Kathleen Penny, 42, is the Production Manager for Creative Services at Harpo. She's married and a mother of a three-year-old. Kathleen says that high cholesterol and a desire to set a good example of self-esteem for her daughter pushed her to really get healthy.
"From 4th or 5th grade, I was the heavy one," Kathleen says. "I didn't have a boyfriend, and I didn't have dates. I felt fat. I think it has really had an effect on my self-confidence. I was eating to fill something—fill an emptiness."
Starting Weight: 209 pounds
Kathleen lost 19 pounds! But even bigger news—her cholesterol dropped a whopping 110 points, without any medicine!
"That's the best," she says. "That's even better than the weight loss. Really."
Stacey Moses, 32, is Supervisor of Music Licensing for Legal and Business Affairs at Harpo. She says she was ready for Oprah's Boot Camp because she was just tired of her life-long struggle with weight.
"I've always felt like I was on the heavy side," Stacey says. "Growing up, the mentality in our household was if food is on your plate, you finish it. When I got to high school, I realized that I had issues with my weight. By the time I got to college, it was adding the "Freshman 15." There would be periods when I didn't care what I weighed, what I looked like."
From a starting weight of 171 pounds, Stacey has now lost an amazing 25 pounds!
"I've learned that I have to make myself a priority," Stacey says. "Definitely. Put me first. Everything else was secondary and I feel fabulous. I'm feeling it."
Reggie, 57, is Oprah's makeup artist. He says his issues with weight began in his forties. He admits to being a sugar nut, always out to find the world's best doughnut. But at 233 pounds and worried about his blood pressure, Reggie had enough. This fall, Reggie discovered his blood pressure was dangerously high—180 over 100. "I experienced a very bad state of depression," Reggie says. "I was turning older and becoming very afraid about my health. It was either the boot camp or nothing. I figured this is the time for me to turn my life around."
Look out, Reggie! After 12 weeks of Oprah's Boot Camp, Reggie lost a remarkable 30 pounds. Oprah was thrilled to tell her makeup artist that his blood pressure was now a fantastic 122 over 74.
"You know, all the pain you feel on the treadmill when you're starting in the morning, it's worth it when you can hear something like that in the end," Reggie says. "And no medication. Thank you, dear."
After working hard to lose 20 pounds last year, 23-year-old Dana Leavitt, a Researcher at Harpo, felt her body was stuck at a plateau. At 174 pounds, she says she wanted to get her eating under control, once and for all.
"If I have nothing else to do, I think that I'm hungry, but I'm actually just bored," Dana says. "If I'm upset or depressed about something, I think I'm hungry. Every single day I think about what I can do to lose weight. I don't want that to be an issue in my life."
After 12 weeks, Dana lost 14 pounds, dropped two dress sizes and gained a brand new confidence in her body. And, says her coach, she's now running faster than Oprah on the treadmill!
