Transformation Nation Success Story: Dawn Villanueva

For Dawn Villanueva, getting healthy in the Dr. Oz’s Transformation Nation Million Dollar You Challenge was a family affair. Villanueva lost 43 pounds and made her first doctor’s appointment in 15 years. Her husband lost 40 pounds, too.

“We both feel younger and healthier than ever,” she says.

Villanueva, who is from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, is a finalist in Dr. Oz’s Transformation Nation: Million Dollar You Challenge. You’ll have to tune into the Dr. Oz Show May 23 to find out if she’s the winner, but Villanueva already feels like one. “I am now 40 and fabulous,” she says.

More than a million people took Dr. Oz’s Transformation Nation: Million Dollar You Challenge, losing an estimated 3 million pounds and transforming their health in a thousand different ways.

For Villanueva and her family, those ways included eating healthier. The family added lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein to their diet. They’re also getting more exercise. In February, they ran a 5K together. Villanueva came in second in her age group, her husband came in 10th, her daughter came in fourth and her son in third.

The lifestyle changes helped Villanueva go from a body mass index of 29—overweight—to a BMI of 21.  But the effort may have helped her husband even more—he no longer suffers from sleep apnea and he’s been able to cut the dosage for one of his high blood pressure medicines in half.

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File under: Success Stories