Losing 150 pounds, moment by moment

By Ashley J. Pegues
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer 

In 2019, PhiXavier Holmes made a life-changing decision that would impact her forever.   

“It wasn’t easy,” she said as she looked down at an old photo of herself. 

At the age of 37, the Prince George’s County resident became a contestant on the TV series “The Biggest Loser,” where she eventually lost half her body weight. She was shocked, she said, to discover she had a collarbone and calf muscles following what she said was an emotional journey. 

“Throughout my life, I always struggled with my weight,” she said. “I have always told myself that I would never get to almost 400 pounds. Now that I was looking at myself at 400 pounds, I was distraught. I knew I had to do something then.” 

At the beginning of the show, Holmes weighed 397.6 pounds.  She continued to lose weight after leaving the show and has lost a total of 147 pounds. She is proud that she did not gain any weight during the 2020 pandemic, but she regrets not fully trusting the process while on the show. 

“I knew that it was a reality show,” she said. “I knew that it was going to expose somethings about myself, but I was afraid to fully trust the people and the process out of fear of not knowing if my body and if I would really handle all that could potentially come along with it.”

Her close friend, Porsha Hargrove, was ecstatic to learn her friend was going on the show.

“I knew it was something she wanted to do for a long time,” she said. “I was happy to see one of her dreams coming true.”

Holmes knew that this show served as a kick start to her new life. While on the show, she took full advantage of the services provided to help her shift her lifestyle around once she left.  

“It’s been great,” she said. “My physical and eating habits have changed drastically.”

Her physical transformation has garnered the attention of many of her closest friends, including Hargrove. From her point of view, Holmes has changed her whole life around.

 

“Phi has changed her diet and exercise more regularly,” Hargrove said. “As the strong friend in her friend groups, Phi has learned to create boundaries and prioritize mental health.”

Walking into a new transformed life, Holmes has continued to incorporate different routines that have improved her physical and mental wellbeing. The drastic improvement of her health has continuously given her the strength to continue with the journey.

“She is intentional about her meals and her exercise routines or time,” Hargrove said. “When she is not at the gym, she is sending texts to people to see who wants to ride bikes. She is definitely in the right direction.”

Fellow contestant, Jim DiBattista has always talked highly of Holmes as a teammate and person. Holmes was one of the nicest, sweetest women that I ever met, he said. 

While on the show, one takeaway that Dibattista learned from Holmes was “to never give up,” he said. “As a team, Holmes continued to work hard to reach her fitness goals. That’s what I love about her, no camera, no BS just working for her.” 

Since the show has ended, Holmes has had more success with her weight loss journey than ever before. 

For those who might be struggling with their journey, Holmes provides insight into how she tackled the challenge. 

“Just know that it is a daily moment-by-moment choice,” she told them. “Shifting my mindset didn’t allow me to lose weight. I made a choice daily to eat something healthier than what I was eating before. Once I start seeing the results, that made me like what I was seeing in the mirror.”