more than him.  James does work out some but a very nasty looking hernia prevents him from doing too much.

His initial weigh-in has to be conducted on a freight scale.  His starting weight is  651 lbs.  Chris takes him thru a grueling 1 week boot camp and then gives him a 90 day goal of 150lbs.  His prize will be a custom made bike.  James hasn’t ridden a bike since childhood so he is very excited and motivated to win the challenge.  James loses 154lbs and takes his new bike for a spin.  It was kinda cute to see him with his helmet tilted sideways (on accident, I’m sure) as he rode off into the distance :-).

Phase 2, 6 month goal for James is 80lbs.  James spends a lot of time on camera bitching about working out.  Things are looking shaky.  Then a bout with pneumonia  sets James WAY back.  At his 6 month weigh-in he only losses 11 lbs.  His hernia is horrible looking.  He isn’t eligible for surgery to fix it unless he losses weight.  That alone should be motivation but it’s not.  Chris brings in football great Michael Irvin who himself has battled weight and lost over 100lbs.  A full day of drills and practice commences with James realizing at the end of the day that he “coulda been a contenda”

James gives himself the 9 month challenge of 90lbs, effectively bringing his weight under 400lbs.  At the weigh-in he comes in at 394lbs, achieving his goal. 😉  His next goal is to have lost a total of 300 lbs at the finale.

The final weigh-in arrives and James shows up  wearing a jacket several sizes too small  looking pretty dapper.  He steps on the scale and his final weight is 338lbs for a total of 313lbs lost!  Chris presents him with Super Bowl tickets, which seems a bit anti-climatic at this point to me.  Closing credits reveal James moved out of his grandparent house and working on getting under 300lbs to qualify for hernia surgery.

I decided to do some research and found literally next to nothing on our Life Coach Chris Powell.  I did find the casting call for the show and a few short bios on Chris that all said the same thing.  I’m gonna give this show 2 more episodes to  catch my interest and if not, forget it.  My cousin, who commented on here twice, is raving about this show on Twitter.  Maybe I should ask her to do a recap or two?  Are there any weight loss shows on that you all would like me to recap?  Other than a few 5k/10k runs coming up, I’m open to suggestions.  Are there any workout DVD’s anyone would like to review?  Diets to blog about? Let me know your thoughts.  Until next time, Peace and Blessings 😀

P.S.

Took  pictures last week and wanted to post one but the website won’t let me order any JPEG’s, etc.  So below is a bootleg copy until the actual pics arrive and I can scan them onto my PC  😛

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 2

This week’s episode spotlights Alex, a 23yr old man tilting the scales at 459 lbs.  Alex has a passion for baseball, as does his family.  His biggest cheerleader was his mother who died of cancer.  Alex’s desire to fulfill his mother’s dying wish for him to lose the weight ends up being his motivation when everything else fails.

Alex’s weight is so severe, he can no longer enter his bathroom facing forward.  He has to back his way into the bathroom because his front and sides won’t fit.  Chris has to do his first weigh in at a loading dock since Alex is too large for a regular scale.  The hits keep coming when he weighs an astonishing  459lbs.  Alex had no clue his weight had gotten that high.

Chris takes Alex to visit a nutritionist who shows him how to make his favorite meals with fewer calories.  No discussion of what kind of meal plan Alex is on or how many calories a day he is consuming.  I was hoping to get some nutrition tips from the cooking segment but no such luck.  Next we see Alex holding one of those 10lbs of fat models and he makes all the right noises but I don’t think he REALLY gets it.

Chris surprises Alex with a home gym in his living room featuring some nice looking, state of the art equipment.   This home gym looks a lot better than the one he gifted Rachel from episode one with and he gave the whole area a makeover including paint and artwork.  He shows Alex his fridge and announces he threw out all unhealthy foods.  The fridge is now stocked with only healthy items.  Another opportunity to discuss nutrition is missed.

Chris gives Alex a 90 day goal of 100lbs wight loss and a potential prize of season tickets to the Atlanta Braves games. A few clips of Alex’s training sessions are shown and then directly to the first weigh in challenge arrives.  In Chris’s bio it states that he pioneered a weight loss training regemin but we don’t get to see it.  I have no idea what they did in the gym other than some work with a medicine ball and ropes.  At the weigh in Alex has lost 97lbs, 3 lbs short of the challenge so no season tickets :-(.  He gets a consolation prize of attending a game and getting to meet some of the players.

Alex’s next challenge is to lose 60lbs in 90 days.  That seems doable considering he had just lost 97lbs in the same amount of time.  But without his trainer in the house motivation him, Alex quickly falls off course.  Hidden cameras show him playing video games instead of working out. UGH!!!  How can he be so irresponsible?  He is blowing the opportunity of a lifetime.  Self sabotage, thy name is Alex 😀  The results of him slacking off is a dismal 21lb loss.  While that is nothing to sneeze at, it is not on par with the program he is supposed to be following.

Chris cracks down on Alex by sending him to Army training for 24hrs.  Alex considers most of this to be a joke.  I think his young age, 23, has a lot to do with his lazy attitude during this process.  Alex gets his ass handed to him during the boot camp and not a moment too soon.  ABC blurred the area of his backside but I’m pretty sure he soiled himself at one point.  Boot camp is no joke!

Alex is given his third and final challenge of 70 lbs in order to qualify for skin removal/reduction surgery.  Flashy edits follow and we are already at the next weigh in.  Alex not only loses 70lbs, he passes the goal and loses 77lbs.  Finally!  He gets the doctors okay for plastic surgery and we are fast forwarded to day 365 after a quick blip on surgery day.

On the last day friends and family gather at the baseball field Alex played little league at.  When He exits the limo for the big reveal, everyone screams in amazement.  He is half the size he was a year ago.  Alex has accomplished a total weight loss of 216 lbs.  At 243lbs he is now in the healthy weight range and now looks like a 23yr old instead of an old man like he did at 459 lbs.  He is presented with a plaque honoring his mother and everyone cries, including me.  Another happy ending.

This episode wasn’t as flashy as the first one but still lacking in information on the topic. I have no idea what kind of eating plan is used.  Is it Jenny? WW, Nutrisystem, or South Beach?  How many calories or points?  How often do they workout?  How many calories burned everyday?  Do they wear a BodyBugg? Do they take suppliments?  What is your opinion, do you want to know these things or just see the end results?  Let me know your thoughts.  Peace and Blessings 😀

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Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Recap episode 1

Monday night brought us the the premier episode of a new weight loss show.  Extreme Makeover got it’s start as a reality show that gave participants full body makeovers via plastic surgery.  The show quickly became controversial with its focus on breast implants and veneers.  ABC came out with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and that has become a Sunday night tear jerker favorite since.  So I was really looking forward to this new show when I began seeing ads for the weight loss version.  A trainer works with a client for a year.  This had never been done before.  All other shows only follow a client for six months or less.  This sounded really promising.

Chris Powell- Personal Trainer

From the ABC website:

“Chris Powell exploded onto the fitness scene with his unorthodox approach, becoming a pioneer for a new hybrid of fitness professionals. He captured national attention with the largest and fastest natural weight loss ever documented, transforming the life of David Smith, who lost 401 lbs. in 26 months. It was Chris’ unyielding dedication to another that captured the heart of America, as he shared his story on such national shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, The View, as well as a one-hour documentary for TLC.

With Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, Chris guides the participants through their transformations by moving into their homes. By assuring that they have the proper nourishment and exercise movement, he provides a fresh perspective to individuals whose lives have become unmanageable because of their weight.

Chris is well-equipped to take on this assignment. He holds a degree in Exercise Science, with concentrations in biomechanics and physiology and the training accreditation, The Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He has been the Transformation Pro on KTVK’s Good Morning Arizona for the last six years.

Chris also knows firsthand what it’s like to struggle with body image. At age 14, he was the smallest kid in school; no match other kids on the football field. With encouragement from his parents, he took up weightlifting. He was able to gain an edge, not by size, but by strength. This personal victory proved to him the potential of the human body and ultimately set him on a life-changing career path.

Chris says, “The human body is an amazing machine that we can transform naturally. I have devoted my being to developing innovative lifestyles and tools to enrich the lives of others, and each life changed has been a remarkable gift.”

We can read all about this philosophy in his inspiring weight loss and fitness book titled Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb-Cycle Solution, which is being published by Hyperion in October of 2011. Until then, we’ll have to settle for seeing Chris each week on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition!”

The first episode features Rachel.  Rachel is a 21yr old  elementary school P.E. teacher.  She weighs 369 lbs and feels hopeless about it.  The show takes on an American Idol feel when they show Chris arriving at her job to surprise her with the news that’s been selected to be featured on the show.  Another difference is that the trainer moves into the home for 3 months to train Rachel day and night.  He turns a den into a personal gym and immediately starts working with Rachel.  The  other family members appear to be on board initially but soon begin complaining about the noise from the workouts and sabotage her efforts by eating fattening foods in front of her.  Chris challenges Rachel to lose 80lbs (yikes!) in the first 90 days and promises a trip to Greece as a reward.  Rachel meets the challenge and wins the trip.  I’m so glad she did because I would’ve been sick at the thought of her not getting that opportunity.  Rachel brings her brother and it looks like a lovely trip.  The only bad spot was when they were shown eating at an outdoor cafe and are sent complimentary desserts.  Those desserts looked YUMMY;-).  They both refused to eat them.  I would’ve eaten them and then walked an extra few hours to offset the difference.  Who knows when she might get to go to Greece again?  She could’ve  at least tasted the sweets… maybe eaten half?  But I guess she made the right decision for her.

ABC used a lot of slick editing and it seemed to me like we really didn’t get to see Rachel go through the process.  They mainly focused on her weigh-ins and whether or not she won the prizes awarded for meeting each challenge set by the trainer.  Rachel did get the opportunity to have plastic surgery to remove excess skin and I was a little teary eyed at that point 🙂 .  At the final weigh-in Rachel lost a total of 161lbs.  I was jumping up and down in my bed like I knew her personally.  That’s more than I weigh so basically she lost the equivalent of a middle aged woman (LOL).  This first episode felt very flashy to me.  I had the warm fuzzies at the end but I’m not sure I love this show yet.  I’ll try to get the next recap to you sooner.  Peace and Blessings 😀

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