By Dani M. Stone
Daphne Dortch was going to be a lawyer. After earning a political science and communication degree at Eastern Michigan University, she studied for and received a certificate in paralegal studies at Roosevelt University. She was ready for the last leg of the journey, law school, when she got pregnant with twin daughters. As a single mother, Daphne put her career on hold to raise her children. After a significant weight gain with the twins, an unhealthy eating style and now, plagued with atrial fibrillation, Daphne, 37, enters the ranch at 271 pounds. She joins her brother Adrian Dortch this season on Biggest Loser 13.
Raised in Evanston, Illinois with her younger brother, Daphne was active in elementary and middle school, playing basketball and throwing shot-put for the track team, but says she’s always been heavy and always struggled with her weight. During the pregnancy from her twins, she gained 100 pounds and 5 years later gained even more weight while pregnant with her son. Losing the additional weight seemed impossible.
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By Dani M. Stone
Conda Britt works as a nutrition technician for a large hospital in Rockford, Michigan. Every day she’s responsible for making sure patients follow their doctor’s orders in regard to nutritious diets and healthy eating. At 294 pounds, she sees weight loss success stories all the time and she’s ready to be one of them. Conda, 24, and her younger brother Jeremy Britt, 22, teamed up to be Biggest Loser 13 contestants to learn new eating habits and get fit while they’re still young. Conda has another inspiring incentive, her 2-year-old daughter.
As a single parent, Conda keeps very busy taking care of her daughter, working and even attending courses at Montcalm Community College. She knows she needs to take time for herself and that includes starting a healthy routine for the first time ever. In the past, eating right and getting exercise were not a priority.
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By Erin Whitehead for FitBottomedMamas.com
Committing to a proactive postnatal fitness routine is easy pre-baby, but with parenthood comes a variety of challenges that can land even the best-laid exercise plans on the back burner. So how do you stay committed? Postnatal fitness expert and Stroller Strides founder Lisa Druxman weighs in with some tips to keep mom motivated to stick with her postnatal workout—with the help of her BOB stroller, the official stroller of Stroller Strides.
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By Erin Whitehead for FitBottomedMamas.com
Some women love being pregnant. The time flies by, and they feel more beautiful and feminine than ever before. For others, it can mean nine long months of feeling uncomfortable in their own skin. Because everyone is a little different, I talked with prenatal/postnatal fitness expert and new mom Sara Haley for her top tips on how to feel strong and fit throughout pregnancy. Read on!
6 Stay-Strong Tips for Pregnancy
1. Move it, move it. Get up and move every day. By staying in bed too much, your blood and oxygen flow slows down, which can make you feel even less energized and motivated. Whether it’s simply walking to the grocery store or getting to the gym, the more you move, the more energized you’ll feel and the more comfortable you will be in your new body.
2. Eat regularly and drink lots of water. I hear pregnant women complain of constipation all the time, which definitely does not lead to feeling sexy. I can honestly say that I did not have any constipation during my pregnancy, and I credit it all to a regular exercise regimen, healthy eating and drinking lots of water. Eat often and drink more water than you think you’ll need. I don’t believe in “eating for two” (most doctors only recommend an extra 250 to 350 calories in the second and third trimesters), but perhaps think about “drinking H20 for two” instead. That way you’ll be sure to stay hydrated.
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