The Ebony/JET Weight-Loss Challenge: Jason Champion
5 families take charge of their lives
2008-06-30
Name: Jason Champion
Age: 35
City: Charlotte, N.C.
Occupation:
EMI gospel recording artist
(new CD is Reflections)
Weight:
425 to 450 pounds
Height:
5 feet 11 inches
Reason for Weight Gain:
Bad eating habits and possible genetic predisposition (several family members are larger)
Target Weight Loss:
200 pounds
In The Refrigerator:
Ice cream, cinnamon pastries, Kool-Aid, individual pizzas
Motivation to Lose Weight:
To become healthier and prevent an early death related to obesity
The Inside Story:
Jason Champion was 19 when he watched his father die at age 39 after experiencing a variety of weight-related problems. At the time of his death, Jason says his father weighed 800 to 1,100 pounds. Jason, a former member of the singing group Men At Large and a former backup singer for Kirk Franklin and Deitrick Haddon, says he is afraid that if he doesn’t make changes in his life immediately, he’ll experience the same fate as his father. And he doesn’t want his wife, Paula, and their two sons, Isaiah, 13, and Michael, 8, to feel the pain and sense of loss that his father’s early death caused him. “I want to be here for me, for my wife and our kids. God has given me a new opportunity, plus I’m getting older, and to be effective in God’s ministry, I need to dig deeper and tackle this weight problem,” says Champion, who has never weighed more than he does now. “As I’m approaching my 39th birthday [in four years], I refuse to have to look over my shoulder, worrying that the same death angel that took my father is coming for me.” In recent years, Jason has made several attempts to lose some weight, but he says he didn’t have enough commitment to succeed and the diets didn’t work fast enough for him. “This is another chance for me to change my life,” he says, “and this time I have to make it work.”
THE Assessment:
Morbidly obese and at tremendous risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
THE Plan:
“Jason will be starting on The Fat Smash Diet Phase I Detox. This nine-day period will be comprised mostly of fruits and vegetables, but also of brown rice, oatmeal and egg whites. He has specific limits of foods that he can eat. He will also start exercising 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week during detox. After detox, we will build his diet back up to include more protein and good carbs.”
Champion's Blog
I haven’t been home to have my wife prepare the right foods. I had been gone about two days out of the week. This time, it’s going to be two weeks. I was out four days, home one night, left back out for Cleveland, Atlanta, Augusta & Chicago. I just need some more rest. You have to be really very strategic in terms of how you travel...
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