The Jones family: Image Via NBC.com
On episode two of Losing it with Jillian, after the Jones family of Cambridge Massachusetts, suffered the tragic loss of their father, Gary, the family of three needs a jump-start.
The family, which is now comprised of single-mom and widow Deb, daughter, Isabelle or “Izzy,” and son, Jordan, are not yet able to let go of Gary. Consequently, the Jones’ house is a veritable disaster, a reflection of their inability to move on even though it has been more than six years since Gary’s death. In fact, the physical state of the house is in such disarray that Jillian refuses to stay there and instead sleeps at a hotel during the first night of her intervention.
Deb, having lost her husband, is obese, and as Jillian put it, “is buried in weight as well as in grief.” Jillian calls on the support of Deb’s office staff to help her train for a 5k, which she believes will help motivate the single mom to finally take charge of her life. Up until now, Deb has been relying on her 12-year-old daughter Izzy to co-parent with her, rather than allowing Izzy to assume her rightful role as a young girl.
Throughout the episode, Jillian rallies the single mom and her two young children to clean up their house and their health habits. This includes having Deb and Izzy take an energetic dance class, which not just connects them in a fun mother-daughter way, but it also gives them a serious workout.
Jillian also helps the family cook a healthy meal of grilled chicken and salad and together they share stories of their favorite family memories.
Jillian returns six weeks later to cheer Deb on as she runs the 5k and the results are thrilling. Deb lost 32 pounds and dropped her blood sugar levels back to normal, allowing her to stop taking her diabetes medication at the end of the month. Both Izzy and Jordan are active in after-school sports and are quick to point out just how thrilled they are with the positive energy that has transformed their once heavy household.
Even though during the 5k Deb’s knee starts to flare up, she pushes through it, finishes the race, and is met with thunderous applause and a $50,000 check from the JillianMichaels.com.
In case you missed episode one of Losing It with Jillian, here is a recap of Losing It with Jillian – The Mastropietro Family.