The Plunkett-Marquez Family
On episode six of Losing it with Jillian, Jillian heads to Camp Verde, Arizona, to help a Native American family learn how to follow a better lifestyle.
The Plunkett-Marquez family are leaders of the Yavapai-Apache Nation tribe. The family consists of grandma Delores, the mother, Cora-Lei, 15-year-old son Brandon, seven-year-old daughter Katie and Cora-lei’s sister, Delight. Cora-Lei’s husband, Brian, has been in Iraq with the Marines for the past year and the family has rallied to support her and their three kids. All of the family members are overweight and have or are at risk for diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association, Native Americans are at greater risk for having the disease than anyone. While six percent of the American population has diabetes, the prevalence of diabetes among Native Americans is twice as high.
Over the course of the week, Jillian works with the family helping them to swap out fried bread, logs of processed cheese and lard for much healthier plant-based and leaner options, which are the traditional foods of the Native American Indians. In addition, she holds a community seminar to discuss lifestyle behaviors to prevent diabetes, but only 20 people among the tribe’s 2,000 members attend.
Feeling frustrated but not surrendering, Jillian teams up with Cora-Lei and a daycare center teacher to start a walking program. This time, her tough-love and well-intentioned efforts pay off as more than 100 tribal members show up to join the walking group.
When Jillian returns six weeks later she finds that the entire Plunkett-Marquez family has taken their role as leaders of the Yavapai-Apache Nation tribe very seriously. As healthy models for the community, the family collectively lost 150 pounds: Delight lost 30 pounds, Brandon lost 52 pounds, and Cora-Lei lost 33 pounds.
And in honoring the sharing spirit of the Native American culture, Cora-Lei announces that the entire Yavapai-Apache Nation tribe will have access to a five-week personal training program to help them get in shape, eat healthier and stave off diabetes. Jillian shows her enthusiastic support of this healthy initiative by writing a check from the Jillian Michaels Fund to pay for the entire program.
Catch Losing It with Jillian each Tuesday night at 8/7c on NBC.
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