Stint on TV Show to Shed Pounds Yields Lifestyle Gains
By Jennifer Buske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 21, 2008
After tipping the scale with a combined weight of 561 pounds, Gainesville couple Stacey and Adam Capers said they knew it was time to change their unhealthful habits. When diets and sporadic trips to the gym failed, they turned to TV, appearing on NBC's "The Biggest Loser."
"I've been overweight all my life, and it took being on the show to crack the code to weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle," said Stacey Capers, 33. "We incorporate exercise into our life every day now and feel so much better for it."
The couple debuted on the show Tuesday when season six kicked off at "The Biggest Loser" ranch in California. Although they were voted off after week one, they said it was an experience they will never forget.
"I've got no regrets and am proud of everything we've accomplished," Adam Capers said. "I feel better, my health is better than ever, and my wife said I stopped snoring, too. So that's a good change."
A twin, Adam Capers said that growing up he was always dubbed the "heavy one." Although the 39-year-old managed to get in better shape during his teenage years, the weight crept back as he grew older.
"My lifestyle changed for the worse over the years," he said. "I wanted to do this to lose weight in a healthy manner and learn techniques to maintain that weight loss."
With a sweet tooth and a knack for cooking, Stacey Capers said she, too, has struggled with her weight over the years.
"I would make cookies at the drop of a dime, and I have a great recipe for butter cream icing," she said. "I also love to cook, which is both a blessing and a curse. I didn't care what I put into dishes as long as it tasted good."
Raising two children younger than 8 and commuting to Vienna for work in federal contracting left them little time to figure out how to beat their weight problems.
"The Capers had tremendous heart," Executive Producer Mark Koops said about selecting them for the show.
"They are very relatable because they are trying to live the American dream but have lost their way a little bit. You can't help but fall in love with them."
Koops, who selected four couples and four child-parent teams for this season's show, said he casts people who want to participate not for superficial reasons but for health reasons or to be role models to others.
Teams compete for a $250,000 prize and a chance to be named "the biggest loser," as determined by the percentage of their weight they've lost. At the start of the season, Stacey Capers weighed in at 221 pounds, while her husband was at 340.
The couple spent a week on the show, exercising six to eight hours a day, eating right and participating in the first challenge, which consisted of hiking a mile of California terrain.
"After the first day, I was glad to still have air in my lungs; it was that intense," Stacey Capers said. "The bulk of the hike we did was on a steep incline, and I don't know if the camera effectively captured how steep the incline was."
Their efforts, however, weren't good enough. After Stacey Capers lost nine pounds and Adam dropped 19, they found themselves in the bottom two teams and then were voted off by the other contestants. Each episode represents about 10 to 12 days, and during that time it's not uncommon for people to drop as many as 30 pounds, especially the first week.
"We were frustrated because we had worked really, really hard," Stacey Capers said. "But I knew, when the [weight] numbers popped up, we'd be in the bottom."
Koops, who developed the show in 2004, said there are no diet pills or surgeries on the show. Contestants lose weight "the old-fashioned way," strictly with diet and exercise, he said.
Although the Capers left after week one, they practice what they learned. Stacey Capers said they work out at least two hours a day. "I love to hate" the StairMaster, but it has done wonders, she said. She can now walk up her neighborhood hill without getting winded. She also has not baked a cookie since the show was taped in May.
Because the couple will appear in the show's finale Dec. 16, they can't reveal their current weight. There was, however, an update after Tuesday's episode, which had Stacey Capers at 175 pounds and Adam at 286 pounds.
"We've figured out how to balance work, parenting and exercise," Stacey Capers said. "We are very happy with our results."
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