Photo: Ruven Afanador

5 of 10
Jenny Hutt, Roslyn, New York
Age: 46
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 133
Goal: Lose five to 10 pounds, wear a size 6 and conquer my body issues


I used to get so angry with my sister when she'd complain about five pounds. We'd go shopping, and she'd say, "Oh my God, I look so fat in this." I'd think, I can't even shop in this store. I didn't say it, of course; the shame was too overwhelming.

I was a short, chubby kid, and that made my mother nervous. I think she wanted so badly to protect me that she tortured me: She took me to dietitians, weight loss spas, food behaviorists. Thus began my battle with my body. When I was 22, I exercised four hours a day and got really thin. But I think the male attention my new body received scared me so much that I promptly put on more weight than I'd lost. Soon enough, my 20-pound problem turned into 30. I got married, had two kids, started hosting a radio show and never lost the baby weight—40 more. Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and I gained another 10 from the stress.

After my mother died, I found out I had high blood pressure, and my internist put me on a diet. I walked, did the Bar Method and finally hit my super-low adult weight. Since then, I've gained back about 8 pounds. But I know 8 can turn into 10, then 20, then 30. I never want to be double digits more than my thinnest. But I don't want to be too thin, either, because I'll start to look old. (You know how they say as you age, you have to pick: your fanny or your face?) My goal is to be free of this body stuff. If my clothes fit and I'm healthy, everything should be okay.

Taking Control
From top: Jenny at her heaviest in 2008; showing off her "fat jeans" in late 2015.

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Photo: Kitty Gunn

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Photo: Keith Hutt