Weight Loss Winner: Dog Trainer Drops over 100 Pounds

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - It was two years ago. Jennifer Durocher weighed about 270 pounds and was being interviewed on FOX 2. She had started a weight loss journey not knowing how far she would go.

"I lost about 20 pounds at that point," she said. "Now, I go back and I look at it and I don't recognize who that is."

These days, Durocher no longer recognizes the person she had slowly become. It was a series of bad choices, each seemingly harmless, that added up to nearly 300 pounds.

"Starbucks every day. I would have a Tim Horton's Cafe Mocha every day. I would eat fast food. I didn't have time to prepare something, so I'd go to the drive-thru," Durocher explained.

As a dog trainer, she was active and felt healthy, but it was pictures that told her a much different story.

"Suddenly it starts to register ... I'm not just fat. I'm obese. I'm morbidly obese," Durocher said.

Taking Steps to Lose Weight

She decided to join Weight Watchers. The 43-year-old initially weighed in at 291.5 pounds. She knew undoing years of big portions and bad choices would take time.

"Instead of looking at the end saying you've got to lose 140 pounds or a hundred and whatever, it was just small goals. The first goal is five-percent of your body weight, so it's very doable," Durocher told us. So, you think, okay, I'm going to sit down and I'm going to look at small little chunks, and pretty soon you've lost ten pounds, 20 pounds, 50 pounds, and then it seems doable."

Then, she literally took steps to change her body. Durocher decided to talk every day with her daughter.

"No matter what the weather ... I'd go out. It was raining, and we had people stopping and asking if we needed a ride back to the car," she explained.

From a Size 24 to a Size 8

It took less than a year, but the sacrifice and struggle paid off. She's now 140 pounds lighter. She was a size 24 and remembers the first time she could fit into a size 8.

"I still have the sticker on my first pair of size 8 pants, and actually I sent the tag to my mom. I put it in the mail. I said, 'These fit me,'" Durocher explained.

She still weighs in once a week, which she believes keep her motivated and helps her make the right food choices every day.

Saving the Treats for Her Dogs

Very aware of every bit she takes, Durocher focuses on small portions, fruits and vegetables and avoiding anything that comes in a box while occasionally enjoying a sweet treat.

These days, she save most treats for her dogs. Just two years after that initial appearance on television, she's living a completely different life. Her goal now is to make sure she's the role model she wants her daughter to grow up with.

"I've got a daughter. I've got to be here for her. I've got to be healthy, and I don't want her having to take care of me," Durocher said.