Chris and I couldn’t be happier with the season 4 kick off of Extreme Weight Loss. The support we’ve gotten has been absolutely incredible – THANK YOU for watching and taking part in our peeps’ journeys :).
Now let’s talk about last night. I know many of you have questions and comments about Ty. My heart goes out to him, as I’m sure many of yours do. I can imagine the reality of the choices he made are hitting him hard right now. The good news is that Ty is young and his life is FAR from over. He can choose to change at any moment?and I hope he does. That boy, I’ll tell ya, has more potential than nearly anyone I’ve ever met :). His future can be as bright as the brightest star. Chris and I (and the entire EWL crew) know he CAN reach his potential when he is ready.
Chris and I have found that people need love and support to change, above all else. Please help us?be this for Ty, and try not to jump into the negative comments around his choices. Ty is a real life human being?with feelings. He is NOT just another episode.
Now let’s talk about the amazingness that Miss Charita brought last night. Um yes?she really is that wonderful. The spunk, sweetness, and inside/outside beauty Charita exudes is contagious!! I love her energy and am so grateful for the time we got to spend with her this year!!
In honor of her episode (which I KNOW helped millions of lives), this Zumba cha cha’ing queen is sharing some of her favorite tips with us!
Thanks Cha-Cha-Rita!!! We love you!
54 Responses
I really felt bad for Ty and i think what messed him up was when Chris found out that info on Brian!
I hope Ty can learn to love himself and move forward from this and know that he is an amazing person inside and out. I’m still rooting for Ty and he is going to come back and ask for help
This was an awesome episode! I choose to focus on greatness! I wish Charita all the success in the world!
OMG, go Charita! You truly are an inspiration and I would take a Zumba class from you any day of the week. You are gorgeous, inside and out! Your bravery is inspiring.
As for Ty, I think in the future, it might be a good idea for EWL to only take on contestants who are 21 years of age or older. I agree with previous commenters who said that this just isn’t Ty’s time. Maybe as he grows older, he’ll develop a more mature attitude and a better work ethic.
There’s a small window of opportunity for potential professional athletes to “make it.” I worry that the lack of drive and dedication Ty displayed on the show will not impress scouts, and he has ruined his chances to make the big leagues. So very sad.
I think it is so sad that Ty didn’t stay on with you guys, what an opportunity he gave up, I hope he takes what he did learn from you and applies it to his life. I wish him a lot of luck. But just like anything, you have to be totally ready and committed and willing to face whatever it is that made you do what you do. I’m hopeful that he will come to that place. As for Cherise, God bless you!!! God has given you such an opportunity to not only be a inspiration to others in the weight loss journey, but He also gave you such a testimony to those going through the guilt and shame , He gave you a story of hope and forgiveness!!! That’s priceless!!!
You guys are amazing! I felt bad for Ty also UNTIL he sat on your couch after you invited him to move in with you and all he can say was that he wanted money or a car!!! I was like Is this kid for real!!?? Anyway, his decision will catch up with him soon enough. More importantly, CHARITA!!! Omg! This woman is unbelievable! Three kids and two jobs?! She seriously shuts us all up when we try to say “I have no time to work out” Since her episode, this has resonated in my head when I don’t feel like working out: CHARITA, three kids, two jobs….GET YOUR ASS UP! Thank you Chris and Heidi for bringing these aw-inspiring people to the masses. 🙂 <3
Listen, I weigh 622 lbs and currently climbing. I have been on the weight gain train for 13+years and I’m heading toward my 5ist birthday come June. When I watched the show I was upset that Ty got played but Chris was quick to pick up that something was odd about the “get down below 300 & there will be a Major League Baseball contract waiting”. But Chris also said when one door closes another opens & he showed Ty that there was still hope. But Ty just gave up and that bothered me. Then he comes back 3 months shy of the final weigh-in, is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to be with Heidi & Chris for the remainder of the 3 mos and he still didn’t know what he wanted. Too bad.
I wish I lived in the US to have Chris/Heidi/EWL or even that other show (I won’t mention) to help me through my difficult journey. We don’t have shows like these in Canada. If the chance of a lifetime is offered take it and run. Now mind you it still takes an awful lot of drive & determination to succeed and you really need to have your mind in tune with everything else you are doing to get to your goal. It is a struggle and it’s a struggle I am going through right now.
Anyway, great kick-off to another great Season of EWL. I’ll be watching & getting inspired to do what I need to do to get well.
All the best guys!!!
I was so excited for Charita; not only for her weight loss success, but more so for her making the connection. Chris gave her a visual with having her hold the weights over her head. He helped her to understand that she was doing everything for everyone else and neglecting herself. She began to understand and begin to find strength in fighting. There is no greater strength in knowing you are important. You can either chose to impact for good or evil; we all have a purpose on the earth.
I was glad to see that Charita found her passion in helping others, by teaching Zumba classes and inspiring others. In the end, that should be our focus; getting healthy to help and inspire others. Chris and Heidi helped her get to the root of her problems; guilt over the abortion she had and hiding it from her parents. Christ has paid the price for our sins, if we are a believer and follower in him, we have to learn to repent of our offenses and then turn it over to him. He doesn’t want us to carry the quilt.
So, so happy for Charita!
I watched Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition the other day. I am praying for Ty. I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I have recently lost 30 lbs. but gained back 10 lbs. I don’t have the option to give up, I had diabetes, high blood pressure and a whole host of other health problems. So I have to keep moving forward no matter how many times I fall.
What I have learned through my journey of being overweight, is it is not all about what you eat; it is understanding and dealing with why you choose to eat it. People who are overweight don’t get that way by eating fruits and vegetables. We choose to eat certain foods for other reasons other than the taste. A lot of us become overweight, because we have not dealt with the real issue; emotional eating. I ate when I was overwhelmed, stressed, sad, lonely, frustrated, bored, hurt and angry. i didn’t turn to fruits and veggies; I turned to “comfort food” like peanut butter, fast food, chips and chocolate. It was easier, if just for a moment, than to deal with feelings of being taken advantage of and used by other people, inadequacy and quilt of traumatic events in my life. I didn’t know it at the time but, their is a chemical reason why we choose to turn to certain foods and not others; fat, sugar and salt in the food is addicting. The more you eat it, the more you crave it. Obesity is the result of the greater problem; addiction and emotional eating. You also have to learn to turn away from bad learned behavior and relearn how to eat.
You can change your eating and lose weight, but if you don’t deal with the emotions or other problems that drive you to turn to food, you will gain the weight back. It is difficult and scary to change your mindset and it takes courage to talk about it and make steps to change. Although Ty drop out of the program, he has made the first step by applying and coming to the show. He even realized that when he went back home, he went back to what he was doing and gained back 40 lbs. that was progress in my eyes… He now knows if he doesn’t do something, his weight will continue to climb and his health will fail him.
The next step is for him to understand and make the connection that his weight gain is not all about food it is about the guilt and anxiety he feels about losing the one thing that he thought he had going for him; baseball. Baseball has been his identity his whole life, now he is lost without it and he has turned to food to find comfort to avoid dealing with the pain and quilt he feels.
I hope that Chris and Heidi will continue to reach out to him, not to persuade him to come back just yet, but to help him get to the root of the problem. If they are not able to help him from afar, perhaps they can recommend someone in his area to talk to. I believe if they can get him to talk about how he is really feeling, he will then find the courage to take the next step and fight for his health. Ty has to do it for the right reason; to get healthy and understand he can not find solace and happiness in the things of this world, but in God who has made him and knows the ailments of his heart and by impacting other peoples lives.
To everyone else out there, compassion and humility goes a long way, even if you don’t understand, try to think about something you have struggled with; your marriage, job, friendship, weight, smoking etc…and remember what it is like to feel out of control and helpless. You will find that when you think of it in that way, your heart will be softened. Yes, Ty missed a big opportunity (this time) by your standards, but God has already opened the door for him, He is now aware that he can’t keep running away from himself. So the opportunity was not a waste.
Heidi and Chris has been there and I believe when Ty has made the connection, they will take him back into the program in a heartbeat. They know that if they can get him to come and work with them they can help him. God uses our struggles and our shortcomings for his good. We first have to be broken; so God can build us back up. The fact that Ty quit the program because he wasn’t ready for a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, means that when he is ready, he will be able to inspire so many other people, like myself, who has quit so many times, but found the courage to get back up and continue fighting. His life will change dramatically!
On the show we see so many people lose weight and get healthier which is awesome, but the greatest gift is the struggle and knowing that ?With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.? Mathew 19:26. So please don’t hate on Ty, pray for him to make the connection instead.
Be Blessed and encouraged and continue to fight the good fight!
Thank you and Chris for what you guys do. I don’t watch any other weight loss show because they just aren’t realistic in terms of what is expected. Your show is. It’s about real life. Real people with jobs. I love that you don’t have the contestants working out for 7 hours a day because that’s not real life. As for the both of you, you guys just rock. You are real and down to earth individuals who are passionate about what you do. Always have the best interest of others in mind. Always have been a big fan and will wait patiently for the next episode of EWL!!!
It would be hypocritical of me to say anything bad about Ty. I have quite a bit of weight to lose myself and having the motivation and will power to do so can be very difficult. My prayers go out to him. Hopefully can get going on the path again to being healthy.
Charita, way to go! I find your story inspiring! I am the mother of three and now a grandmother. Life is hectic and crazy, but I too want to have the energy to keep up with them. I love that you now teach Zumba! Keep up the hard work! Great job!