Dr. Oz's Summer Weight Loss Challenge: How Three Real Women Lost Big

One hundred days ago, Dr. Mehmet Oz invited three working mom pals from Detroit to "The Dr. Oz Show" and challenged them to get "beach body ready" for summer. For nearly four months, Tricia Francis, Kerri Ross and Kim Kaczor (seen left to right) exercised six days a week with a trainer and followed Dr. Oz's B.E.A.C.H. Diet (not to be confused with that other "beach" diet), which emphasizes:
B – eating Breakfast
E – Eliminating white flours and sugars
A – getting Antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and nuts
C – eating dark Chocolate, a sweet treat that's also a source of antioxidants
H – staying Hydrated

"The plan for Kim, Kerri and Tricia was to get their weight, blood pressure and BMI down to healthy levels, not only for them to feel better and live longer, but to look better in time for summer," said Dr. Oz. "Having each other was a huge factor in their success. So was meal planning and setting aside time for exercise. It makes me so happy when I see guests reach their goals."

On Tuesday, Kim, Kelli and Tricia returned to "The Dr. Oz Show" to show off their new slimmed-down bodies -- and share their secrets for success. That's Fit spoke with each of the gals and got even more details about what helped them achieve their goals. Here's what they told us.

Kim Kaczor
Age: 40
Occupation: Financial Analyst, Mom
Before Weight: 328
Current Weight: 264
Pounds lost: 64

Kim never had a weight problem growing up. But after two pregnancies and a high-stress sedentary job, Kim was 211 pounds heavier than when she graduated high school. "What happens is you take care of everything else, but you don't take care of yourself. It just got out of hand," she said. "I can't believe I was over 300 pounds. I decided enough was enough. I'm still 264 pounds and that's not a goal weight for me. I want to get to 150. I still have a long road to go, but I know I'll get there."

Kim's Success Secret 1: Plan everything.
"I plan my meals for the week. I batch cook on Sundays and Wednesdays to make sure I have enough chicken breasts, salads and snacks. I measure everything, bag it up and then load up my section of the fridge at work on Mondays. I also keep 100-calorie packs of walnuts and almonds in my drawer at work, in my lunch bag and at home, so I always have something handy to crunch. I also plan which days I'm going to the gym in the evening and when I'm going in the morning. When I know I'm working out in the morning, I sleep in my gym clothes so there are no missteps in the morning."

Kim's Success Secret 2: Lean on your friends.
"Kerri, Tricia and I, we were just there for each other. I could send them a text saying, 'It's a high-stress day; I'm not going to make it.' And they were like, 'Step away from the Snickers.' I could not have gotten these results in such a short period of time if I didn't have the support of Kim and Tricia or our trainer and my coworkers. Kerri and Trish aren't going to give up on me and my family is there for me. I know I'll do it!

Kim Success Secret 3: Tune in to why you're eating.
"If I wanted something that wasn't on my menu, I'd ask myself, 'Why do I want this? Why do I feel like I have to have it? Is it hunger? Are you nervous? Are you worried?' People eat for a lot of different reasons, and the answer is not in the refrigerator. To help me get my emotions in check, I'd find a quiet spot and meditate about it. I'd breathe in for 10 and out for 10 and just calm myself down."


Kerri Ross
Age: 40
Occupation: Secretary, Mom
Before Weight: 207
Current Weight: 174
Pounds lost: 33

"I went back to work when my twin girls were four, and that's when the weight started coming on. I work at a surgery center and the doctors buy food all the time -- pizza, ribs, croissants; there's chocolate everywhere. It's crazy. You gain weight -- five pounds here, two pounds there -- and start accepting it. I just let myself go, and I was unhappy with myself. So I was very gung ho about this challenge. I was going to do it. I didn't care if I was limping -- and I limped a lot because I worked out so hard. There were days my daughters would sit on my lap, and I'd groan because my legs were so sore. Doing this was a huge change in my life. I'm happier."

Kerri's Success Secret 1: Eat breakfast.
"Breakfast was my best meal," said Kerri. Her go-to breakfast is a bowl of steel-cut oats, topped with dried cranberries, walnuts, some dark chocolate and skim milk. "Sometimes I'd put a teaspoon of peanut butter in it and it would taste like a no-bake cookie. But it's healthy for you. It has protein and fiber and I get my chocolate fix. And it fills you for four hours."

Kerri's Success Secret 2: Embrace exercise.
"I became addicted to exercise. Sprints were my main thing. You burn calories, build muscle and you work your abs at the same time. Plus, it makes the time go by fast."

Kerri's Success Secret 3: Get your family on board.
"When I started this challenge, I knew I could do the workouts, but I couldn't come home to a messy house. I would have lost my mind. I told my husband that I needed him to keep the house running. And he did. That was huge for me. My husband and kids are in a better routine and now I'm back to help."


Tricia Francis
Age: 34
Occupation: Nursing assistant, mom
Before Weight: 205
Current Weight: 165
Pounds lost: 40

When her sister died last year from a brain aneurysm, Tricia sank into a deep depression and put on 50 pounds. "I was the heaviest I'd been since being pregnant. I didn't even realize how much I was eating," she said. "This challenge was my opportunity to get myself back, for me, for my husband and for my children." Unfortunately, two weeks into the program, Tricia broke her foot. But she didn't let that derail her determination. "While the other girls were doing their cardio on the treadmill, I sat on a ball and boxed the air. I was not going to let a broken foot get in the way of making a change in my life. Now I'm off all of my antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. I'm me again. And it feels good."

Tricia's Success Secret 1: Let yourself cheat -- a little.
"If I had a handful of chips, I told myself that that was okay because it was just a handful, and that's all I needed. If we were having family pizza night, I'd have one piece, then fill my plate with vegetables or a salad. If I was still hungry, instead of grabbing another slice of pizza, I'd have an extra helping of vegetables. My favorite dish is green beans with cucumber, fresh garlic and vinegar. It's 0 points, according to Weight Watchers' point system, so you can have as much of that as you want."

Tricia's Success Secret 2: Make your portions look bigger.
"I butterfly my chicken breast, slicing it down the middle. Even though I was still just eating one breast, but it looked like more on the plate. Because it's thinner, the chicken cooks faster, too. You can have dinner in 20 minutes."

Tricia's Success Secret 3: Crunch on ice.
"I always had my hand in a bag of chips -- that was my weakness. If I felt I needed to eat something, instead of chips, I'd have a glass of ice instead. It was something to grab, so you can satisfy that hand-to-mouth thing. And it's good for you because you're getting your water."

Click on the video below to see a clip from the episode.




Get more summer weight loss secrets from Dr. Oz.