“The B-Styles Curvy Girls of the Day”: YOU Gals

As I was flipping through my TV last week somehow the channel ended up being on “The Dr. Oz. Show”. As I was blogging and listening to the TV at the same time all I heard was “The  Real Housewives of Richmond, Virginia” and I immediately looked up at the screen. I try to support anyone from my hometown so I became interested in what the topic of the show was about. Once the preview clip showed these young ladies and their struggle with their weight I knew I had to stay tuned in until after the commercials. I’ve always been a thick chick so I wanted to hear their stories and testimonies. The show was originally taped in September of last year so they have already shed the pounds and have the results to show for it.

First up was Stacy Rodriguez, whom I recognized as already being a facebook friend of mine. Stacy is a wife and mother of 2 very active children who found that her commitment to exercise and wellness shifted during child rearing. After a 90-day program on The Dr. Oz Show, she has made YOU-turns and is now taking strides toward a stronger and sleeker body.

Next up is Toni Winston, a wife and mother of a beautiful 3 year old baby girl. For years Toni had desired to lose weight and even enlisted help from her friends, but to no avail. Upon becoming a Healthy Housewife of Oz, she learned that all the things she thought she could eat in moderation were totally wrong. After adopting the principals in YOU: On a Diet and with coaching from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, she dropped 2 dress sizes and 6 inches from her waist in 90 days. Toni says she’s so grateful for the help that she was afforded and can’t wait to help others.

Together Stacy and Toni have formed the group called YOU Gals. YOU Gals was birthed from a desire to pay forward what had been learned during their 90 Day Challenge on the Doctor Oz show as the original Healthy Housewives of Oz. They were given the opportunity to work with Dr. Oz, Dr. Roizen and the Dr. Oz staff to begin their journey to healthy living and waist management. With what they have learned they believe that they can help others and with that said YOU Gals was born. They are advocates of the principals taught in the book YOU: On a Diet as it is this book that has helped to transform their lives. When they think about what it is that they want to accomplish and how they can get it done they’ve decided that their mission is “Touching Lives One Waist At A Time”. With that said if they can reach just one person and make a difference their work is done. For these YOU Gals, the best is yet to come!

Q & A with YOU Gals Staci & Toni:

How did you all end up going onto the Dr. Oz show?

In August 2009 Toni Winston ran across an email from richmondmom.com looking for moms who are friends that were interested in losing weight and participating in a weight loss challenge on the Dr. Oz show. We each had to submit our personal stories and our then current pictures. By the end of that weekend we were talking to the associate producers of the show and winning them over.

Did you find it a difficult task to lose the weight?

YOU Gal Stacy: To me losing weight is like starting a new job. On your first day you are scared and nervous and a little unsure. You gravitate to someone that knows how to do the job and provides you with best practices. You then begin to take these best practices and put them into place. With confidence and your knowledge of the job things get easier day by day. Of course starting out was hard for me. There were bad habits that needed to be broken and I needed to adjust my way of thinking in order to be successful in reaching my weight loss goals. As I leaned on Dr. Roizen and my fellow housewives for support I noticed that the task of losing weight was becoming easier.

YOU Gal Toni: I had tried on other occasions to lose the weight and was unsuccessful because I was doing it on my own. This time around I was more determined and up for the challenge, one because I really wanted the help and two I dared not go back on National television saying that I had failed or had minimal success. Once given guidance and daily accountability from my coach and mentor Dr. Michael F. Roizen, MD and help from YOU Gal Stacy it made the process even more doable.

Have you been able to keep the weight off?

YOU Gal Stacy: Not only have I kept the weight off from our finale show that aired in December, but I continue to lose weight and work diligently towards my weight loss goals.

YOU Gal Toni: I have been able to maintain the pounds lost during the 90 day challenge and have successfully lost additional weight since the show.

What made you decide to start YOU Gals?

YOU Gals was birthed from a desire to pay forward what we had learned during our 90 Day Challenge as two of the three original Healthy Housewives of Oz. We were given the opportunity to work with our coach and mentor Dr. Michael F. Roizen M.D. to begin our journey to healthy living and waist management who encouraged us to start coaching under his guidance. We thought about what it was that had helped us achieve our goal and wanted to offer it to others.

What are the future plans for YOU Gals?

With what we have learned and experienced on our journey we believe that we can help others reach their goals as well so YOU Gals plans to offer:

YOU Gals will continue to “Touch Lives One Waist At A Time” and transform not only people’s physical appearance but also assist them in rediscovering their self worth and self esteem along their journey to health and wellness.

Here are the before and after pics of both Stacy and Toni:

Let’s applaud Stacy for her success of 36 lbs lost and 10 inches from her waist! YOU go Stacy!

For further information on the YOU Gals contact them via:

Email: theyougals@gmail.com

Follow the “You Gals” blog at: www.theyougals.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theyougals