Community Corner

Woodbury's Biggest Loser

Emily Mueller has lost 100 pounds since July, despite not making it onto the reality television show.

Emily Mueller began working out with a personal trainer just nine months ago. She’s now lost 100 pounds from her earlier weight of 320.

Mueller, 31, made an unsuccessful bid for the reality television show The Biggest Loser. A friend she contacted to help her with a video submission, along with her chiropractor, referred her to Sara Jespersen, owner of the on Bielenberg Drive, and the rest is weight-loss history.

Woodbury Patch caught up with Mueller before one of her “Look Good Naked Boot Camp” sessions on Monday.

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Woodbury Patch: Have you always had a problem with your weight?

Emily Mueller: It probably started in junior high, just after I hit puberty. I was 16-18, size-wise. In high school I was about 30 pounds less than I am now. Now I’m at marriage weight.

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Patch: How did you put the weight on?

Mueller: I ate everything and I didn’t lead a very active lifestyle. And I’d do swings where I’d eat too much and then not enough—there was no happy medium. I tried to lose it a couple times but could never find the motivation.

Patch: Was there a moment that inspired you to lose weight?

Mueller: My story’s different from a lot of people’s. My husband and I were trying to adopt, and after years of waiting the adoption fell through. I fell into a depression for a couple months and I woke up one day and said to myself: This is something I can control. And I went full-force into it.

Patch: Is the “Look Good Naked Boot Camp” as hard as it sounds?

Mueller: It’s very hard. It’s an hour long and we rotate between legs and upper body and hodgepodge: whatever they feel like doing. It’s a lot of interval stuff. It’s three or four days a week—I do four and work with a personal trainer two days a week and do a kettle bells class on the weekends. On my first day I was very nervous and halfway through it I started hyperventilating and they made me sit out the second half. Because I was financially invested and had a friend in the class, I came back. But that was a reality check. I look at those old photos and I knew I was heavy, but that’s not what I saw.

Patch: What about your diet?

Mueller: I’ve been told, and I believe it, that nutrition is 90 percent of weight loss. You can work out all you want but it’s not sustainable if you don’t have a healthy lifestyle. I was eating a lot of fast food and processed foods. Now I eat whole grains, turkey, chicken, fish, and lots of fruits and vegetables. And I make sure I get a certain amount of calories. It’s ingrained in women that you have to cut calories, but if you go back to eating that way you’ll gain the weight back.

Patch: How do you feel today?

Mueller: Amazing. It’s night and day to where I was nine months ago. I could barely tie my shoes and barely go up the stairs. Now I’m running up the stairs. I’ve hit so many goals I set for myself. Last summer I did an 18-minute mile, which is basically walking. The other day I ran/walked/jogged a mile in about 11 minutes.

Patch: Do you ever get discouraged?

Mueller: Yeah, and it’s still something that affects me. It’s a long process, and there are still moments when I think I can’t do this. Then I have to tell myself I can. My friends and my trainer help too, and my husband is a huge supporter.

Patch: Where do you go from here?

Mueller: Keep doing what I’m doing. I’m hoping for another 70 pounds. I started at 320 pounds and my goal weight is 150. I’m planning on running a 5K in June; that’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that. This is a lifestyle now. I’ll always be working out and eating healthy, and I hope it rubs off on my family members and friends.

Patch: What advice do you have for people battling the bulge?

Mueller: Take that first step. I’ve heard it said a lot: The toughest piece of equipment in the gym is the door. It takes a lot of guts. It’s not going to be easy, but anything that’s worthwhile is tough. Everything seems impossible if you’re not willing to put in the effort. If you’re willing to put in the effort, the possibilities are endless.


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