Fat March - My Story and Why I Really Left the Show
By: Wendy Alane Wright
I first heard about Fat March from my music manager
who told me to send in a video and try out. I had tons
of fun creating, shooting and editing my audition
video. If it had ended there, I would have been proud
of what I had done. I am good little filmmaker! But
low and behold, there was more to come!
I was whisked away from my husband for 10 weeks, a man
who I had never spent 1 day apart from in 4 years.
That was crushing. Then I was thrown off the plane
into a tent and made to sleep on the ground in the
cold and rain. Anyone who knows me will tell you, if
it isn’t the Hilton I don’t stay in it! No offense
Motel 6. And as my fellow marchers found out I hate
the cold! In all honesty, the cold almost made me go
home. Every night I wore 4 pairs of sweatpants, 5
sweatshirts, gloves, a hat and hand warmers down my
pants to keep warm. Nothing worked. I moaned and
groaned in the cold each night so much so that some of
the marchers though I was having sex dreams. But after
a few weeks, I truly began to love being outdoors,
hearing the birds every morning, breathing the fresh
air and lets not forget trying to find a tree to pee
on in the pitch dark middle of the night!
At first overwhelmed by the 40+ production crew
running around us at all times, walking backwards in
front of us for hours on end with their cameras,
listening to every word we said. After awhile we
learned how to manipulate them and hide on them so
they wouldn’t know where we were! We would sit in the
bushes and watch them run around looking for us,
calling each other on their walkie - talkies. That was
fun.
The drastic change in food was difficult for all of
us, especially Chantal who only eats organic food at
home. (Obviously lots of it!) It’s true what they say
about portion size. That is the key to weight loss.
Keep your meals “snack size”. It took some time
getting used to dry brown rice and dried out chicken
breasts. The only fat we got was in the Italian
dressing and the 5 peanuts we were given every day.
Will had the hardest time. Mike caught Will sneaking
extra pieces of chicken and he finally admitted to
eating 8 chicken breasts. Geez! I could hardly choke
down one! Food addiction is a hard thing to break, but
I am wishing Will, my good friend, the best luck on
that journey.
I’d say about 6 of us went to the emergency room for
various issues. I was taken there twice, in week one
first for Plantar Fasciitis where I was told to go
home immediately and stop walking and in the 3rd
episode coming up from dehydration. I desperately
needed steroid shots to relieve the pain of walking 14
miles a day on Plantar Fasciitis but neither the
medic, Steve the trainer would give permission for me
to get the shots I needed. Unlike any of the other
marchers, I cried at the end of each walking day and
people had to carry me to and from the vans. It was
horrible. I don’t know what I was thinking walking in
that condition. I just wanted so much to be there and
to lose the weight.
I read Jami Lynn’s article today and it made me smile.
Her positive spirit was a gift that carried me through
everyday of my walk. Her story reminded me of the late
nights at camp when we all sat around the fire and
laughed, played boggle and listened to Chantal tell
her jokes. She is hysterical!
We bonded deeply, all of us. Shea and Loralie shared a
tent and they stayed up laughing late into every
night. You couldn’t help but feel good all over
listening to their infectious laughs. What a joy!
Sam walked with Matt every day and these two strong
men became great friends. They supported each other
and encouraged each other on in a way that was very
inspiring to see.
Big Will, or Willie-Will as I call him, was a big baby
with a heart as big as he is! I was so happy to see
him coming up the rear at the end of every march,
admiring him for making it with all that weight! I
loved listening to him sing as we marched together.
The boy has a smooth, velvety voice like Luther
Vandross. This white boy can sing!
Jami Lynn became my best friend on the march. I fell
in love with her Southern drawl and her motherly
southern ways. She would cut the meat on your plate if
you asked her too! She took care of all of us, and it
made me feel like I was safe so far away from everyone
I know and love!
When you first meet Steve the trainer you think geez,
he is so handsome he looks like a plastic doll, unreal
almost. But when you get to know him you find out he
is one of the kindest, more genuine people in the
world. He is sensitive and strong and truly cares
about people. How lucky the women are at the all
women’s health club he owns in Florida- they get to
see him every day! If you spend anytime with him you
will learn he is a clown and he tells corny jokes all
day long. Steve is a great spirit!
Walking with Lorrie is an experience one can never
forget, even if you try! Just kidding, or am I? Lorrie
is one of those people who are so intense you can only
take her in small doses. She talks about herself from
morning till night, but she truly cares about training
and helping other people become fit. I think she
literally gets off when other people push past their
boundaries and comfort zones. She and I became very
close and she helped me push further than I knew I was
capable of going one day - I walked 11 miles and ran 6
it was incredible. I could see the adrenaline running
through her eyes, as I pushed myself that day I swear
she got off! Whatever floats your boat honey.
Loralie I call my little asian doll. She is cute as a
button. I didn’t get very close with her but I loved
the way she bonded with Shea.
Anthony, well he is a big lovable bear. You can’t help
but love him. He laughs and is easy to talk to and he
has all the inside information you need. In fact we
all called him Radar because he can have a
conversation with you and listen to two other
conversations happening in the room at the same time.
He was always gathering private information from the
producers about our walk and where we would be
staying, how many miles we would go. They were trying
to keep that all a secret until the day of, but Radar
was a good spy and informant! He also was my walking
partner along with Mike and Jami Lynn. We called
ourselves the fabulous 4 because we spent most of our
time together walking or in Jami’s tent laughing and
plotting against the production monsters.
Speaking of Mike, I loved walking with him but I just
couldn’t keep up. His pace is three times faster than
mine. I missed him on our walking days and loved
seeing him back at the camp site each night. Of course
he was always there before anybody else setting up
collecting wood and setting up the fire. Such a real
man.
For people who came from all walks of life and were
thrown together under such extreme circumstances, we
got along pretty well. The 12 of us were cut off from
our families, no contact for 10 weeks, forced to sleep
in a tent in all kinds of weather and made to walk
5-18 miles every day after living a pretty sedentary
life. It was not a walk in the park, but it was a walk
through some of the prettiest and countrysides and
quaint New England towns you ever did see. The trails
were magnificent with their rivers and lakes. The
comraderie was a great gift to my heart. We did it
laughing, singing and crying. I was honored to be
chosen for this experience out of thousands of
hopefuls. I am grateful for all I have learned about
myself, diet and exercise. This experience is now a
part of who I am, and I will never forget it - or my
fellow marchers! I love you all!
WENDY
fat Fat March fatmarch marchLast 5 posts by Carrie Falquist
- Biggest Loser - Bernie's Bringing Sexy Back! - February 6th, 2008
- Biggest Loser Couples - Episode 4 is Full of Twists and Turns - January 23rd, 2008
- Biggest Loser Episode 3 - It's All There in Black and White - January 16th, 2008
- Fat March Finale.... Is it really over already? - September 12th, 2007
- Coffee Chat with Bob Harper - September 11th, 2007
Filed under: Fat March
The funny thing i see with this blog by Wnedy is she is so full of bologna that I cant stop laughing. I am a 350 lb man with a bad knee and diabetes so I can speak from personal experiance that Wendy is a cry baby, You have the same problem taht all of us fat people have and taht is you blame everyone but yourself for your fatness. Here is some reality for you it was not Lorries falut taht you dropped out in fact I wish I could get into contact with her and have her train me. You were not mentally ready for the challenge of the show and it showed. I was not going to watch anymore Fat March because all you did was whine the whole show. I mean come you are an adult after all. With you off the show it can only get better, Wendy you wasted your 15 minutes of fame by crying the whole time so be happy with your life as a very over weight person because I bet taht even if you were thin you would still hate yourself oh and if you have Lorries phone number please give it to me I will not pass on the oppertunity to have a real trainer help me with my goals.
Give me a break. I am sure this was not an easy journey. She is not the only one that was whisked away from her family.
I am not naive to beleive that these twelve people didn’t know what they were in for when they signed up for the show. I am very sure that they were cleared medically. Let’s get real, if you want to talk reality. Silly rabbit trix are for kids!
Prima Donnas don’t lose weight. Yeah, because they are FAT ladies that sing.
These trainers left their lives to walk and then some with all the contestants.
This show has been proven to succeed in another country. I guess this is why we have freedom, so we can choose to do something and when it is not in our favor we will whine, complain, and try to make ourselves feel like victims so we can justify our actions.
A true achiver, through and through, never quits when failure is always on top of them.
I am sure all of these quiters family and friend support their decision to quit. Because those are the same people that have been the enablers all along, and silently encourage you to be FAT, because they allow your excuses. I’m to tired, it is hot, it is wet, my feet hurt, my back hurts, I have a headache etc……
Get over it and give me a break.
These contestants are not the first to journey.
It’s so easy to judge Wendy, but nobody really knows until they have ‘walked in her shoes’. Any one with common sense knows that TV is biased, partial, and self-serving. How do you know she didn’t really have a foot condition? The truth is you don’t know a thing, so just fess up. Maybe she wasn’t able to make the entire trip, but she attempted to do something. Some peope wouldn’t have even tried. I take this philosophy-I’d rather die trying. I believe she took something back with her-knowledge on how to continue and win her over obesity! The march may have started with the show but it should not finish with it. Else what are the other marchers going to doing after they lose the weight, get the money and go home? Eat? March on Wendy and May the Lord Bless Your Continued Efforts!
I happen to know first hand that Wendy suffered greatly from the disease of Plantar Fasciitis in her feet. She ignored the hospital directive and walked 230 miles in excruitating pain because of her commitment to herself and the other marchers. I am proud of what she has accomplished and I know her positive spirit and helpful personally will continually bless everyone she comes in contact with. Anyone who knows Wendy knows she is a light that shines brightly everywhere she goes. She spends her life helping others and is a blessing to everyone she knows. What surprises me is if she was struggling that particular day more than others, why didn’t the trainers get her team together and help Wendy as a team struggle on. The trainers ddn’t do their job very well that day!
Wendy — Thank you for sharing your personal experience as a Marcher. Kudos on your achievement.
Clearly, the production team made poor choices in motivating and caring-for the marchers. (You should never been forced to wear clothing when camping, the sleeping bag should have should have been enough…. clearly someone inexperienced, or uncaring, selected the equipment)
The challenges and opportunities faced by the Marchers are far more interesting. A behind the scenes peek, where the production team really comes to terms with lessons learned would be far more interesting. Until then, it just looks poorly planned and executed..
AWESOME JOB WENDY! Walking 200 miles is an amazing accomplishment period. I can’t imagine walking that far, up hill, in the heat, freezing cold topped with a sudden drastic change of diet, and being away for weeks on end with my friends and family. YOU GO GIRL! I’m sorry you didn’t make it all the way. I loved watching you on the show, you were my favorite with your positive personality and giant smile. But you are an amazing example anyway and have motivated me to get up off my butt. I have only 35 pounds to lose, but you have shown me it can be done! Thank you and keep on keepin on!
Yes jogging is hard but now that I watched this show, I signed up for a healthwalking class. I can already tell it is good for the cardio but not hard on the knees, especially if you go fast. I hope I can stick to it !
Good for everyone on the show that lasted more than 50 miles !!!!!!!!