by Gina Scarpa

 

On tonight's season premiere of Losing It With Jillian, the Mastropietro family is visited in Wilmington, MA by Jillian herself to help them get their weight loss journey going. Jimbo, the father, had unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery and desperately wanted to get healthy, along with his wife, Michelle, in time for their daughter's wedding later this year. When Jillian showed up, she taught this family about a lot more than just weight loss and today, Jimbo spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about what that week with Jillian was like.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the turning point for your family that made you decide to apply for the show?
A. Jimbo: The turning point for us I believe was that my wife and I have been yo-yo dieting for several years now. We lost weight between dieting and gastric bypass surgery. We watched The Biggest Loser for several years and we saw the opportunity for this and we took it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you surprised to find out that Jillian would be spending so much time with you and your family, in your home?
A. Jimbo: It was a pleasant surprise. We had no idea we were picked until the very last minute. My wife signed up online and they actually responded right away. They didn't let us know, though, until the last minute when Jillian called.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: We often see Jillian's tough side but we know there's a big heart in there, too. What was it like to really see that side of her?
A. Jimbo: I think a lot of people don't see the side of her that we got to see, which is the relaxed side of Jillian Michaels. They see the intensity on tv, which sold us on her initially, but you start to grow more and more feelings for her as she stays in your home with you and gets into all the personal stuff.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Speaking of all the personal stuff, was it tough to deal with the issues that were brought up during the week that Jillian was with you?
A. Jimbo: I was not prepared for that, I'll be honest for you. I thought we were just getting into this high intensity workout situation and going crazy with working out a lot every day and that's what it was gonna be like. The pleasant side of that was that Jillian helped us find ourselves.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What lasting impact did Jillian leave on you and your family?
A. Jimbo: The lasting advice is that we have to believe in ourselves first before we move to healing on the outside. The inside has to heal first.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did being on the show bring you and your family closer together? Are you sticking to the things that Jillian taught you?
A. Jimbo: Actually, you don't think that your family can come any closer. I'm part of a tight knit Italian family and that's important to us. It brought us a lot closer together. There's a bigger bond with us. Yes, we are sticking to it. My wife and I are jogging almost on a day to day basis. We have further goals that we have set for ourselves because our 25th anniversary is July 5th. We have more goals to achieve.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How does it feel to be on tv and have had a camera crew in your home?
A. Jimbo: It's actually pretty surreal having a camera crew in your house. It didn't actually set in until today. I wasn't nervous about being on tv. I did see a small blurb on tv last night which really touches your heart. You see yourself and some of your emotions coming out and it's tough.

 

 

Watch Losing It With Jillian, Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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