We’re just about three weeks into DietTribe‘s season two. DietsInReview.com had a chance to chat with one of the tribe members, Mary Lasnier, a working-turned-stay-at-home-mom who saw the weight creep on (and never creep off) after giving birth to her second child.
Motivated to accomplish her goal of losing 50 pounds, Mary dished with us about her reasons for joining the weight loss reality show and how she will keep up the momentum of her newly-discovered healthy habits once the show wraps up.
What led you to being on DietTribe?
The idea was brought to me by my dear friend, LaNessa, another DietTribe member. I, fortunately or unfortunately, fell into that category of someone who needed to lose weight. I never had an issue with food or my weight until I had my second child and the pregnancy weight never came off.
I also never envisioned that I would be on a weight loss reality show. I always thought that having a show where people just needed to lose 3o, 40, or 50 pounds was a great idea rather than having to lose 100 pounds.
What is it like working as a team to lose weight?
Working as a team definitely makes a difference. Knowing that I had someone to workout with at 3:30 pm is great motivation. You can’t have as many slip-ups when you’re accountable to others. If it’s just you, you can make excuses to yourself, but with your friends, you can’t make those excuses.
Plus, having that supportive bond is so important. I can call up any of the others when I’m having an off day and they can know what exactly I am going through. They can relate and say, “Yep, that burger was staring me in the face, too.”
What have you learned about nutrition since being on the show?
Our eating plan is very clean. Much cleaner that what we are used to. I was hungry for a few days, then my body got used to it. I realized that I don’t need to eat fast food every day. I can eat veggies and be satisfied and I have more energy now. At first, I was just making small changes and then before I realized, my entire plate had been overhauled and my healthy habits have started to trickle down to my family.
I have three daughters and cooking for all of us has been pretty easy. If I make whole-wheat pasta and steamed vegetables for them, I will maybe have a small portion of the pasta or my husband and I will just eat the veggies and a piece of grilled chicken breast.
How do you plan on maintaining your weight once DietTribe Season Two is over?
I plan on taking all that I have learned from Jessie and Stacy and incorporating into my life. I need to be realistic and understand that every day is not going to be a breeze, but I have to learn how to be strong and make wise decisions. I am constantly reminding myself that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. And sometimes, I have to take it one meal at a time. In fact, just taking it one moment at a time is what gets me through.
Stay tuned as DietsInReview.com continues to bring you more interviews and recaps from DietTribe Season Two.