10 Weight Loss Stories That Will Give You Hope
Ready to lose some weight? Join the club! Oprah and nine motivated women are teaming up to reshape their bodies and reclaim their lives. The journey starts here...
Interviews by Molly Simms and Elyse Moody
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.
Photo: Kitty Gunn
Photo: Keith Hutt
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.
Photo: Kitty Gunn
Photo: Keith Hutt
From the April 2016 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine