Casting Director Jenny Rawdin tells us how she lost 23 pounds in just 14 weeks
By Jenny Rawdin
My healthy new lifestyle is all due to a little show called The Biggest Loser. Yes, my casting agency got our inspiration from the TV show The Biggest Loser. My coworkers and I all started this mighty competition at the start of 2007. At the very beginning, it was a battle for everyone to change their daily lives. For me, it was all about the competition. That's what pushed me and gave me the drive to beat everyone else.
We all weighed ourselves each week, which was not fun when we first started. At that time, I was at least 20 pounds overweight. Preparing for each weekly weigh-in, I tried to work out daily. My routine consisted of a half-hour of cardio and a half-hour of weight training.
I also completely changed my diet. I went cold turkey and avoided foods with lots of carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta. I also stopped drinking drinks with lots of sugar in them, like soda and fruit-flavored juices. But can you guess what my #1 diet secret was? Chicken salad! I made a lot of chicken salads using fat-free mayonnaise and paired it with Wasa Crackers. A combination of light carbohydrates like crackers and high-protein foods like chicken tastes great, keeps your energy up during the day, and curbs cravings for salty junk foods.
I also did a lot of online research for healthy and tasty recipes, and it paid off! After 14 weeks of competition, I lost a whopping 23 pounds! It felt so great fitting into my skinny jeans! I was so proud of myself, and I have kept the weight off for a year and half.
It's not always easy admitting that you need to lose weight, and it can be even harder to stick to a healthy exercise and diet. But competing with my coworkers kept me motivated the entire time! Being upfront about your weight-loss ambitions and sharing them with your peers can be a quick and easy way of making your goals a reality.
Jenny Rawdin - MTV Casting Director. Jenny has been casting actors, singers, dancers, and models for MTV's Total Request Live, the hit pop-culture-driven video countdown show. She also works on MTV Specials and MTV events and has been working in the film and television industry in New York City for six years.
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