FYI: Jen Widerstrom didn’t emerge from the womb totally ripped—in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
For years, The Biggest Loser trainer has cheered on contestants as they embrace healthier lifestyles. But now, Jen is opening up about her own weight-loss journey, revealing she went through a major mental and physical transformation to get where she is today.
Jen shared a before-and-after picture of herself on Instagram. “For a long time, I was completely unaware of how unhealthy my eating habits & routine were,” she wrote. “Even though I was active, the sheer volume that I was consuming was out of control and I put no thought behind the foods I was eating.”
#TransformationTuesday is NOT about changing who you are- instead it’s REVEALING the greatness that’s been in you all along ? . #Repost @Dr_Oz ・・・ @JenWiderstrom, the trainer for @biggestlosernbc & her #transformation ?? >> For a long time, I was completely unaware of how unhealthy my eating habits & routine were. Even though I was active, the sheer volume that I was consuming was out of control and I put no thought behind the foods I was eating. ??♀️Ultimately, when college sports stopped and life started, my weight shot up! I was consuming the same amount of calories w/o the activity & ultimately I just felt detached & sad, getting through the days consuming food/alcohol to feel better and not participating in my life the way I FELT DEEP DOWN that I KNEW I could. I finally snapped out of it realizing I would never feel complete if I didn’t make myself responsible for my own health and happiness. I chose workouts that I enjoyed vs. ones that I felt were like punishment. There are foods that I knew were healthy that I hated so I just avoided those. But I did focus on eating more vegetables, higher quality proteins and less food on the go/eating out.?? The biggest mental shift happened when I finally stopped working out just for my waistline and really began to make these decisions because I felt at my best when I did so. I own my #health now because I love who I am when I am connected to it. That’s what makes it stick for me, it’s never about fitting in a dress. >> Sample day Wake up water chug! (8-12oz) *try to hit over 75oz daily? Meal 1: Algae (chlorella/spirulina), 1/3 cup blueberries, almond latte w/ collagen Meal 2: 3 eggs, avocado, roasted tomatoes, butter Meal 3: 1 serving cashews and 1-2oz jerky Meal 4: Shake (collagen protein powder, vanilla protein powder, spinach, cacao, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds) Meal 5: 6-8oz roasted salmon, 2-3 cups roasted cauliflower, medium baked sweet potato >> By far my favorite is interval based weight training.??♀️Moderate weight moved efficiently under shorter time caps. The work is hard, explosive and athletic, but there’s always rest waiting for you. ? ALL my secret tips & Jen ju-ju is in my book #DietRight!
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Jen also wrote about how she finally decided to make a lifestyle change:
The star trainer has long talked about the importance of finding or creating an individual diet plan, taking into account a person’s personality and behavioral traits. (Her 2017 book Diet Right for Your Personality Type takes this approach to weight loss as well.)
Earlier this year, Jen shared details of her 17-day run with the keto diet, which she turned to after “drinking a lot, eating fast food, and [having been] mentally checked out.”
CONFESSION: This was a lot harder to post than I thought it would be. Per my last post I said I would take on this challenge and frankly accepted it because it’s something I thought would be fun — but in looking at these photos I don’t think I realized how much I truly needed the push. I’ve had a very chaotic six months and for the first time I visually see how that chaos is reflected in my eating habits and mental health. With a huge amount of stress along side many things to be thankful for, I have been drinking a lot, eating fast food, and to be honest been mentally checked out. To see the distention and my gut is the physical evidence that I’ve clearly been a been avoiding handling what I’ve been feeling and after knowing all of you for so long, I know you’ve been there too. But it stops NOW. I have the decision to shift my headspace and be better bc I know better or to go into f*ck it mode, give in and avoid what scares me longer. Well… you guys know me well enough by now to know which decision I’m going to make- and as I said last night, I’d love to have you along with me. This all makes me a little freaked out, but to know you’re there makes it easier. xxMe DAY 1 of 17
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17 days of #keto complete. MY GREATEST TAKEAWAY: If you read nothing else below please read this: I have the power to do something about the way I feel and I also get to decide how to move through what happens to me. I do not have to be a victim but I do but I do get to choose how I cope with my stress. It’s up to me on whether I check out or not— and through this experience I’ve chosen to participate everyday of my life going forward. YOU HAVE THE SAME POWER. ?? The actual diet feedback: PROS -Fast response. Keep in mind the first week is really just water weight but if you stay in it the body continues to drop weight pretty rapidly. (make sure you’re eating enough though because you don’t want to lose muscle!!) -No cravings. I had no energy drop and nice energy flow throughout the day. -CLEAR food/fuel boundaries. There is no guesswork and no negotiation that happens—you know exactly what you’re allowed to eat and what you’re not and it takes away any emotional eating or conversations in your head. . CONS -As you all know, I strongly believe one size does not fit all… Making keto NOT for everyone. It’s not for me for sure- even though my body does respond well to high fat and protein fuel, given my mental and physical demands. My body NEEDS starch so I choose not to live in ketogenesis. -It takes VERY high discipline to do right and adapt correctly. -The precision of this diet is critical. Inspired by a conversation with my colleague @dunamisarp, “you risk not actually being in ketosis and instead just adopting a restrictive carb diet with too high of protein leading into gluconeogenesis. It takes a while to be fully adaptive into ketosis even though the scale and clothes will change earlier. There is always a cost to everything.” -Chris Knott #mondaymotivation
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And while keto may have worked for her, Jen admits that it’s not necessarily right for her, long-term: “…even though my body does respond well to high fat and protein fuel … My body NEEDS starch so I choose not to live in ketogenesis.”
In her most recent post, Jen shared what her diet looks like today:
We’ll have what she’s having.
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