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CENTERVILLE — Just over a year ago, a Centerville woman won a special contest as part NBC's hit reality show "The Biggest Loser" by losing more than half her weight. Her secret to keeping the weight off, Deni Hill said, has a lot to do with her new health program.
Though she was eliminated early in the season, Hill ended up winning the "Biggest Loser" Season 11 at-home weight-loss title. She lost more than 125 pounds and beat out 17 other at-home contestants to claim her prize.
Fast forward to today, and Hill still looks pretty good. "I also know how it feels to be thin again after all those years. I don't want to go back there," she said.
How has she kept it off away from the show? It starts with nutrition, she said.
"The problem is it's a lifestyle change. It really, truly is. And it has to come from up here," Hill said, pointing to her head. "Eighty percent is nutrition; 20 percent is exercise."
Hill eats plenty of vegetables, breakfast shakes and vitamins to keep her going, and she emphasizes on organic. For the other 20 percent, she moves her body in a way that feels good.
"There are all kinds of things you can do, but you have to move, and you have to move for you," she said.
Hill's other secret? Stay motivated. She recently opened her own health business called Sponsor Me Slim, which is focused on making sure people get the right amount of nutritious food.
"We found that every 6 seconds a child dies of starvation which really isn't their fault. And every 7 seconds someone dies of an obesity-related illness," Hill explained.
For every pound a client loses, money is collected from sponsors and donated to starving children. "We have people losing weight for the first time because they say, ‘I can't not lose weight. I have to feed those kids,'" Hill said.
She advises those who want to lose weight to follow these five steps for success:
- Ask for help
- Have support from a friend or program
- Write down what you eat
- Do your research
- If something isn't working, find a new way
Hill said she was and still is an emotional eater, but now she accepts the responsibility. If she slides off track, she pulls herself back in.
