Margarita Bogatyreva: a year later about “Weighted people. “Weighted and happy”: after participating in the project, people die Peter weighted people before and after

The project for Irina began back in May 2017 with a letter from the casting director of the show, who invited the lush beauty to apply for participation.

The selection was very difficult: we need beautiful faces, interesting stories. In addition, the characters should be different in character, in the type of activity. They were interested in our aspirations and dreams, relationships within the family. First of all, this is a show, and the audience should be interested in watching the participants, - Irina recalls. At the beginning of the project, the girl's weight was 148 kg. Now she weighs half a centner less.

Irina admitted that the filming process was the most difficult:

This is a completely different mode, schedule of life. All together it caused a lot of inconvenience. It didn't feel like you were in control of your life. Someone else decides when you will eat, when there will be training. It applied to absolutely everything! We did not know what to prepare for, what awaits us tomorrow. For me personally, this was the hardest part of the entire project.

- What is it like to talk about your problems and complexes to the whole country?

I guessed that I would hear both criticism and approval in my address. There are those who like curvy girls, but there were also those who condemned me, saying: “Lose weight! What are you doing to yourself!"

We were cut off from the world, we were in a closed space, without the support of loved ones. Emotions ran high, we cried. But as a result, support was found in the face of those who are nearby: we became a small family.

- What was the most valuable thing they took out of there, not counting the lost kilograms?

I closed the story with the comments that poured in my address after winning the beauty contest. Then they broke me very much, I closed myself off from the world, stopped trusting people. She won over herself. Now I take everything that happens in life easier. People are sometimes angry, without hesitation, they hurt. But do not forbid yourself to feel and enjoy life because of this. Another plus is that I have real friends. I hope that we will continue to communicate for a long, long time.

Only one training session was shown on the air, something unusual. It was filmed specifically for the show. In fact, the workouts were daily - from an hour to four. Sometimes we had to train at night, because there was no gym in the complex where we lived, we had to go there. Everything depended on the filming process. The menu was developed by an excellent nutritionist Yulia Olegovna. The number of calories is minimal. Four meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack. We did not drink diet pills, but we took vitamins.

- It's hard to believe that a person can consistently lose 3-4 kg of weight for several months.

On the project it is real. You need to understand that there we faced only one task - to lose weight, there were simply no other things to do. You shouldn't do this at home. It is difficult both physically and mentally, and the body falters. And in my head only thoughts about kilograms.

- Many viewers expressed the opinion that the voting, and, consequently, the elimination of the participants, was orchestrated and prescribed in advance. Is it so?

No, we voted ourselves. There were many factors involved, each time it was hard, because we came to the project with problems. Everyone understood that each of us still needs to lose weight, there is something to strive for, something to learn, something to experience. But we were placed in such conditions that everyone could not stay, and every week someone had to leave. Everyone has their own motives for voting, but for sure - there was no script.

How has your life changed since the project?

Now I want to move more, I like it. I used to have shortness of breath after climbing to the second floor. Recently in Moscow I walked 20 kilometers in a day, and only corns on my legs forced me to stop. Sweating has decreased: it's no secret that overweight people sweat a lot. In addition, there are big problems with the choice of clothes. I had to dress in some old woman's things that added age to me. I was called "woman", and now they began to address me again as "girl". It's much more enjoyable, especially when you're only 23 years old.

The girl came to the project with a weight of 148 kg, lost 33 kg in two and a half months, and approached the final, which was filmed a little later, with a weight of 99 kg.

Reference. Weighted and Happy People (formerly Weighted People) is a Russian television reality show, a version of the popular American project The Biggest Loser. Participants of the program, suffering from excess weight, compete among themselves in losing weight and fight for the main prize - 3 million rubles. Leading Anfisa Chekhova, rapper Seryoga, actor and titled athlete Sergey Badyuk and Miss Olympia, champion of Russia, Europe and the world in fitness bikini Natalya Lugovskikh helped to get rid of extra kilos to “weighted people”. The final of the show took place on June 2.

Three and a half months ago, one of the brightest participants in the show, Elena Sadikova, could not dress herself, her own daughters called her grandmother, and the eldest, Alina, believed that she did not have a mother and she did not want to be like this woman. The reason for this was overweight - at the age of 37, the arrow of the scales showed 180 kg. Now Lena is admired by relatives, and fans are attacking social networks with words of support - a woman who has lost 74 kg has returned to her native Vyksa after the Weighted People project.

Trying to lose weight lasted a week

In her youth, the girl’s weight did not cause concern, rather the opposite - Lena grew up so thin that on the first of September she was carried on her shoulder by a high school student, like the smallest first-grader. At the age of 17, the girl got married and after a while her daughter Alina was born, and then Karina.

For a loving family, Elena was ready for anything - every day she invented culinary delights to surprise the household. Along with new dishes, extra pounds came into the life of the girl - every year Lena gained 5-10 kg.

I could easily cook meals for 50 people - this is not a problem for me, - Elena says confidently. So the woman recovered to 130 kg.

Being a lifestyle activist, 33-year-old Elena did not lose heart, but cherished the hope of losing weight in order to take part in the annual show "The Bride" in Vyksa.

I tried to lose weight every year, but I only had enough for a week. And I decided, I weigh 130, which means 130. I will participate anyway, - Elena recalls.

Rested with Malakhov in Thailand

Elena sewed a beautiful white dress for the competition and prepared a poem of her own composition, in which she confessed her love to her husband from the stage. The performance of the participant went “with a bang” and the next day Elena was already known to many residents of Vyksa.

The spirit of competition encouraged the woman to apply for the next project "Vacation with Malakhov". The questionnaire had to tell why she should go to Phuket with Andrey Malakhov.

Every year I make a wish card and I wrote in the application for participation that my wishes written on this card always come true. And one of the conceived is to go on a trip with Malakhov, who is able to fulfill the host himself, thereby proving that the card works, - Elena laughs.

The next day, the woman goes to apply for a passport, and after a while Elena turns out to be one of the 10 lucky ones whom Malakhov chose for vacation.

In 2014, Elena Sadikova entered the Vacation with Malakhov project. The participants spent two weeks with the TV presenter in Thailand Photo: Social network

For two weeks we lived in a luxurious hotel, every day we went on two or three excursions, sailed on a yacht. It was a fairy tale.

After the rest, the participants became so friendly with each other that they continue to communicate to this day - every year they meet with families in Abkhazia.

Nearly died in childbirth

When Elena's husband wanted a third child, the woman refused. Allegedly, "and so you live in raspberries - a wife, two daughters." Elena was pushed to take a risky step by her husband's diabetes mellitus - after the doctors' diagnosis, the man completely drooped. And the devoted wife decided at all costs to give birth to a third child.

The pregnancy was difficult. Elena gained up to 155 kg and there were strong pressure surges.

One day I felt so bad that I was taken to intensive care. The pressure jumped 220 to 180 and they decided to do a caesarean section.

Elena managed to give birth to a healthy daughter, but for the next nine months the woman hardly walked - the seam did not heal in any way.

Not a trace remained of Elena's activity. A mother of many children could hardly move around the house, and getting to the bus stop was a real journey.

My husband called me for a walk all the time. And I was very lazy. I found excuses that I needed to cook food or iron clothes.

Before going to bed, Elena seemed to have clear images of tomorrow's freshly prepared dishes. Especially satisfactorily, the stomach rumbled at salads with a lot of mayonnaise and side dishes fried in oil.

"My daughter called me a bag of potatoes"

When the mother of many children was no longer able to dress herself, the daughters sounded the alarm. Alina renamed her mother in the phone book as "1000 kg" and stopped obeying. And Karina cried every now and then, because she was afraid of losing her mother.

I asked my mother to lose weight in a good way. She didn't listen. I think that I lost my mother a long time ago and I don’t want to be like her, ”Alina said terrible words.


The eldest daughter Alina despised her mother for extra pounds Photo: Social network

When Alina called me a bag of potatoes, something turned over in me. I felt so offended that I could not sleep, - says Elena.

On the same sleepless night, at three o'clock in the morning, a woman filled out a questionnaire for the "Weighted People" project. The questionnaire consisted of 26 questions of the kind “what will it give you?” "Who do you want to lose weight for?"

"Happy and fat we don't need"

Soon Elena is preparing for a Skype interview, which is successfully completed and goes to the next tour in Moscow.

When I entered the casting room, I saw a bunch of people and cameras there - photographers, editors, psychologists. They asked a lot and personal. Psychologists hit the patient, to the point, led to emotions. They said that “we don’t need happy and fat ones,” - this is how Elena remembered one of the casting days.

The most recent and difficult test was to successfully pass the medical examination. For the project, those who could withstand strict nutrition and physical activity were selected. A film crew came to the home of the selected applicants and filmed a short video.

It was trash. They filmed absolutely everything - how I rattle dishes in the kitchen, how my daughter snaps at me, how hard it is to get out of bed, how my daughter helps me put on my pants. Thank God that everything did not go on the air, - Elena sighs with relief.

Elena heard the cherished phrase after five months of casting. Then the family did not take the participation of mother and wife seriously, they believed that they would return home in two weeks. But Lena herself decided to prove the opposite and compete for a place in the final.

“My body went crazy without food”

The woman realized that she was stuck tightly while filming at the Sochi airport:

I had to go up and down the stairs many times. Filmed for 10 hours. For me it was a feat.

And the hardest part hasn't even started yet. When the participants were put on hard food, Elena's body began to rebel.

Ate very little. The body was not enough, he went crazy. Portions seemed tiny. I would have lost my temper long ago if there was anything but water in the refrigerator in the place where we lived. We only had 24/7 access to it.

Elena told Komsomolskaya Pravda that “brownies” were assigned to the participants, who accompanied them on the street and indoors. Passports and phones were taken away from all those who were losing weight, and access to the street was restricted. Harmful habitual food was replaced with vegetables and side dishes were removed.

Breakfast was an almond flour casserole with berry syrup. Sugar was replaced with stevia. And salt was consumed with a reduced sodium content. Fruits and cereals were completely excluded from the diet. All dishes were prepared without oil, baked or steamed.

Participants were fed broccoli, squid, shrimp salads, and soups that had green beans instead of potatoes. Coffee was replaced with chicory, and participants often had to eat healthy, but unloved by many flaxseed porridge on the project.

Now many people ask Elena for a diet, hoping to repeat the success of a woman. But the show's nutritionist Yulia Bastrigina does not recommend repeating such meals for a long time:

The participants were prepared such meals as part of the show. In an extremely short time, people had to show great results. For a person in other conditions, such a diet is contraindicated.

“I was afraid that they would send me home for tears”

Elena considers her “red team” and coach Natalya Lugovskikh to be the main achievement of the project.


Yelena Sadikova considers getting into the “red” team the main achievement Photo: Social network

Natasha made us do cardio every morning. Before breakfast, we walked for 40 minutes, ran down the street. I always ended up behind everyone and cried. It was very hard. But I was afraid to show tears, so as not to be sent home.

In Elena's team, all colleagues in one way or another came into contact with sports before. Some were wrestlers, some were swimmers. In the life of a mother of many children, there was no sport at all.

Weighing at the end of each week was also a test. According to the scenario, the participants should weigh in in short tops, which upset Elena very much:

I pulled my pants up to hide my stomach, and they tell me to dump it out. I got hysterical and started crying. I say, it's ugly and unaesthetic - my stomach is like a tractor moved. But the organizers don't care - dump it and that's it.

Closer to the final, Elena was given a video from Malakhov, where the TV presenter supported an old friend and asked not to give up.

"They called me a rokovuha"

At the final, Elena Sadikova made a splash. In the thinner beauty, neither the husband, nor the children, nor the participants themselves recognized the former obese woman. If at the beginning of the project Lena was dubbed Choli's mother, now Karmen and Rokovuha have become her nicknames.

My husband was delighted, and my daughter decided to follow my example. I'm not upset that I didn't win. I want everyone to see that I have turned from a nag into a different person, ”says Elena.


If earlier Elena Sadikova was called Choli's mother on the project, now the nickname "Rokovukha" has been attached Photo: Social network

After the project, the sport was not abandoned - the ex-participant of the show immediately signed up for a local gym.

Fans do not give Elena a pass on social networks, for many a woman has become a motivator - the questions "how did you achieve such a result?", "Share useful recipes?" is under each photo of the former participant. True, because of such popularity, Elena does not have enough time at all.

I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to me after the final. Therefore, she slept very little for two days - she answered messages and calls. There were a lot of them, I was even scared, but now I see a sincere interest and I want to write my story on Instagram.

The red team turned out to be so friendly that the participants communicate even after the project.

Many will come to visit me in Vyksa this summer, even our coach Natasha Lugovskikh. And I plan to start a trip to the dolmens in a month and do yoga there, - Elena shared her plans.

What woman does not dream of a perfect figure and admiring glances of men? Finalist Vesta Romanova managed to lose 50 kilograms and find happiness in her personal life. But what is interesting: even before participating in the project, she was not deprived of the attention of the representatives of the stronger sex. the site talked to Vesta and found out why she once weighed almost 130 kilograms, why all women need to take pictures of themselves naked in the mirror, and whether it is possible to lose weight at the click of a finger.

March 2, 2016 · Text: Daria Senichkina · Photo: Instagram, Vkontakte, STS press service

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Just yesterday, this smiling, stylish girl with an unusual name could not tie her shoelaces on her sneakers without feeling dizzy, did not want to leave the house unnecessarily and lived on the principle of “food-work-food-home-food”. Today, only memories remain of that sad life.

29-year-old Vesta Romanova last year took part in (the second season of which has already started on STS) and reached the very final, losing a cash prize of 3 million rubles to 30-year-old Pyotr Vasiliev. However, the girl, in spite of everything, considers herself the winner. Today Vesta looks great and successfully combines work and family.

Having been in the hands of professionals, the former "weighted" now willingly shares her acquired knowledge with those who need it. Romanova develops nutrition programs, helps to find the right motivation and simply charges her fans with a good mood. Although the project made a star out of the blonde, she still remains a simple, modest person who has no secrets from anyone. And if you really share your story - then without embellishment and cuts. In an exclusive interview with the site, Vesta Romanova told how wonderful life was "light".

. Why did you get so many?

Vesta Romanova: As my psychologist says, everything happened because of my personal life. And not because of her absence, but on the contrary: I tried to protect myself from relationships that, as a rule, did not end in anything good.

“I ate and gained weight in order to completely protect myself from communication with men, not to attract their attention. Which, by the way, I did not succeed.

Even when I weighed 123 kilograms, I was in great demand among the representatives of the stronger sex. And the further, the worse.

V.R.: When I was in school, we didn’t have the concept of “fat” at all. My classmates and I were very active: we didn’t sit at computers or TVs, but, on the contrary, spent all our time outside. I was an ordinary girl in the body, but not a fat one. I played a lot of sports, so I didn’t gain weight. The problems started when I broke up with a young man after seven years of relationship.

I felt great, having a weight of 110 kilograms. Only at the moment when the scales showed the number 120, she began to experience discomfort. It was hard for me to walk, turn, bend down. The worst thing is that I was lazy and I didn’t want to do anything at all. Probably, the brain also swims with fat.

“I came to work and just sat there all day. Constantly ate and hung out on the Internet. Then she returned home, ate again and went to bed. The state of an amoeba... Or a frog that sits in its swamp, croaks, and it doesn’t need anything else in this life.”

website: When did you come to the conclusion that it was time to change?

V.R.: At some point, it became completely unbearable. I bent down to tie my shoelaces and my blood pressure suddenly rose. My face was filled with blood, my head was spinning, I could not get up ... Then I realized that I needed to pull myself together and do something.

V.R.: Yes, just a couple of days later, I accidentally stumbled upon an ad for a casting in a new reality show about weight loss. I sent my application and forgot about it, because I was sure that only their own people are taken to such projects. Surprisingly, I was invited to come to the casting, where I talked with a psychologist. After that, there was a silence that lasted for more than a month. Just before the start of the filming process, I was informed that I was in the project.

website: All this time before the start of filming, did you try to lose weight on your own?

V.R.:"Oh yeah (laughs)... From time to time, like any normal woman, I was overcome by a desire to lose weight. And I immediately went for the “miracle pills”, mistakenly believing that this would help me lose weight, and quickly.”

Probably, I tried on myself all possible diets and pills. Now I understand that miracles do not happen. Regrettably, you always get rid of extra pounds very slowly. It is a pity that many do not believe and continue to stubbornly look for quick ways to part with hated fat.

website: What was and is now the main motivation for you to keep yourself in shape?

V.R.: Mirror! In general, as it turned out, many overweight people do not look at themselves in the mirror, they are afraid to be photographed and post their pictures on social networks. You know, such a good principle of protection: "I don't see it, so it doesn't exist."

“That is why a sober look at yourself from the outside can help you lose weight, and even better - a photo of yourself naked in the mirror. After all, every woman strives to be beautiful.

website: Were you upset that you didn’t win the final of the show and 3 million rubles went to another?

V.R.: And I won! She conquered herself. Money cannot measure my achievement. On the project, I was able to lose 40 kilograms, after the end of the show another 12. The main thing is that I managed to overpower myself, give up bad habits and tune in to a new life. And money ... You can always earn them - there would be a desire.

website: What weight are you now and do you plan to continue to lose weight?

V.R.: At the moment I weigh 70 kilograms, and this is my ideal weight, I feel very comfortable in it. Soon I plan to do a light drying, so that the body finally acquires a relief. After all, it used to be quite problematic.

Now I also began to observe the sleep schedule: I go to bed and wake up at the same time. By the way, I also eat by the hour. In general, I have become more disciplined, I am not late for meetings, as I used to be. I also gave up alcohol completely.

V.R.: The morning starts with breakfast. Then, if I have time, I go to the gym for strength training. In the evening, according to the cardio schedule - cycling or running.

V.R.: My approximate diet is as follows:

Breakfast: Buckwheat with milk

Snack:"Caprese" for the poor - my anti-crisis recipe (smiles). Tomatoes, cottage cheese (instead of Mozzarella), herbs, spices, half a teaspoon of olive oil

Dinner: Bean soup (beans, potatoes, onions, carrots, chicken breast), chicken with millet (baked chicken, boiled millet)

Snack: Fresh cabbage and carrot salad

Dinner: Braised chicken with vegetables (chicken breast, white cabbage, onion)

Everything is simple, tasty and low-calorie. I also follow the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

website: By the way, as far as we know, after the project, pleasant changes took place in your life in your personal life ...

V.R.: Yes, I got married. Matvey, my husband, is a man who really knows what he wants. He is an interesting conversationalist, very intelligent and well-read. I was attracted to him by the fact that he never gives up, if he takes on any business. Always completes all projects. I am probably one of the most difficult projects for him (laughs) because Matvey sought my favor for a long time.

“My husband is my motivation to get better. After all, it was he who drew me into the world of cycling, introduced me to his circle of friends, introduced me to new people. For his sake, every day I try to become a little better, because next to me is the right, principled and a little stubborn man.

website: Did marriage change you?

V.R.: Before Matthew, my life was incomplete. Previously, I actively stuffed tattoos into which I laid a special meaning. Thus, I tried to attract into my life everything that I lacked so much: happiness, health, material well-being, peace of mind, love. And all the time I was “swinging” like a pendulum from side to side, although I wanted stability and calmness.

“Matvey became my weight on the second scale. He is the one who always finds the right words. Even my outbursts of anger (and I am a rather emotional person) my husband “extinguishes”, without doing anything special for this. He has a lot of energy."

By the way, betraying Petya (during the reality show "Weighted People" Vesta Romanova began dating a project participant and future winner, Peter Vasilyev. Both had serious intentions, the couple even planned to get married, but in the end Peter cheated on Vesta and went to another, - approx. site ) I survived only thanks to Matthew. He was there all the time, helping me not to give up, not to break under the yoke of gossip that crawled when everything opened up. Now, of course, I regret that I put my relationship on display. But then my husband appeared in my life. So, it was not all in vain.

V.R.: My most important project for today is a sanatorium in Sochi for those who want to lose weight. We opened it together with Vlad Ushakov, a participant in the first season of the show "Weighted People". We have selected an excellent team of specialists - nutritionists, psychologists, trainers. I lead the project as a trainer-administrator. In our program - 21 days of rest, sports, needlework, excursions and, of course, the fight against excess weight. I'm sure it will be fun!

? You didn't study to be a coach, after all.

V.R.: Yes, I'm not a professional, but I have a lot of experience. I have experienced various types of diets, workouts and I know what can be more effective. Therefore, I willingly share with everyone the knowledge that I received on the “Weighted People” project.

"I like to help people. It's nice to know that someone can benefit from your advice."

website: What would you wish to our readers who want to lose weight?

V.R.: Work on yourself. Look in the mirror more often. Do not be afraid to criticize yourself, soberly evaluate your figure. Indulgence will not lead to anything good. In order to become slimmer, you need to act: do not skip workouts, eat right, keep a sleep schedule.

Always strive for the best and never give up! Even if you are in physical pain or have lost only one hundred grams in a week, do not stop! And most importantly - a varied diet. If you sit on the same chicken with buckwheat, breakdowns are inevitable. So indulge in delicious treats. Sometimes it is possible to cheer up!

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Everyone who wants to take part in a TV show has one goal - to win. Participants decide what it means for them: to find their love, receive a cash prize, change themselves for the better or become famous. A vivid example is the stories of those who won the show "Weighted People" and "Tomboys": they did not stop and as a result received even more than expected, already beyond the walls of the projects.

website remembered the participants of the most interesting shows and found out how their life turned out after the project.

"Weighted people" / Season 1 / Pyotr Vasiliev

Peter came to the program with a weight of 155 kg and, dropping 57.9 kg, left as a winner with a prize of 2.5 million rubles. Now Peter weighs 125 kg, at the amateur level he is engaged in crossfit. He recently took part in the Russian Ninja show on Channel One, but did not pass the qualifying round. IN instagram Peter commented on his today's weight: "I ate too much, now I'm trying to return to normal shape."

"Weighted people" / Season 2 / Timur Bikbulatov

Timur Bikbulatov won the 2nd season of the show. He completed his participation in the project with a weight of 94 kg ( losing weight as a result, by 53.7 kg, which amounted to 36.2% of the initial weight), then in a few months he lost weight to 80 kg, but Timur was not very comfortable with this weight, so he returned to normal at 87 kg. Timur took up coaching. IN instagram account he shares the results of his wards, and also motivates all those who want to lose weight.

"Boys" / Season 1 / Yulia Kovaleva

Julia became the winner of the 1st season of the show. She was presented with a gold brooch "Lady's School" and a cash prize of 500 thousand rubles. At the moment, the girl maintains a blog "about transformation and finding yourself", in which You can read interesting and motivating posts. At the same time, he takes part in the filming of various projects of the Pyatnitsa TV channel. Julia removes her tattoos and remains as feminine as the project made her.

"Minute of Glory" / Season 1 / Maxim Tokaev

"People's Artist" / Season 1 / Alexey Goman

After winning the show "People's Artist" Alexei also took part in the show "Dancing with the Stars", where he took 3rd place. In 2010, he was awarded the orders "Young Talent of Russia - Charoite Star" and "Service to Art" of the 1st degree ("Golden Star"). After 8 years of marriage, Alexey married his colleague, Maria Zaitseva, and in 2012 the couple had a daughter, Alexandrina. In 2013, the couple parted ways, but Alexey continues to support Maria in her career and does not stop communicating with her daughter. He, as always, cannot imagine his life without composing songs and filming videos. Instagram is full of cool “sketches”: listen, it's a hit!

"The Bachelor" / Season 1 / Evgeny Levchenko

Before the start of the project, Eugene was paired with Victoria Koblenko. They say that he wanted to propose to the girl, but she chose to go to Hollywood. Long-distance relationships did not suit the football player, and he went to the show to look for the one who could give him family happiness. In "The Bachelor" he chose Olesya Ermakova, but life in different countries and constant flights did not last long - only 9 months. Eugene resumed relations with Victoria. In October 2015, he released the biographical book "LEV" in Dutch. And in August 2016, the couple had their first child, who was named Kiy. Today Eugene, Victoria and their son live in Amsterdam.

"The Bachelor" / Season 2 / Maxim Chernyavsky

At the end of the project, Maxim Chernyavsky chose Maria Drigola, but their union ended almost immediately: the girl did not manage to move to her chosen one for personal reasons. And 3 years ago, Anastasia Reshetova, Timati's ex-girlfriend, introduced Maxim to Daria Sidorova. Not so long ago, Daria gave birth to Maxim's daughter, but the couple never entered into a legal marriage. He also brings up a daughter from a previous marriage with Anna Sedokova.

MasterChef / Season 1 / Rafael Kazumyan


The Weighted People project, broadcast on the STS channel, is gaining more and more popularity. The end of the third season is nearing, soon the whole country will again see an amazing transformation: from 100 and 200-kilogram participants, the “weighted” will turn into slender people who have forever changed not only their bodies, but also their habits and beliefs. Last season Margarita Bogatyreva from Orenburg managed to reach the final, who came to the project with a weight of 111 kilograms. The editors of ProOren did not stand aside and decided to find out how the show "Weighted People" changed the life of our compatriot.

- Margarita, by the time of our last conversation, which took place six months after the final of the "Weighted People" project, you had already managed to lose weight well and rethink a lot. Now, a year later, what has changed in your life?

Since our last meeting, I have lost another five kilograms. When I returned from the project, I could not understand: to lose weight - not to lose weight further. Now I already felt that everything suits me, I felt self-confidence. I go to the store and I can buy any thing that I like. There is no longer a complex: I am full, it does not suit me. Of course, there are moments that I don’t quite like in my image, but nevertheless they leave me indifferent. I can’t say that I am on diets and dream of weighing 45 kilograms. I am comfortable at my current weight. I continue to play sports.

- During this time, were there moments when you felt that you were starting to return to old habits?

Certainly! I have said many times that being overweight is a disease. Dependence on food can be compared with alcohol addiction, tobacco addiction. This is a big bad habit that is ruining you. Of course, overeating happens in any case, I can say this frankly. I know that other people who are struggling with excess weight, this also happens. I used to overeat, and the next morning I just reproached myself, scolded for it. And now, if this happens, I ask myself the question: “For what reason did I overeat?”. As a rule, this happens when I lack emotions. It doesn't matter if happy or sad. Emotional silence leads just to the fact that you are trying to saturate yourself with at least some emotions and eat.

- On the project, all participants eat properly. Have you managed to adjust the diet at home?

To be honest, I'm very lazy. And besides, I realized that I can’t cook. And delicious cooking - even more so. But I found a way out and now I order healthy food, in which calories have already been counted. At first I thought that it would be expensive, and then I realized that it doesn’t matter what is called, then it comes out. When I go to the store, I buy a lot of products, because the habit of buying for future use has remained. Then I just throw away half of the food. Therefore, such a system, where everything is already prepared for me, calculated, turned out to be suitable for me.

- What have you brought into your daily life in terms of nutrition from the acquired on the project?

After the project, I do not eat sunflower oil at all. About three months ago, a friend gave me this oil to dress a salad, and I was surprised how unpleasant its taste and smell was to me. It is better to choose, for example, olive. Of course, healthy food costs more. But here you can save on quantity. Yes, you eat expensive food, but when you eat right, you eat much less. I noticed by myself that if there is a lot of protein in the diet, I no longer want sweets. In this case, you can save on cakes (smiles). If I'm full, I don't want to eat junk food.

- Do you keep in touch with any of the project participants?

I am friends with Alenka Zaretskaya. On the project, we went through fire, water and copper pipes. This is a person who understands and supports me. I can call her at any time and I know that she will understand and support. We also communicate closely with Yulia Kishenkova. When I am in Moscow, I see Yan Samokhvalov.

- Your friendship with Alena was born on the project?

No. Now that time has passed, we can already talk about it. On the project, Alena and I literally hated each other. We had conflicts, because of which they often tried to kick me out of the project by voting. Alena was supported by many, but I remained alone and went against everyone. But when the individual struggle began, we began to communicate and found out that all our so-called conflicts are nonsense, sham. Other members of the show came up with this conflict so that there was some kind of protection in the vote. And when Alena and I discussed this moment, it turned out that we were not to blame for anything before each other.

Now, in the third season, the same trend: people unite, weave intrigues to expel an objectionable participant from the show ...

Everyone groups up to find support. One is harder, it's easier to remove. But there's no guarantee on reality TV that the person who's smiling at you right now won't vote against you in five minutes. I had those moments. Behind the door they told me: “Rita, what are you doing! I will never vote against you! And I thought that at least one person from this crowd would not vote against me. And exactly at that moment this person takes out a sign with my name on it. The only person I trusted on the project was Sasha (Alexander Podolenyuk - ed. note). At some point, we united, realizing that we need each other's support. If we talk about lies - of course, there were a lot of them on the project. Everyone fought for their place under the sun. I realized that a reality show is a good test of both a person and friendship, because people manifest themselves in completely different ways. And it is surprising that in life all these people are completely different than they were there. I admire the work of the organizers. How it was necessary to recognize all of us, to understand that this particular person would reveal himself in this way on the project. Alena and I, remembering this show, jokingly say: “There were no normal ones there” (laughs).

- What has changed in life and character after the project?

I became more confident. Gone are the complexes that were before. After the project, I began to understand myself, I realized that you can exist with yourself. Previously, I couldn’t do it, I left in depression, I started to seize problems. Now I'm not saying that you have to be 90-60-90, no. Be in those parameters when, for example, you can safely go to the beach. Or, looking at the photo, easily say: “I like myself.” When you can just look at yourself in the mirror with pleasure. Previously, I did not perceive my reflection and my photographs at all. Now I calmly take pictures and also calmly look at the received pictures.

Did Irina Turchinskaya, with whom you trained during the project, help you learn to live in harmony with yourself?

Irina is a teacher in my life. Every time I go to the gym, I remember her workouts. When I experience some kind of pain, even the most elementary, for example, in the dentist's office, I remember Irina and understand that this pain does not kill me, I can live with her. It's only the brain that says you can't take it anymore. He says: "You will kill me now." In fact, you will kill if you stop and do something. The brain needs to be turned off sometimes. This is what Irina Turchinskaya taught me, for which I am very grateful to her. I would really like to meet a coach in our city, at least 10% similar to her. Until I met such a person.

Have you thought about becoming that person yourself? Some participants of the show, having solved the problem of excess weight, are now helping other people to do it.

I think what I'm doing now (beauty industry - ed.) suits me the most. I do not see myself in the field of excess weight. I am satisfied with what is happening here and now in my life. In the year after the project, I did a lot more for my business than I did two years before. There were a lot of ideas and forces to embody them. At home, I practically do not appear, although earlier it was a real utopia - how can I not appear at home? I enjoy my busy life today.

- If there was a chance to return everything, would you repeat this experience again?

Four months of the project gave me more than 20 years of my life. Those four months changed everything. Now I know that participation in the project was not easy, but I would still repeat this experience, because it is a breakthrough. And not even overweight, but in the head. There is a change in the quality of life. I had a choice: give up, take everything back, or move forward. It was possible to gain 20 kilograms this year and say that after the project, the metabolism has deteriorated, for example. Probably, if I chose the path forward, it means that I am a strong person in some way.