Jen

A lot has changed for Jen since the show finished filming, and she says that she has never been happier. Her divorce from Steve is almost finalized, and she is in a new relationship, but is taking things slowly this time. Her boys are happy and healthy and the youngest is starting school this year.   Although Jen kept up with the capoeira for a while, she decided it just wasn’t her thing and instead found two new activities that she is super passionate about: Burlesque and belly dancing! “In January I got into burlesque and realized I have a natural talent for it! I won Miss Burlesque Fest 2009 in Calgary earlier this year,” she says. You can check out her winning performance here.   The first year after the show was pretty tough for Jen, not only was she going through her split from Steve, but there were also family issues that led to her brother moving out of her house. “I kind of fell apart for a year,” she says, “and after six months I started binge eating, put the weight back on and then some.”   Jen started seeing a therapist and faced her demons, which enabled her to get to the point where she is now, which is slimmer, healthier and happier.   Jen says that being on X-Weighted really did change her life. “The show was a blessing, because it allowed me to focus on myself, which I hadn’t done because I’d been too busy being a mom the past ten years,” she says, “I realized that you really have to focus on yourself if you really want these changes to happen.”   Jen also says that being on the show helped her realize that she had hidden talents, such as henna and body painting, which she does for two companies in Calgary. “Last year I was doing body painting at the sex show, which was really fun,” she says. While there, a fan of the show recognized her for the first time: “A couple of ladies came to the booth and one said “X-Weighted! You’re female warrior!” At the time I was still quite big, so I thought oh no, don’t recognize me now,” she says.   Now she has put herself in the limelight as a burlesque dancer, Jen gets recognized regularly and quite enjoys it. “People start off by complimenting my performance, then they’ll add “Oh by the way, weren’t you on X-Weighted?” This year I’m happy to get recognized because I’m back to my smaller size,” she says.   “When I did put the weight back on, I just had to refocus on what was important,” she says, “I learned that it’s not just about the weight loss, that part was easiest. The part that was hardest was dealing with the root problems that cause you to eat.”
September 2009