It can’t be easy making it all the way to the Biggest Loser ranch and then seven days later becoming the game’s first casualty, but James Crutchfield has embraced it. As the first eliminated contestant of the new Biggest Loser season nine, James weighed in as the second-heaviest player at an astonishing 485 pounds. It’s a weight he says shocked him, but he wasn’t surprised by it.
Voluntarily separating from his twin brother, John Crutchfield, due to the limitations of a knee injury, James went home and has done remarkably well for only having been at the ranch a few days. Down more than 75 pounds (since the September elimination), he’s proving that it’s entirely possible to lose this kind of weight on your own at home. “All I really needed was a jump start,” he says, continuing that “You don’t have to have surgery or take drastic measures” to lose the weight.
We spoke with James and asked about the concerns he had for himself and other contestants at the ranch do to their sizes, and he explained more about the swimming workouts that have allowed him to regain strength and mobility.
James says the main benefit to the weight loss he’s experienced so far is being more active. When he arrived home he focused on weight training to rebuild his muscles and help him to become strong enough to take on cardio workouts. Fighting a knee injury, he also continues to rely heavily on workouts in the pool for no-impact exercise that “burns fat and strengthens muscles.” He’s gone from treading water in the deep end and doing interval-style cardio by doing kicks off the side of the pool to swimming freestyle for two to four hours each day.
James has also changed his diet, and enjoys preparing healthy meals at home. He said chicken and fish are staples, and they rely on steaming and baking to prepare these lean proteins. He also calls asparagus his favorite new vegetable! And each morning he and his wife have egg white omelets.
“Bittersweet” is what James calls being at home, but credits his wife for helping to create such an important support system there where he’s not only thriving but so is she! James’ wife has lost 31 pounds during this journey, too!
For anyone who sees themselves in James, his advice is “Don’t procrastinate!” He says don’t wait to start a diet/weight loss program on Monday, do it that day. The day doesn’t matter, it just matters that you do it.
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