A poster of a tan and toned Jillian Michaels hangs on a wall at Curves in South Sioux City.
Although Michaels, known as "America's Toughest Trainer," is the spokeswoman for the exercise and weight loss center for women, local gymgoers are energized by the success of one of their own: Jenni Durant.
Durant, 44, of South Sioux City, has shed over 80 pounds in 3 1/2 years. She lost half the weight by overhauling her diet and taking up walking. The rest came off when she took a job at Curves.
"It's always been a struggle, especially after you have kids," the mother of three said of her weight as she sat at a purple wooden table just off the workout floor. Women moved through a circuit of machines underneath a sparkling disco ball as pop music from the '70s and '80s blared in the background.
Durant admits she never really liked to exercise before. But after she was diagnosed with diabetes in 2010, she said she came to the realization that she had to make a lifestyle change. The sadness and tiredness Durant, who once weighed 235 pounds, felt on a daily basis was overwhelming.
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"I couldn't even pass a physical, I was so sick," she said.
The then-Cub Scout leader couldn't keep up with her youngest son, Adam, and the other boys while hiking in the hills of Fremont, Neb. After that weeklong camping excursion in the summer of 2011, Durant lost 10 pounds. She resolved not to gain the weight back.
"When I got back home I still made the same foods, but I would only eat half as much; and then I started walking at night," she said.
Durant removed the cookies and crackers from her kitchen cabinet, which irked her husband, Tom, and their kids at first. Today, she said, her family is very supportive.
Durant progressed from walking half a mile to completing three miles, dropping 40 pounds in the process. She saw a help wanted ad for Curves in the newspaper and contacted owner Teri Dolezal, whom she knew from church.
"I came in here and she didn't even recognize me," she recalled. "I kind of did a whole makeover on myself. I grew my hair out; and I got rid of my bangs. I started dressing a little bit nicer because I was tired of wearing those big clothes."
Dolezal ended up hiring Durant, who was introduced to strength training for the first time. She could barely complete two rounds when she started working out on the machines, but now she does three rounds four or five days a week.
"I never thought I'd join a gym, let alone teach an exercise class," said Durant, who leads body basics, a conditioning program.
Durant squatted, dipped and jumped her way to a smaller waistline, losing another 40-plus pounds. Her Christmas gift to herself was slimming down to 150.
"We're very proud of her. She looks fantastic," Dolezal said of Durant, who is sometimes called "drill sergeant" for her seriousness. "They're talking about Jenni more than Jillian."
Durant feels better than she ever has. Her diabetes is reversing itself. She was able to go off of insulin injections and cut the number of pills she takes a day to manage her condition from four to two.
"They see that it can be done because they're watching me do it," Durant said of Curves members. "That fat lady's gone. She's not coming back."
