The finale of this summer’s Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition was an excellent story providing incredible motivation for anyone who needs to make change happen. Jarvez, a past Oregon State University football player, started his transformation year at a whopping 548 pounds. From workout number one (fight or flight as trainer Chris Powell calls it) this man gave determination all new meaning. At that very first weigh in, right there on the freight scale, Powell says give me 10 push-ups and all548 pounds hit the plank position and pushed out 10 of the best push-ups he could do. Eating about 2000 calories a day, doing cardio for 3-6 hours per day and 3 days of strength training, this non-stop powerhouse took off an amazing 142 pounds in 90 days! As promised by Chris, he was handed 2 tickets to the Superbowl as a reward for reaching his goal. NICE! Though a case of vertigo threw him off kilter (in more ways than one) during phase two and he fell short of his goal, he still took off another 32 pounds and falling short of the goal fueled phase 3 like nothing else might, losing another 74 pounds and making himself eligible for skin removal surgery. At the final weigh in, Jarvez had lost more weight than he actually weighed. Down 281 pounds, weighing a svelt 267, this guy showed us what desire can achieve. He has an incredibly supportive wife, Adriana, (just married) who was with him every step of the way, from the eating, to the workouts and everything in between. To go through a transformation like this AND the first year of marriage at the same time has to be an incredibly stressful journey, but it led them to a much healthier lifestyle, Adriana having lost a lot of weight along with Jarvez. In the end, we learn they are expecting their first child and though Jarvez did gain back 20 pounds, he was keeping his weight constant at 287. I sure hope someday ABC does the “Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Where Are They Now?” follow-ups! If you can watch this stuff and not be motivated to make change happen, I just don’t get it. I find it so powerful to see what one person’s brain and body can do when they are in the same place at the same time.
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