People's lives after the project are balanced people. “Weighted People”: how did life turn out for the bright participants after the project? Lost weight, found a relationship

What woman doesn’t dream of an ideal figure and the admiring glances of men? Finalist Vesta Romanova managed to lose 50 kilograms and find happiness in her personal life. But what’s interesting: even before participating in the project, she was not deprived of the attention of the stronger sex. the site talked to Vesta and found out why she at one time weighed almost 130 kilograms, why all women need to photograph themselves naked in the mirror, and whether it is possible to lose excess weight with the snap of a finger.

March 2, 2016 · Text: Daria Senichkina · Photo: Instagram, VKontakte, STS press service

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Just yesterday, this smiling, stylish girl with an unusual name could not tie her sneakers without feeling dizzy, did not want to leave the house unless absolutely necessary, and lived by the principle “food-work-food-home-food.” Today, only memories remain of that sad life.

29-year-old Vesta Romanova took part in the competition last year (the second season of which has already started on STS) and reached the very final, losing a cash prize of 3 million rubles to 30-year-old Pyotr Vasiliev. However, the girl, despite everything, considers herself a winner. Today Vesta looks great and successfully combines work and family.

Having been in the hands of professionals, the ex-“weighted” one now willingly shares her acquired knowledge with those who need it. Romanova develops nutrition programs, helps to find the right motivation and simply charges her fans with a good mood. Although the project made a star out of the blonde, she still remains a simple, modest person who has no secrets from anyone. And if we’re going to share our story, then without any embellishments or cuts. In an exclusive interview with the website, Vesta Romanova told how wonderful life “light” turned out to be.

. Why did you collect so much?

Vesta Romanova: As my psychologist says, everything happened because of my personal life. And not because of her absence, but on the contrary: I tried to protect myself from relationships that, as a rule, did not end well.

“I ate and gained weight in order to completely protect myself from communicating with men, not to attract their attention. Which, by the way, I never succeeded in.”

Even when I weighed 123 kilograms, I was in great demand among the stronger sex. And the further it goes, the worse it gets.

V.R.: When I was at school, we didn’t have the concept of “fat” at all. My classmates and I were very active: we didn’t sit in front of computers or TVs, but, on the contrary, spent all our time outside. I was an ordinary girl in body, but not fat. I did a lot of sports, so I didn’t gain weight. The problems started when I broke up with my boyfriend after seven years of relationship.

I felt great even with a weight of 110 kilograms. Only at the moment when the scales showed the number 120 did I begin to experience discomfort. It was hard for me to walk, turn, bend over. The worst thing is that I got lazy and didn’t want to do anything at all. Probably, the brain is also swollen with fat.

“I came to work and just sat there all day. I was constantly eating and surfing the Internet. Then she returned home, ate again and went to bed. The state of an amoeba... Or a frog that sits in its swamp, croaks, and doesn’t need anything else in this life.”

website: When did you come to the conclusion that it was time to change?

V.R.: One day it became completely unbearable. I bent over to tie my shoes and my blood pressure suddenly rose. My face was filled with blood, my head was spinning, I couldn’t get up... Then I realized that I needed to pull myself together and do something.

V.R.: Yes, just a couple of days later I accidentally came across a casting announcement for a new reality show about weight loss. I submitted my application form and forgot about it, because I was sure that only people of their own were accepted into such projects. Surprisingly, I was invited to come to the casting, where I talked with a psychologist. After this there was silence, which lasted more than a month. Just before the start of the filming process, I was informed that I was in the project.

website: All this time before filming began, did you try to lose weight on your own?

V.R.:"Oh yeah (laughs)... From time to time, like any normal woman, I was overcome by the desire to lose excess weight. And I immediately went for the “miracle pills,” mistakenly believing that this would help me lose weight, and quickly.”

I probably tried every possible diet and pill on myself. Now I understand that miracles do not happen. Unfortunately, you always get rid of extra pounds very slowly. It’s a pity that many people don’t believe it and continue to stubbornly look for quick ways to lose the hated fat.

website: What was and is now your main motivation to keep fit?

V.R.: Mirror! In general, as it turned out, many overweight people do not look at themselves in the mirror, they are afraid to take pictures and post their pictures on social networks. You know, such a good principle of defense: “I don’t see, that means it doesn’t exist.”

“That’s why a sober look at yourself from the outside, or even better, a photo of yourself naked in the mirror can help you lose weight. After all, every woman strives to be beautiful.”

website: Are you upset that you didn’t win in the final of the show and 3 million rubles went to someone else?

V.R.: And I won! She defeated herself. My achievement cannot be measured by money. On the project I was able to lose 40 kilograms, and after the end of the show another 12. The main thing is that I managed to overcome myself, give up bad habits and tune in to a new life. And money... You can always earn it if you have the desire.

website: What weight are you now and do you plan to continue losing weight?

V.R.: At the moment I weigh 70 kilograms, and this is my ideal weight, I feel very comfortable at it. Soon I plan to do a light drying session so that my body will finally gain definition. After all, this was quite problematic before.

Now I have also started to follow a sleep schedule: I go to bed and wake up at the same time. By the way, I also eat by the hour. In general, I have become more disciplined, I am not late for meetings, as I was before. I also completely gave up alcohol.

V.R.: The morning begins with breakfast. Then, if I have time, I go to the gym for strength training. In the evening, according to the cardio schedule - cycling or running.

V.R.: My approximate diet is:

Breakfast: Buckwheat with milk

Snack:“Caprese” for the poor - my anti-crisis recipe (smiles). Tomatoes, cottage cheese (instead of Mozzarella), herbs, spices, half a teaspoon of olive oil

Dinner: Bean soup (beans, potatoes, onions, carrots, chicken breast), chicken with millet (baked chicken, boiled millet)

Snack: Fresh cabbage and carrot salad

Dinner: Stewed chicken with vegetables (chicken breast, white cabbage, onion)

Everything is simple, tasty and low in calories. I also monitor the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

website: By the way, as far as we know, after the project there were pleasant changes in your life and in your personal life...

V.R.: Yes, I got married. Matvey, my husband, is a man who really knows what he wants. He is an interesting conversationalist, very smart and well-read. What attracted me to him is that he never gives up when he takes on any task. He always brings all projects to completion. I am probably one of the most difficult projects for him. (laughs) because Matvey sought my favor for a long time.

“My husband is my incentive to become better. After all, it was he who attracted me to the world of cycling, brought me into his social circle, and introduced me to new people. For his sake, every day I try to become a little better, because next to me is a correct, principled and slightly stubborn man.”

website: Has marriage changed you?

V.R.: Before Matvey, my life was incomplete. Previously, I actively got tattoos that had a special meaning. In this way, I tried to attract into my life everything that I lacked: happiness, health, material well-being, peace of mind, love. And I was constantly “swinging” like a pendulum from side to side, although I wanted stability and calm.

“Matvey became my weight on the second side of the scale. He is the one who will always find the right words. Even my outbursts of anger (and I am a fairly emotional person) are “extinguished” by my husband without doing anything special about it. His energy is powerful."

By the way, Petya’s betrayal (during the reality show “Weighted People,” Vesta Romanova began dating a project participant and future winner, Peter Vasiliev. Both had serious intentions, the couple even planned to get married, but in the end Peter cheated on Vesta and left for another - approx. site ) I survived only thanks to Matvey. He was there all the time, helping me not to give up, not to break under the weight of the gossip that spread when everything was revealed. Now, of course, I regret putting my relationship on display. But then my husband appeared in my life. This means that everything was not in vain.

V.R.: My most important project for today is a sanatorium in Sochi for those who want to lose weight. We opened it together with Vlad Ushakov, a participant in the first season of the show “Weighted People”. We have selected an excellent team of specialists - nutritionists, psychologists, trainers. I am leading the project as a trainer-administrator. Our program includes 21 days of rest, sports, handicrafts, excursions and, of course, the fight against excess weight. I'm sure it will be fun!

? After all, you didn’t study to be a coach.

V.R.: Yes, I'm not a professional, but I have a lot of experience. I have experienced various types of diets and workouts and I know what can be more effective. Therefore, I willingly share with everyone the knowledge that I received on the “Weighted People” project.

"I like to help people. It’s nice to know that your advice can be useful to someone.”

website: What would you wish to our readers who are trying to lose weight?

V.R.: Work on yourself. Look in the mirror more often. Don’t be afraid to criticize yourself, soberly evaluate your figure. Indulgence will not lead to anything good. In order to become slimmer, you need to take action: don’t skip workouts, eat right, and follow a sleep schedule.

Always strive for the best and never give up! Even if you’re physically in pain or you’ve only lost a hundred grams in a week, don’t stop! And most importantly, a varied diet. If you sit on the same chicken and buckwheat, breakdowns are inevitable. So treat yourself to some tasty treats. Sometimes it’s good to lift your spirits!

The project for Irina began back in May 2017 with a letter from the casting director of the show, who invited the curvaceous beauty to apply for participation.

The selection was very difficult: we needed beautiful faces and interesting stories. In addition, the characters must be different in character and type of activity. They were interested in our aspirations and dreams, relationships within the family. First of all, this is a show, and the audience should be interested in watching the participants,” recalls Irina. At the beginning of the project, the girl’s weight was 148 kg. Now she weighs half a centner less.

Irina admitted that the most difficult part was the filming process:

This is a completely different mode, life schedule. All together it caused a lot of inconvenience. There was a feeling that you were not in control of your life. Someone else decides when you will eat, when you will workout. This applied to absolutely everything! We didn’t know what to prepare for, what awaited us tomorrow. For me personally, this was the most difficult thing throughout the entire project.

- What is it like to talk about your problems and complexes to the whole country?

I guessed that I would hear both criticism and approval addressed to me. There are those who like girls with curves, but there were also those who condemned me and said: “Lose weight! What are you doing to yourself!

We were cut off from the world, in a closed space, without the support of loved ones. Emotions went wild, we cried. But as a result, we found support from those around us: we became a small family.

- What was the most valuable thing you took away from there, not counting the lost kilograms?

I closed the story with the comments that rained down on me after winning the beauty contest. They broke me very much then, I closed myself off from the world, stopped trusting people. I won a victory over myself. Now I approach everything that happens in life more simply. People are sometimes angry, without thinking, they hurt. But you shouldn’t forbid yourself to feel and enjoy life because of this. Another plus is that I made real friends. I hope that we will continue to communicate for a long, long time.

Only one training session was shown on air, something unusual. This was filmed specifically for the show. In fact, the training was daily - from an hour to four. Sometimes we had to train at night, because there was no gym in the complex where we lived; we had to go there. Everything depended on the filming process. The menu was developed by an excellent nutritionist Yulia Olegovna. The number of calories is minimal. Four meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack. We didn’t take diet pills, but we did take vitamins.

- It’s hard to believe that a person can consistently lose 3-4 kg of weight over several months.

This is real on the project. You need to understand that there we had only one task - to lose weight, there was simply no other thing to do. You shouldn't do this at home. It is difficult both physically and mentally, and the body malfunctions. And in my head there are only thoughts about kilograms.

- Many viewers expressed the opinion that the voting, and, consequently, the elimination of participants, was staged and written in advance. Is it so?

No, we voted ourselves. There were many factors involved, each time it was difficult because we came to the project with problems. Everyone understood that each of us still needed to lose weight, have something to strive for, something to learn, something to experience. But we were placed in such conditions that everyone could not stay, and every week someone had to leave. Everyone has their own voting motives, but it’s absolutely clear that there was no script.

- How has your life changed after the project?

Now I want to move more, I like it. Previously, I had shortness of breath after going up to the second floor. Recently in Moscow I walked 20 kilometers in a day, and only calluses on my feet forced me to stop. Sweating has decreased: it’s no secret that overweight people sweat a lot. In addition, there are big problems with choosing clothes. I had to dress in some old woman’s clothes, which made me look older. I was called “woman”, but now they started calling me “girl” again. It's much nicer, especially when you're only 23 years old.

The girl came to the project weighing 148 kg, lost 33 kg in two and a half months, and approached the finale, which was filmed a little later, weighing 99 kg.

Reference. “Weighted and Happy People” (formerly “Weighted People”) is a Russian television reality show, a version of the popular American project “The Biggest Loser”. Participants in the program who are overweight compete with each other to lose weight and compete for the main prize - 3 million rubles. The presenter Anfisa Chekhova, rapper Seryoga, actor and award-winning athlete Sergei Badyuk and Miss Olympia, Russian, European and world champion in fitness bikini Natalya Lugovskikh, helped the “weighted people” get rid of extra kilos. The finale of the show took place on June 2.

The program “Weighted and Happy” is the Ukrainian version of the American show The Biggest Loser. The essence of the project is that participants who are overweight lose weight, and even compete for a prize of 250 thousand hryvnia (almost 9,000 euros). The project is successful and popular, so the seventh season will start this year.

Rules of the project “Weighted and Happy”

At the end of each week, the weight loss teams are weighed, which determines the total weight lost. The team that loses the least weight must vote to determine which competitor will go home. The two people from that team who have lost the least amount of weight are nominated. The winner is the participant who loses the most from the starting weight at the open final in December.

Evgenia Mostovenko participated in the project together with her daughter Alexandra, who later had to tell the details of her mother’s death...

All participants are checked

The head of the “Weighted and Happy” project, Natalya Shcherbina, said that all potential participants who passed the casting are examined by doctors: a therapist, a cardiologist, a pulmonologist. Everyone donates urine and blood for a detailed analysis. All participants must be tested for hepatitis and HIV. After the medical examination, the doctor gives an opinion on each applicant - whether the person can participate in the project or his health condition does not allow him.

“They called me and told me that my mother had died”

Perhaps the most “high-profile” death was the death of a participant in the third season of the project, Evgenia Mostovenko. Could a woman have thought that four years after filming she would be gone?

Pashinsky managed to lose 51 kilograms! He was so inspired by the result that he wanted to continue his struggle with weight.

In 2013, 40-year-old Evgenia came to the project with her 17-year-old daughter Alexandra - mostly not for herself, but for her. Mostovenko complained that Sasha was very lazy and easily succumbed to temptations when it came to food. As it turned out, the mother and daughter had previously participated in the “Honey, We Kill Children” program, and even then the girl lost 20 kilograms. True, over time, all efforts were in vain - Alexandra gained even more than her previous weight and began to weigh as much as 105 kilos.

But Mostovenko also went to the project for her own sake. The woman really wanted to give birth to a child for her new husband, who was eight years younger than her, but she couldn’t - she needed to lose weight. Evgenia managed to do this, although the result was not very impressive, and it took her a long time to achieve it. When Mostovenko came to the project, she weighed 130 kilograms, and nine months later the scales showed a double-digit number - 94. But this was enough for the woman - she was very pleased with the new weight.

Igor understood that such a figure would not fit into any goal, and he wanted to become slim and fit again

Evgenia's death, which occurred in January of this year, came as a shock to many and, naturally, raised many questions. Her daughter tried to satisfy the interest and curiosity of the viewers of the project. If you believe Alexandra’s words, then on the day when her mother was taken to the hospital, they talked on the phone, laughed, everything was fine... Mostovenko approved the list of guests, because the next morning was her birthday. “Literally 20-25 minutes later, her boss asked to pick up her mother from work because her blood pressure had increased. But the ambulance was ahead of me. I saw how my mother was taken out on a gurney unconscious. The doctors said that as soon as they left work, she immediately fell into a coma and everything that was in the stomach went into the respiratory tract. She was in critical condition with brain hemorrhage and pulmonary edema. The next morning, my mother came to her senses, but the doctors decided to keep her in a medically induced coma - she could not breathe on her own. In the following days she looked good, although she lost a lot of weight. And on the morning of January 26, I went into the intensive care unit and saw that my mother’s face and neck were red and blue. An hour and a half later they called me and told me that my mother had died - they couldn’t restart the heart.”

The woman's death certificate states that she had cerebrovascular disease, a hemorrhagic stroke.

Didn't have time to adopt a child

Evgenia Mostovenko has long wanted to become a mother for the second time, but her excess weight did not allow her. But the woman found a way out - last year she and her young husband prepared documents for adoption. The couple even found one child whom they wanted to take into the family. Evgenia began to find out what was needed for adoption, but did not have time to complete this matter.

On the “Weighted and Happy” project, Yakovlev found his soulmate - Natalya Moskalenko. The couple planned to live happily ever after...

“He really wanted to live”

At the end of 2015, Igor Pashinsky, a participant in the fifth season of the “Weighted and Happy” project, who really wanted to get back into good shape, passed away. Igor once served in the airborne troops, then worked in the police. When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, I went to the liquidation site and worked in a 30-kilometer zone. Problems began after returning from there - I started getting sick, gained excess weight, and then type 2 diabetes.

Igor decided to try himself on the project because he understood that such weight, given his health, could cause disability, and he said that he wanted to be like before: strong and fit, so that people would look at him with respect and not with pity. When Pashinsky came to the project, he weighed as much as 193 kilograms and lost 37 kilograms in 13 weeks! But the man did not stop there - during the month and a half he spent at home, he lost another 14 kilograms and settled on the number 142. He simply did not have time to lose even more weight...

Project manager Natalya Shcherbina assured that Igor, as the heaviest participant, was taken care of and released from training and stress at the slightest indisposition. If, for example, Igor turned pale, swayed or was breathing heavily, they immediately asked him to sit and rest. A man diagnosed with arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity practically did not participate in competitions.

Igor’s wife Galina Pashinskaya remembers that after the project her husband returned home happy and joyful, he really wanted to live. Igor came with the hope that he would lose more weight... “He stopped being afraid of people and hiding from them, he wanted to be in plain sight. He was really happy - many noticed this. He told me: “I’m doing all this for you.” And his words inspired me. We were everywhere together. These one and a half months after the project we were happy, as, probably, in the first days of our married life.”

Pashinskaya remembers the fateful November day of 2015 like it was yesterday: “Igor was at training in the morning, in the evening we went to the river to swim. He felt fine. And in the morning he felt bad. I had a headache. He tells me: “I probably won’t accompany you, I’ll lie down.” At 11 he called and said that he felt bad. Igor has never said this before! He was admitted to the hospital with ulcer bleeding. This was the initial diagnosis. But then, as it turned out, he was having a massive heart attack. The autopsy showed that the diagnosis was initially made incorrectly and the treatment was prescribed incorrectly. He was given IV drips to stop ulcer bleeding, and a lot of them, but this could not be done... More negligence. A person's heart stops, and there is no one anywhere. Nobody! There is no attending physician! It’s very hard to remember..."

Galina does not hide the fact that she asked the doctors directly about the project - they say, did it bring harm. And the answer was “No.” “On the contrary, if Igor had not gone to the project and lost weight, he would not have lived this time...”

"I'm not going to stop"

The bronze medalist of the third season of reality, Ilya Yakovlev, was lucky - he not only lost weight and took a worthy place, but also met his love on the project - Natalya Moskalenko. After the show, their relationship only strengthened, and in 2014 they got married. Ilya was very happy - he talked about what a long life they were planning together, and dreamed of children... “For my chosen one, it is now more important to maintain her full health, because we still want to have a child in the near future. Therefore, I repeatedly told her that such crazy loads are not needed now. Losing 2-3 kilograms a month to get back to normal shape will be enough for both her and me. “I’m not going to stop,” said Yakovlev, rejoicing at how great his life was going.

Three years ago, The Biggest Loser contestant Damian Gurganious died at the age of just 38.

Ilya came to the project weighing 147 kilograms, lost 48 kilograms and showed a result of 99 kg on the scales at the final post-show. In 2014, Ilya was proud of the fact that he completely gave up flour, the things he used to love very much - pasta, dumplings, dumplings, pancakes. The project changed Yakovlev’s consciousness, so these dishes began to appear on his plate literally once a month. “Looking at how much I ate before and how much now, while being normally full, I can hardly imagine that I could now eat as much as I ate before the project,” Yakovlev boasted. But, unfortunately, proper nutrition did not protect Ilya from death. In May 2015, a 32-year-old man suffered a stroke, after which he died...

On the STS TV channel, 18 participants lost weight for a month under the gaze of television cameras and the control of doctors and experienced trainers. The show “Weighted People” has been popular among television viewers for four seasons.

Dmitry Kudryavtsev

TV viewers liked the friendly resident of Magnitogorsk and found friends among the show participants. He did not have enough strength to reach the final, but Kudryavtsev was not too upset by the loss. The former athlete easily fit into the training schedule, losing 54 kilograms from the starting 219. Mitya gained weight after a spinal injury.

On the recommendation of a nutritionist, his diet includes low-calorie foods: oatmeal in the morning, fruit and oatmeal in the afternoon. vegetables, baked zucchini. Mitya's family fully supports him. According to him, he rediscovers many ordinary things that were previously inaccessible. A trip to a water park, family outings, sports training. After the program, Dmitry lost another 21 kg and is aiming for a total of 97 kg.

Elena Sadikova

The Vyksa native weighed 183 kilograms and experienced great difficulty with normal movement around the city. Before the cold weather set in, she had to wear ballet flats because her stomach prevented her from fastening her boots on her own. Elena recovered after a difficult third pregnancy. She started the project out of resentment towards her daughter, who wrote “1000 kilograms” in her phone. Persistence helped a mother of many children lose 74 kg.

Elena decided not to stop there. In her hometown, together with a nutritionist, Elena launched a marathon to fight for a slim figure. A nutritionist takes care of the participants’ diet, and Elena acts as a motivator, demonstrating her own achievements.

Igor Koshelev

The guy from Kulebaki weighed 188 kg at the age of 19. The guy had psychological problems, a virtual life and a grandmother who tried to feed her granddaughter better, which led to terrifying numbers. During the show, Igor lost 58 kg.

Now he wants to lose another 25 kg. Igor focuses on diet, upsetting his caring grandmother. Koshelev counts calories, eats on time and does cardio and weightlifting. He believes that the program provided excellent conditions, and in real life it is possible to achieve results only with the right self-motivation.

Peter Vasiliev

Peter became the winner of the show, losing 58 kg from 155 kg. After the program, Peter was unable to maintain the result; he began to recover again. Although training and proper nutrition have become his usual way of life. Together with project collaborator Maxim Nekrylov, they created the group “I can do anything.” Using personal example, ex-participants prove that the reserves of the human body are much greater than we think.

Timur Bikbulatov

The winner of the second season of the Weighted People program weighed 164 kg. A lawyer from Kazan managed to lose 50 kg. After the project, Timur lost weight to 80 kg, but felt uncomfortable and determined his ideal weight to be 87 kg. Timur left law and became a fitness trainer. Using personal experience, Bikbulatov helps residents of his hometown get rid of fat folds and lead a sports lifestyle without food excesses.

The coach himself gets up at 5 a.m. and starts his first training session at 7 a.m. Meals are frequent, but little by little, with a minimum of calories. Cardio and strength training six times a week provide the necessary muscle stimulation.

Vesta Romanova

Vesta won the first season of the show. The 50 kilograms she lost helped the girl find happiness in her personal life and get married. However, even before participating in the project, Vesta attracted the attention of men. Vesta weighed 130 kg, and her heels broke under her weight. She looked for diets on the Internet, but did not find the strength to follow them.

Today the girl has her own blog, in which she herself gives advice to those who want to lose weight. With a weight of 70 kg, Romanova feels great. To acquire relief forms, he is going to do drying. Vesta does not drink alcohol, follows a routine, and has become disciplined and responsible.

Oksana Leonova

The Rostov resident weighed 118 kg, she managed to lose 30 in a month. Training was hard for Oksana; she hated the treadmill. Leonova exchanged her job in the catering industry for a vacancy as an administrator at an aesthetic medicine center. After working with a psychologist at the age of 39, the participant fell in love with herself. Excess weight made a woman feel embarrassed about her appearance. After the project, Oksana began to recover again; it was a hormonal imbalance in the body. After contacting an endocrinologist, I had to combine diet, sports and therapy. But Leonova believes in herself and is not afraid of difficulties. She is sure that falls are inevitable, the main thing is to find the strength to get up and move on.

All the winners and participants of the program note that the main benefit of the show is gaining confidence in their abilities and the mindset to change their lives for the better.

Three and a half months ago, one of the brightest participants in the show, Elena Sadikova, could not dress herself, her own daughters called her grandmother, and the eldest, Alina, completely believed that she did not have a mother and she did not want to be like this woman. The reason for this was excess weight - at the age of 37 the scales showed 180 kg. Now Lena is admired by her loved ones, and fans are attacking social networks with words of support - the woman, who has lost 74 kg, returned to her native Vyksa after the “Weighted People” project.

Trying to lose weight lasted a week

In her youth, the girl’s weight did not cause concern; rather, on the contrary, Lena grew up so thin that on the first of September she was carried on the shoulder of a high school student, like the smallest first-grader. At the age of 17, the girl got married and after a while a daughter, Alina, and then Karina were born.

For a loving family, Elena was ready for anything - every day she invented culinary delights to surprise the household. Along with new dishes, extra pounds came into the girl’s life - every year Lena gained 5-10 kg.

I could easily cook food for 50 people - this is not a problem for me,” Elena says confidently. So the woman gained weight to 130 kg.

Being a lifestyle activist, 33-year-old Elena did not lose heart, but cherished the hope of losing weight in order to take part in the annual “Bride” show in Vyksa.

I tried to lose weight every year, but it only lasted for a week. And I decided, I weigh 130, which means 130. I’ll still participate,” Elena recalls.

Relaxed with Malakhov in Thailand

For the competition, Elena sewed a beautiful white dress and prepared a poem of her own composition, in which she confessed her love to her husband from the stage. The participant’s performance went off with a bang and the next day many residents of Vyksa already knew Elena.

The spirit of competition encouraged the woman to apply for the next project “Vacation with Malakhov”. In the questionnaire it was necessary to tell why she should go to Phuket with Andrei Malakhov.

Every year I draw up a wish card and I wrote in the application for participation that my wishes written on this card always come true. And one of the wishes - to go on a trip with Malakhov, the presenter himself can do, thereby proving that the card works, - Elena laughs.

The next day, the woman goes to apply for a foreign passport and after a while, Elena turns out to be one of the 10 lucky people whom Malakhov chose for his vacation.

In 2014, Elena Sadikova took part in the “Vacation with Malakhov” project. Participants spent two weeks with the TV presenter in Thailand Photo: Social network

We lived in a luxurious hotel for two weeks, went on two or three excursions every day, and sailed on a yacht. It was a fairy tale.

After the holiday, the participants became so friendly with each other that they continue to communicate to this day - every year their families meet in Abkhazia.

Almost died in childbirth

When Elena's husband wanted a third child, the woman refused. Allegedly, “and so you live in Raspberry - a wife, two daughters.” Elena was pushed to take a risky step by her husband's diabetes - after the doctors' diagnosis, the man completely wilted. And the devoted wife decided to give birth to a third child at all costs.

The pregnancy was difficult. Elena gained up to 155 kg and experienced strong pressure surges.

One day I felt so bad that I was taken to intensive care. The pressure jumped 220 to 180 and they decided to have a caesarean section.

Elena managed to give birth to a healthy daughter, but for the next nine months the woman hardly walked - the stitch did not heal.

There was no trace left of Elena's activity. The mother of many children had difficulty moving around the house, and getting to the bus stop became a real journey.

My husband invited me to go for walks all the time. And I was very lazy. I found excuses that I needed to cook food or iron clothes.

Before going to bed, Elena saw clear images of tomorrow's freshly prepared dishes. The stomach growled especially satisfactorily for salads with a lot of mayonnaise and side dishes fried in oil.

“My daughter called me a sack of potatoes”

When the mother of many children could no longer dress herself, her daughters sounded the alarm. Alina renamed her mother in the phone book as “1000 kg” and stopped obeying. And Karina cried every now and then because she was afraid of losing her mother.

I asked my mother to lose weight in a good way. She didn't listen. “I believe that I lost my mother a long time ago and I don’t want to be like her,” Alina said terrible words.

The eldest daughter Alina despised her mother for being overweight Photo: Social network

When Alina called me a sack of potatoes, something turned over in me. I felt so upset that I couldn’t sleep,” says Elena.

On the same sleepless night, at three o’clock in the morning the woman filled out a questionnaire for the “Weighted People” project. The questionnaire consisted of 26 questions of the type “what will this give you?” “Who do you want to lose weight for?”

“We don’t need happy and fat people”

Soon Elena is preparing for an interview on Skype, which she successfully passes and goes on the next tour to Moscow.

When I entered the room where the casting took place, I saw a bunch of people and cameras there - photographers, editors, psychologists. They asked a lot and personal questions. Psychologists hit the patient, to the point, and brought out emotions. They said that “we don’t need happy and fat people,” - this is how I remember one of the days of Elena’s casting.

The most recent and difficult test was to successfully pass the medical examination. Those who could withstand strict nutrition and physical activity were selected for the project. A film crew came to the selected applicants' homes and filmed a short video.

It was trash. They filmed absolutely everything - how I rattle dishes in the kitchen, how my daughter snaps at me, how hard it is to get out of bed, how my daughter helps me put on my pants. Thank God that everything wasn’t broadcast,” Elena sighs with relief.

Elena heard the cherished phrase after five months of casting. Then the family did not take the participation of the mother and wife seriously; they believed that they would return home in two weeks. But Lena herself decided to prove the opposite and compete for a place in the final.

“My body went crazy without food”

The woman realized that she was in deep trouble while filming at Sochi airport:

We had to go up and down the stairs many times. We filmed for 10 hours. For me it was a feat.

And the hardest part has not yet begun. When the participants were put on a strict diet, Elena’s body began to rebel.

We ate very little. The body didn’t have enough, it went crazy. The portions seemed tiny. I would have lost my mind a long time ago if there had been anything other than water in the refrigerator where we lived. It was the only thing we had access to around the clock.

Elena told Komsomolskaya Pravda that “brownies” were assigned to the participants, who accompanied them on the street and indoors. All those losing weight had their passports and phones taken away, and access to the street was restricted. Harmful familiar foods were replaced with vegetables and side dishes were removed.

For breakfast they served almond flour casserole with berry syrup. Sugar was replaced with stevia. And salt was consumed with a reduced sodium content. Fruits and cereals were completely excluded from the diet. All dishes were prepared without oil, baked or steamed.

Participants were fed broccoli, squid, shrimp salads, and soups that contained green beans instead of potatoes. Coffee was replaced with chicory, and participants often had to eat flaxseed porridge, which was healthy but unloved by many during the project.

Now many people ask Elena for her diet, hoping to repeat the woman’s success. But the show’s nutritionist Yulia Bastrigina does not recommend repeating such meals for a long time:

The participants were provided with such meals as part of the show. In an extremely short period of time, people had to show tremendous results. For a person in other conditions, such a diet is contraindicated.

“I was afraid that they would send me home for crying”

Elena considers her “red team” and coach Natalya Lugovskikh to be the main achievement of the project.

Elena Sadikova considers getting into the “red” team to be her main achievement Photo: Social network

Natasha made us do cardio every morning. Before breakfast we walked and ran along the street for 40 minutes. I always found myself behind everyone and crying. It was very difficult. But I was afraid to show tears, lest they send me home.

All colleagues on Elena’s team had previously come into contact with sports in one way or another. Some were wrestlers, some were swimmers. There was no sports at all in the life of a mother with many children.

The weigh-in at the end of each week was also a test. According to the script, the participants must weigh themselves in short tops, which made Elena very upset:

I pulled my pants up higher to hide my belly, but they told me to get out. I became hysterical and started crying. I say, it’s ugly and unaesthetic - my stomach looks like it’s been run over by a tractor. But the organizers don’t care - get out and that’s it.

Closer to the finale, Elena was given a video from Malakhov, where the TV presenter supported his old friend and asked her not to give up.

“They called me a fatal woman”

At the final, Elena Sadikova made a splash. Neither the husband, nor the children, nor the participants themselves recognized the former obese woman in the thinner beauty. If at the beginning of the project Lena was dubbed Choli's mother, now her nicknames have become Carmen and Rokovukha.

My husband was delighted, and my daughter decided to follow my example. I wasn't upset that I didn't win. “I want everyone to see that I have turned from a nag into a different person,” says Elena.

If previously Elena Sadikova was called Choli’s mother on the project, now the nickname “Rokovukha” has been attached. Photo: Social network

After the project, the sport was not abandoned - the ex-participant of the show immediately signed up for a local gym.

Fans do not give Elena a pass on social networks; for many, the woman has become a motivator - the questions “how did you achieve such a result?”, “Can you share useful recipes?” is under each photo of a former participant. True, because of such popularity, Elena does not have enough time.

I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to me after the final. Therefore, I slept very little for two days - I answered messages and calls. There were a lot of them, I was even scared, but now I see sincere interest and want to write my story on Instagram.

The red team turned out to be so friendly that the participants communicate even after the project.

Many will come to visit me in Vyksa this summer, even our coach Natasha Lugovskikh. And I plan to start a trip to the dolmens in a month and do yoga there,” Elena shared her plans.