Oklahoma Pastor's Wife Loses 165 lbs on ABC's 'Extreme Weight Loss' Show
A pastor's wife from Tulsa, Oklahoma and former competitive gymnast revealed her new look after losing over half of her body weight on Tuesday night's episode of ABC's "Extreme Weight Loss."
Georgeanna Johnson, whose husband is an assistant pastor at the multisite congregation Church on the Move, weighed 315 lbs at the beginning of her weight loss journey but managed to drop down to her original teenage weight over the course of a year.
"I lost like an entire me," said Johnson, reports Tulsa World news outlet. "I weighed 155 in high school, so that was my goal for the last year."
Johnson admits she neglected her physical health to focus on being a mother and wife and noted that she still maintained her baby weight from two pregnancies for years.
"I think I got so caught up in being Mom that I forgot who Georgeanna was," said Johnson. "I don't know the specific thing that happened that made me give up on taking care of myself. I think I never made myself a priority."
She also felt her life had become unfulfilling as her daughters grew up and her husband focused on work all day. That is why she decided to reach out to the show last year for help.
Her journey began last spring when she entered the show's three month boot camp at the University of Denver's Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and began working out with renowned trainers Chris and Heidi Powell.
After completing boot camp, she returned home and dedicated the next nine months to intense training such as CrossFit exercises, gymnastics and cardio. Johnson also changed her diet which she credits for stabilizing her high blood pressure. During her time on the show, Johnson also received help from gold medalist gymnasts and celebrity chefs like Rocco DiSpirito who taught her how to prepare healthy foods.
While she was able to lose weight because of her own determination, Johnson also says she stayed motivated because her husband, Scott, lent a helping hand.
"He started working out and lost 50 pounds this year, too. He was a big part of my success. It enabled us to work out together and eat the same things, which made my life a whole lot easier," said Johnson.
Since taping the show's finale in Los Angeles, Johnson has transitioned to her normal life by scaling back her workouts to one to two hours a day and maintains her food intake at about 1,800 daily calories.
"It's still a journey to me. I want to have people join me in being healthy. I feel responsible a little bit. I want them to know it's not easy for me still but I'm going to work at it," said Johnson.
She added, "I can say you don't have to be stuck at whatever weight. You can move out of that phase of your life and find a way to get healthy again."