The Ebony/JET Weight-Loss Challenge: Washington & Jones
5 families take charge of their lives
2008-06-30
Name:
Stephanie Washington & Aaron Jones
Age:
Stephanie, 26; Aaron, 25
City:
Spring Valley, Calif.
Occupation:
Stephanie: International logistics
Aaron: U.S. Navy
Weight:
Stephanie: 173 pounds
Aaron: 173 pounds
Height:
Stephanie: 5 feet 4 inches
Aaron: 5 feet 5 inches
Reason for Weight Gain:
Poor eating habits; not enough physical activity (an injury prevented Aaron from working out for several months)
Target Weight Loss:
Stephanie, 25 pounds; Aaron, 15 pounds
In The Refrigerator:
Ice cream, leftover fried food, neckbones
Motivation to Lose Weight:
To drop a few pounds before their wedding day on July 26
The Inside Story:
Stephanie and Aaron have known each other for 14 years and both want to look their best when they exchange vows in front of 300 guests. Although the wedding is part of the impetus for the weight loss, the bigger reason, they say, is better health. “I want to be able to fit all the clothes in my closet, and I hope to be a size 6 by our wedding day, not the ‘size too big’ I’m wearing now,” says Stephanie, who usually prepared dishes with lots of butter and high-calorie dressings. “We are changing, and the key is that Aaron and I do it together. We motivate each other.” After the wedding, the honeymoon to Italy or Paris will have to be postponed because Aaron will be deployed to Bahrain on Sept. 14. The newlyweds will continue to support and encourage each other’s weight-loss efforts long distance, and, after a three-month separation from each other, Stephanie will reveal her new look when she visits her husband in Bahrain in December or January. Both hope to have lost some weight before Aaron is deployed, but Stephanie has no fear of possibly disappointing her husband when she’s reunited with him. “Although I’ve gained weight since we’ve been together, the quality of our relationship hasn’t changed,” Stephanie says. “Aaron is very supportive of me, regardless of my physical appearance.”
The Assessment:
Stephanie’s body mass index indicates that she’s overweight. Aaron’s indicates that he’s overweight, too. There’s not much right going on in their kitchen or in her exercise life. They eat and drink a lot of the wrong things (EVERYTHING FRIED and SWEET drinks), and she doesn’t exercise. They have never dieted before and have three little ones to raise.
The Plan:
“They will start with Fat Smash Diet Phase I Detox to clear the impurities out of their system. But then they will do a cycle of Extreme Fat Smash Diet. We will alternate them between both diets to challenge them physically and nutritionally to keep their program fresh.”
Washington & Jones's Blog
I have one more final, then I’ll be able to work out every day. I just signed up for a fitness class. I won’t be working out with Aaron because he thinks he knows everything. It’s better for me to work out without him...
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