by David McAlpine
 
Last week on Losing It with Jillian, Jillian visited the Mastropiestro family, an Italian family that was bigger than their name. Generous eaters, their lives centered around dinner, which always happened to be fried and never included anything green. Jillian turned their lives around just in time for daughter Michelle's wedding, creating more open channels of communication and a desire for them to care for each other.
 
Last night, Jillian visited her second family of the summer, the Joneses, consisting of mom Debra, 53 and children Isabella and Jordan, 12. Both her children are normal weight, but Deb weighs well over 200 pounds, suffers from diabetes and is at great risk for heart disease. To make matters worse, she lost her husband six years ago to a heart attack while they were waiting to see a marriage counselor. He was 53, just like Debra.

So the scene is set for a tragic, broken-hearted family that is trying to hold the pieces together. From the moment Jillian enters the house, it seems as if their life is in disarray--the kids seem very aloof and the house looks really messy. The kids even admit they don't do much to help their mom clean up.

Jillian quickly realizes that there are communication issues in this family that need to be solved pronto. She makes Deb and Isabella confront each other, and Debra admits that she portrayed Isabella as the "new father," something that a 12-year-old should never have to shoulder themselves. Jillian made it even more real when she put a weight vest on Isabella so she could feel how her mom did, but Deb made her take it off because, again, she didn't want to subject her child to that.

Eventually, Jillian makes a breakthrough and, during her workout, Deb stops crying and starts saying that she wants to change her life. Isabella, seeing her mom's progress, tries to set a weight loss goal herself, but Jillian won't let her. She says children shouldn't be worried about weight loss, they should be thinking about being healthy, which was the perfect message to send.

With everyone feeling good and more open, Jillian sat down with the three of them and talked about what they always wanted to do. The one thing that came up several times was a kayaking trip, so Jillian decided to take the Joneses kayaking! They all fell in the water several times (including Jillian), but it seemed like they had a blast.

But before Jillian left, Deb had one more goal she wanted to complete: finishing a 5K. So, with the support of Jillian and her children, Deb finished her distance. As a reward, Jillian gives Deb and her family $50,000 to help out with reaching their goals and it was hugs all around.

Six weeks later, Deb is 32 pounds lighter and doesn't depend on her diabetes medication anymore, which is absolutely amazing news. You could tell from the before and after that she was a happier, brighter person and more excited about life, which was very refreshing to see. Deb reinforced the point that it only took her six weeks to feel like a different person, not a lifetime, and that anyone can do it. With so many positive messages coming out of this show, how can you not love it?
 
Tune in next Tuesday to watch Jillian move into another family's house, only on Losing It with Jillian, 10/9c on NBC!
 
(Photo courtesy of NBC)
 
Follow David on Twitter: @DavidMcAlpine
 
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