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‘My Diet Is Better Than Yours’ Recap: Five Contestants Begin Their Weight Loss Journey

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 11:16 PST, Jan 8, 2016

For those who have decided that it is time to make a major lifestyle change by losing weight, exercising, and eating healthier, trying to find that right diet — there are so many programs available — can easily become overwhelming. How does anyone decide which one is right for them?

Fortunately, there is a new ABC television show that strives to answer that question. Five participants have each chosen a program and a celebrity trainer to help them on their weight loss journey. If they feel the program is not right for them, they will have a one-time chance to pick a new plan and trainer. They better choose wisely because the winner of My Diet Is Better Than Yours will receive $50,000, and the winning team will be featured on People.

People shared that as an elite personal trainer known for creating the extremely popular Insanity workout program, and now the host of My Diet is Better Than Yours, Shaun T is someone who definitely knows fitness.

“First, I want to say that this was an emotional journey for me. I have been helping people get healthy and fit for almost 20 years and it all started because I once was 50 lbs. overweight myself.”

He goes on to say that when he first saw the My Diet Is Better Than Yours contestants, he almost cried because he remembered what it was when he first began his own weight loss journey. During the week, he had very little contact with the My Diet Is Better Than Yours participants or their trainers, and was basically in the dark. When they came in for their weigh-ins, he had no idea how much weight they had lost or what was currently going on with the teams. He stated that his main job was to act as the voice of the home viewers, which he loved. He finished by saying that for him, hosting the My Diet Is Better Than Yours show was fun, emotional, and educational.

The five My Diet Is Better Than Yours contestants may have different reasons for wanting to lose weight and become healthier, but they will still have to put in the work it will take to be successful, regardless of what program or trainer they picked. At the end of 14 weeks, only one person and one plan will win. According to the first episode titled “Let the Diets Begin; Cookiegate,” for the first time America will see which diet works best.

Jasmin, 37, home-schools and says that she became overweight after having her daughter. She learns that she has high cholesterol and is pre-diabetic. She doesn’t want her daughter to copy her poor eating habits, and chose Dawn and her Superfood Swap Diet. The plan is all about swapping super-processed foods with real super foods, or the healthy foods that supercharge the body with healthy nutrients and energy. On her plan, Jasmin can eat what she wants, but by exchanging healthy foods over processed.

Kurt, 47, is a salesman and stated that after a car accident nine years ago, he gained over 100 pounds when he was forced to spend a lot of time in a hospital bed and wasn’t very mobile. He wants to be able to play with his grandchildren and set a good example for his family. He chose Abel and his Wild Diet plan, which substitutes sugar for healthy fats. Kurt is thrilled to learn he will be allowed to eat a lot of meat such as steaks and hamburgers on his plan.

Taj, 37, is an educator and says she began to gain weight while in college. For the My Diet Is Better Than Yours competition, she picked Jovanka and her Wellness Smackdown diet plan. This plan focuses on a holistic approach to weight loss and health in general. By combining herbalism with an anti-inflammatory vegan diet plan, she says this will give Taj back her energy, vitality, and strength.

Jeff, 35, says his family is the most important thing in his life. He is a radio producer as well as a project manager for a small IT data company, often putting in 85 to 100 hours a week. He is worried that his poor health is shortening his life, and he chose Jay and what he calls his No Diet Plan. Jay says that his plan for Jeff is a little different, saying that he will focus on behavior to create a new mindset in Jeff to help him lose weight.

Latasha, 35, is a television reporter and has a young son. Her My Diet Is Better Than Yours choice is Carolyn and her cLean Momma Plan. Carolyn’s plan is designed to simplify healthy living for busy people, combining what she calls “taskersize,” which is basically incorporating exercise into daily chores. She wants to teach Latasha to maximize the time she has by eating healthy and by showing her various exercises she can do while performing certain tasks.

Shaun T informs the participants that the main premise of My Diet Is Better Than Yours is about learning to live a healthy lifestyle, and to earn a spot in the final weigh-in. In order to obtain that spot, each of them will have to complete a half marathon, which is 13.1 miles. Not surprisingly, most of the contestants don’t look too happy about the marathon. During the first two episodes, all of them do lose weight, but a few of them are not happy with how their plan is working for them. One contestant opts to change their trainer and diet plan.

The first two episodes are available on the ABC website if you missed them. What do think about a show that promises to reveal the best diet plan? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. My Diet Is Better Than Yours airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on the ABC network.

[Image via RealiTV with Bee/Twitter, cropped and resized]

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