Wheaton "Losers" inspire others to shed pounds
An administrator at Winfield Woods nursing home, Deanna Dang wanted to motivate the facility's residents to snack less and exercise more.
So she enlisted the help of the two people who inspired her the most: Mom and dad.
It turns out Dang's parents - Jerry and Estella Hayes - know a thing or two about living a healthy lifestyle.
The Wheaton residents are the oldest contestants to ever appear on NBC TV's "The Biggest Loser." Jerry went on to win $100,000 for being the eliminated contestant who lost the highest percentage of weight during the reality show's seventh season.
The Hayeses, who are both 64, talked to residents at the Winfield nursing home before the show's May finale.
"My parents are 20 years older than most of my residents," Dang said. "So when they saw my parents, they were like, 'OK, we don't have an excuse at all.'"
Estella and Jerry say they're happy to find out that many of the residents are now exercising more.
"We told them what we did (to lose weight) and they actually put it into action," Estella said. "It's very exciting."
On Tuesday afternoon, the Hayeses were on hand help Winfield Woods dedicate a new gym. The room, which used to be a television lounge and vending machine area, has a variety of exercise equipment, including treadmills and a stationary bicycle.
Susan Simonsen, the executive director and owner of Winfield Woods, said the gym is larger and more user-friendly than the facility's existing rehabilitation room.
"I guarantee you that the residents will start using it," she said.
The 6-foot-3-inch Jerry, who used to weigh 369 pounds and now is a much slimmer 193 pounds, said the residents will lose weight if they use the gym.
Estella, who dropped 83 pounds from her starting weight of 242, said her advice to everyone is simple: Eat right and exercise.
"People want to find a magic pill or whatever," Estella said. "But there really isn't a magic pill. Everybody knows that it's basically calories in and calories out."
Estella said one of the best parts of her weight-loss experience is that her daughter has been inspired to shed 84 pounds.
"I've got 40 more to go," Dang said. "But I have gone from a size 2X to a large, and I am happy with that."