Black Magic? Possessed By a Bad Spirit? A Reaction to the Latest News About Richard Simmons

The New York Daily News ran a lengthy, in-depth story about Richard Simmons on Saturday, and it spread like wildfire. It is a fascinating read by Andy Martino. I highly recommend you take a few minutes and check it out. Read it here.

The story, naturally, is about Richard Simmons’ disappearance from the public eye. It’s been over two years since Richard has taught a class or made a public appearance. It’s been two years since I’ve seen him or heard from him. I consider Richard a friend, and he’s a very important person in my life. It was with his help that I lost 160 pounds – weight I’ve kept off for over five years. I appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Doctors” with Richard, and I was in one of his infomercials, too.

I haven’t written about Richard lately on this blog, if only because

The National Enquirer Called Me ‘Elderly’! (An Update on Richard Simmons…Kind Of)

On Thursday, I took an exercise class at Slimmons. Anne led it, and it was excellent, and a bunch of friends were there. I even posted a selfie on Instagram and Facebook:

I like going to Slimmons, even though Richard isn’t there, because

Richard Simmons Hasn’t Been Seen in 18 Months… But Here’s Why I’m Still Going to Slimmons

Last Thursday night marked the first time in over a month that I took an aerobics class at Slimmons. A busy travel calendar kept me away, and I was excited to return. The Slimmons classroom has a long history, and it’s a very important place for me. And the reason why is evolving.

Richard Simmons opened the doors at Slimmons 41 years ago. He wanted to create a

I Met Richard Simmons Five Years Ago This Month…

…so some sort of celebration is in order, right?

Left: Richard and me in January, 2010. I was 402 pounds. Right: Richard with me weighing well over 100 pounds less.

I don’t really feel like celebrating, though. I don’t know what I’m feeling, to be quite honest, and, to paraphrase a song lyric, I don’t know how I feel about that.

There’s a lot to celebrate, and muddled emotions aside, I am still very

My Current Favorite Workout Songs

Every once in a while, I share what I’m listening to on my iPod. Music is an important part of my workouts, and I’m always on the hunt for new songs and artists to throw into the mix. This post has some of my current favorites. Maybe one (or more) of these will strike your fancy! And maybe you can share, in the comments section, the songs you love!

I might as well call this list the

Attend My Upcoming Online Q&A!

Exciting News! The good folks at Bowflex have invited me to participate in their upcoming online webinar, “The Journey to Health and Fitness”!  It’s going to be a live Q&A-style event, with a panel including me, Tom Holland (Bowflex’s in-house Fitness Advisor), and Brooke Birmingham, who blogs over at Brooke Not On A Diet. Brooke’s lost 170 pounds, and is really inspiring and courageous. I admire her a lot. We’ll be talking about health, fitness, and the journey each of us took to get to where we are today. It sounds like it’ll be a pretty casual affair with a lot of helpful, motivational information. And here’s the best part: YOU can help shape the conversation, because we’ll be answering questions from viewers! So think up some good Qs and I’ll provide some good As! 

“The Journey to Health and Fitness” will be live-streamed one week from tomorrow, so mark your calendars!  That’s Tuesday, July 22nd at 8:00am PT/11:00am ET.  CLICK HERE to pre-register so you can tune in on your computer, tablet, or smartphone!

Drop me a line

The Disappearance of Richard Simmons

Earlier this month, I got a tweet from Richard Simmons. Even though it only said “XOXO,” that tweet was really special, because it was the first time I’ve heard anything from Richard in four months.

Richard is a remarkably accessible celebrity. He’s taught aerobics in Beverly Hills for 40 years, and anyone can come and exercise with him. It’s been reported that he’ll call 50 people a day, all across the country, to check in on them. He’ll respond to hundreds of emails and messages on social media every week.

Recently, though, it’s all come to a grinding halt. Richard hasn’t taught a class since February. He’s stopped answering emails. No one I know has heard from him. There are still Facebook and Twitter messages, but there’s a good chance they’re posted by his staff. Richard, for lack of a better word, has disappeared.

March Workout Calendar and April Weigh-In

Physically speaking, March was a very successful month for me. It started with a very challenging stair race in Las Vegas, and ended with another stair race, equally challenging, in San Diego. All in all, I exercised 25 out of 31 days in March, and I know this because I log all my workouts on my calendar.

March Weigh-In AND My Next Two Races

Yikes! I’m over a week late with my March weigh-in results! I didn’t actually weigh myself until the 4th, after getting back from Las Vegas, and I delayed this post to get all three of my Vegas posts written and published (read them here, here and here).

Let’s not delay things any longer!

I stayed even. I’ll take it. Maintaining is a win! My weight

My Anniversary Tutu!

It’s my anniversary! Four years ago this week, I accepted Richard Simmons’ offer to help me lose weight. He asked me to come to my second exercise class at Slimmons and meet with him afterwards, at his house in the Hollywood Hills. And I did. There, we talked about my weight (I was 402 pounds) and the health problems I might face if I didn’t take action. Richard asked me to start logging everything I ate and drank, and I began emailing him those lists. And that’s how it all began. Here’s Richard and me from 2010:

And here’s me and Richard from last night – 4 years later!