KRQ's Johnjay gets serious, sheds 89 lbs.
Published: 11.26.2007
Name: Johnjay Van Es
Age: 39
Occupation: Morning show personality/radio deejay on 93.7
KRQ
Height: 6'4Weight: 222
Weight when started: 311
Fitness accomplishment: Lost 89 pounds total, 76 since June.
Was
in a size 42 pant, and now wears a size 34. Dropped body fat from 29 to
17.
Background: Lived in Tucson until the eighth grade and then
moved
to Chandler. Returned to Tucson to do the Johnjay & Rich morning
show on 93.7 KRQ FM. He splits time between Tucson and Phoenix, doing
the morning show for both KRQ and 104.7 KISS FM in Phoenix.
What caused you to get up to 311 pounds? My weight has
fluctuated
my whole life. I was a heavy kid, but lost weight in high school. After
college I got into radio and there is free food everywhere - doughnuts
and pizza at 6 a.m. I worked in sales and took people on business
lunches constantly. I've been on the air for 11 years and it's even
worse. People are throwing food at you all the time. I could gain 10
pounds in a weekend. I have an eating disorder. I would binge. It's
sort of like bulimia, but without the purging. I think I ate to deal
with stress.
What diets and/or programs did you try in the past to help
you
lose weight? NutriSystem (twice), Atkins, South Beach, No carbs,
grapefruit juice diet, cayenne pepper and lemon, Slim-Fast, Lean
Cuisine, Colonic, no breads, Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous . .
. and many more.
What was the turning point? What changed to make you commit
to
healthier living? In April 2007, my dad died of a massive heart attack
at the age of 66, and my dad was healthy. It scared the ---- out of me.
It's hard for me to be without my dad, and I couldn't imagine being a
child (my kids) without a dad.
How did you get started? I went to SWAT Personal Training,
and Ron
Holland said he wouldn't give up on me. SWAT has changed my body. I
have muscles. I am toned and in shape, and I've never been in shape. I
started there in August 2006. I would work out three or four days a
week, and lost about 14 pounds. I was 296 when I started Smart For Life
in June (2007). I worked out and ate the plan's cookies, about six to
eight cookies a day. I was so (obsessive) about it that I never
cheated. Now I modify the diet. I eat the cookies for breakfast, and
then have a healthy lunch and dinner. I also see Dr. Donald Kwasman
about every two weeks to get a vitamin B12 shot, and I take fish oil.
What did you like about this particular program? It taught
me to
make better choices. I kept dropping weight and as I dropped I didn't
want to mess that up. I put my mom on the diet and she's dropped 29
pounds.
What was your biggest challenge? The hardest thing for me is
avoiding Mexican food - carne asada, guacamole, fajitas. I miss a lot
of the foods I used to eat - cheese, Fruit Loops. pancakes with
bananas, hash browns and eggs over-easy. I just avoid it completely. If
I get hungry I'll chug a bottle of Paul Newman's sauce, Sockarooni is
the best, because it has chucks of veggies. I kill a bottle every two
days.
What motivated you to keep going? I think it was the
combination
of my dad and the positive feedback I was getting as I lost weight. I
also take Bikram (hot) Yoga once or twice a month and that gives me
incredible energy and awareness. In my business I'm in need of sleep,
and every time I do yoga, I sleep wonderfully. I can also feel it in my
posture.
Do you have any advice for others? You have to be committed.
You
can't go half-ass at it. And don't just focus on how much you weigh,
it's about how you feel and how your body is responding.
What do you like about your life now that you've reached
your
weight-loss goal? Everything in my life is a 10. My marriage, my
relationship with my kids, the show - everything is wonderful. My life
is fantastic. I used to play with my kids like a fat person. I would
lay on the floor and let them jump around me. Now I chase them around.
I couldn't be that guy before - the active dad - and now I am that guy.
I do all the things I think a good dad should do.
What is your new goal? I'm focused on reducing my body fat.
Johnjay...you look sooooooo good in this pic. Congrats! You are a great inspiration for anyone struggling with weight issues.
John Jay...you are an inspiration to my son who is 15 years old and 150 pounds overweight. He heard you on the radio as I listen to you everyday. He has seen your before and after pictures and has seen the extreme difference and now has a desire and hope that since you lost the weight that he can too. thanks johnjay you look great
excelsior to you Johnjay, but I gotta say...Tim & Willie is where it began and ended as far as morning radio shows go.
Is Betsy Bruce still around? Wow, what a little hottie spinner she was!