For the stars of TLC's "Sister Wives," sharing their lives with the world has meant exposing themselves to both support and scrutiny. Over the years, several of the wives have embarked on personal weight loss journeys, each motivated by unique circumstances and driven by a desire for improved health and well-being. This article explores the weight loss journeys of Meri Brown and Janelle Brown, highlighting their motivations, methods, and the impact these transformations have had on their lives.
Meri Brown's Journey: Reclaiming Health and Joy
After years of sharing her polygamous lifestyle with millions of viewers on "Sister Wives," Meri Brown found herself facing a new challenge: weight gain. As Meri recalls, the stress of life in the public eye began to manifest physically. "Nobody tells you how stress shows up in your body,” she says. “It’s not just feeling anxious or sad. It’s the weight that creeps on because you’re stress eating. It’s the exhaustion that makes exercise feel impossible."
The Turning Point
Meri estimates she had gained approximately 50 pounds from what had once been her comfortable weight. A once-loved hike near her B&B became a stark reminder of her declining fitness. "One day I tried it and couldn’t even make it halfway without feeling like my heart was going to explode. That was scary." This experience served as a powerful metaphor, highlighting her inability to reach heights that were once easily within her grasp.
A Shift in Mindset
Unlike previous fleeting attempts at weight loss, Meri's mindset shifted. “I think the big difference was that this time, it wasn’t about looking good for TV or fitting into a certain dress size,” she explains. “It was about reclaiming my health, my energy, and honestly, my joy." This realization became her powerful "why," a motivation far stronger than mere aesthetic goals. She wanted the energy to run her business effectively, play with her grandchildren without getting winded, and explore the mountains and canyons of Utah without physical limitations.
Meri rejected the idea that decline is inevitable with age. “There’s this idea that once you reach a certain age, especially as a woman, you’re supposed to just accept decline as inevitable,” she says. “But why?"
Read also: Empowerment Through Weight Loss: Christine Brown
A Comprehensive Approach
Meri began researching sustainable approaches to weight loss, avoiding quick fixes and fad diets. “I knew I needed structure, but also flexibility,” she explains. Her comprehensive approach included several key components:
- Plexus Products: In spring 2021, Meri began incorporating Plexus products into her daily routine. These supplements helped support her gut health and regulate her blood sugar - issues she believes had previously made weight management particularly challenging for her.
- Emotional Coping Mechanisms: "I had to get honest with myself about my relationship with food,” she admits. “Food had become my comfort during some really tough years." Meri worked on developing new emotional coping mechanisms that didn’t involve food, including journaling, connecting with friends, and spending time in nature.
- Increased Water Intake: “The water thing sounds so simple, but wow, what a difference,” she marvels.
- Regular Movement: "I made a commitment to walk every single day, even if it was just for 15 minutes,” she says. “Some days that turned into an hour-long hike in the beautiful Utah landscape. Other days, when filming schedules were crazy, it might just be circles around a parking lot." As her stamina improved, she gradually added strength training exercises.
- Strength Training: “The strength training was a game-changer for me,” she notes. “Not just for how my body looked but for how I felt."
Transformation and Triumph
By early 2022, approximately 9-10 months after beginning her wellness journey, Meri had lost around 40 pounds. The physical transformation was evident to "Sister Wives" viewers.
These victories include significant improvements in her energy levels, allowing her to work longer hours at her bed and breakfast without feeling depleted. Her sleep quality has improved dramatically. “I actually completed that hike that had defeated me before,” she says. “And I wasn’t even out of breath at the top. I just stood there looking out at the view, crying happy tears."
Beyond the physical benefits, Meri has experienced profound psychological shifts. “When you spend years in a relationship where you feel increasingly invisible, you start to become invisible to yourself too,” she reflects. “Taking charge of my health was a way of saying, ‘I see you, Meri.’" This renewed sense of self-worth has influenced every aspect of her life. “I’m just more comfortable in my own skin now,” she says simply.
Navigating Public Scrutiny
Being in the public eye throughout her transformation added a unique dimension to Meri’s weight loss journey. “It’s strange having thousands of people commenting on your body,” she admits. “Some days you post a picture and there are hundreds of comments analyzing whether you’ve lost more weight or if you’ve gained some back." Rather than allowing this scrutiny to derail her progress, Meri has developed strategies for maintaining her focus on health rather than appearance.
Read also: Read about Janelle Brown's weight loss
“I’m really careful about how I talk about this journey on social media,” she explains. “I never want to contribute to diet culture or make other women feel bad about their bodies." This perspective has resonated with her followers, many of whom are women in midlife facing their own health crossroads.
Meri emphasizes that progress isn’t always linear. “I’ve had weeks where the scale doesn’t move or even goes up a bit,” she says. “Early in my journey, that would have sent me into a tailspin and probably to the ice cream aisle. Now I just look at other markers - how my clothes fit, my energy levels, how strong I feel during workouts."
A Sustainable Lifestyle
As Meri approaches the two-year mark of her wellness journey, her focus has shifted from weight loss to overall health maintenance and continued strength building. “Once you hit your initial goals, that’s when the real work begins in some ways,” she observes. For Meri, those deeper reasons include her growing business ambitions. Beyond her role on "Sister Wives," she has expanded her entrepreneurial efforts with her successful bed and breakfast, Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, and her clothing business.
“When you feel good physically, you show up differently in every area of your life,” she notes. “I’m more creative, more patient with customers, more willing to take calculated risks in business." Meri has also found joy in becoming a quiet inspiration to others facing similar midlife health challenges. “So many women my age have spent decades taking care of everyone else,” she says thoughtfully. “Kids, partners, aging parents - everyone comes before them. I was definitely in that pattern for years."
Meri remains committed to her maintenance routine while constantly educating herself about health and wellness. “There’s so much we’re not taught about our bodies, especially as we age,” she observes. “For years, my story was defined by my relationships,” she reflects. “Now I’m writing a new chapter that’s about me - my health, my happiness, my choices. And honestly? I love this chapter."
Read also: Diary of a Fat Housewife: A Review
Key Takeaways from Meri's Journey
- Sustainable Lifestyle Changes: Meri Brown lost approximately 40 pounds since beginning her health journey in early 2021. Rather than pursuing rapid weight loss, she focused on sustainable lifestyle changes including improved nutrition, regular exercise, increased water intake, and supplements supporting her gut health and metabolism.
- Focus on Whole Foods: While Meri Brown hasn’t followed a specific named diet plan, she’s emphasized whole foods nutrition with proper portion control.
- Plexus Products as a Component: Meri Brown has incorporated Plexus products into her weight loss regimen and has become a brand ambassador for the company. However, she emphasizes that the supplements were just one component of her comprehensive approach.
- Sustainable Rate of Loss: Meri Brown’s weight loss wasn’t actually rapid - she lost approximately 40 pounds over a 9-10 month period, which health experts consider a healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss (about 1-1.5 pounds per week on average).
- Maintenance Through Consistency: Meri Brown has maintained her weight loss since reaching her goal in early 2022 by creating sustainable lifestyle changes rather than following a temporary diet.
Janelle Brown's Journey: Breaking Free from Diet Woes
Janelle Brown, another of Kody Brown's former wives, has also been open about her struggles with weight and her journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
A Long-Time Struggle
During season 3 of the reality TV show, Janelle hit the gym with the other wives of her then-husband Kody Brown. “I remember when my kids were little, watching the weight creep up, creep up, creep up but I felt so powerless to stop it,” Janelle admitted during an October 2011 episode, detailing her diet woes. She continued at the time: “You know, my physical appearance has always been my Achilles heel."
Finding a New Approach
Janelle opened up about how Plexus (“the pink drink”) from her company’s meal plan revolutionized her weight loss journey via Instagram, noting the beverage has helped her ongoing sugar addiction. “It's very simple. I am taking care of me,” she captioned a selfie at the time. “I have found amazing plant-based supplements that have rocked my world. I don't have the sugar cravings, brain fog, low energy, poor sleep, or inflammation like I used too. … This isn't an overnight fad nor a diet pill."
“This was the first Halloween I wasn't obsessed with all the candy." Janelle shared before-and-after photos of her journey via Instagram, writing, “To that one soul reading this today: know your tired, feel your weight won't budge, can't sleep, have sugar cravings, you’re fed up and you just don’t feel like YOU anymore. She continued: “Things get better when you try, even if you’ve tried everything before this. This is different, I promise. Don’t stop fighting to live your best life."
Incorporating Pilates
“A couple of months ago I added Pilates into my workout mix and I’ve been so pleased with how it compliments my other workouts,” she wrote via her Instagram Stories alongside a photo from the gym. "I have proven to myself over and over again that when you know how much you can push yourself there aren't a lot of limits. “Posting this unfiltered photo of me from Pilates today was a scary proposition,” Janelle wrote via Instagram.
The Broader Context: Sister Wives and Body Image
The "Sister Wives" show has, at times, touched upon the complex dynamics of body image within the Brown family. Christine Brown, who has also undergone a significant transformation, revealed in her memoir a complex dynamic with her former sister wife Meri Brown, with the latter often criticizing her weight, intelligence and parenting style. “I didn't trust that she would be kind to me, particularly in front of other people,” Christine wrote in the book. Additionally, Christine accused Meri of holding her and Janelle Brown to higher degrees of scrutiny than the ones she had for herself.
These dynamics highlight the pressures and complexities that the wives have faced, both internally and externally, as they navigate their lives in the public eye.