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EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS
Air Date: Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Time Slot: 8:00 PM-10:00 PM EST on ABC
Episode Title: (#401) "Kathie and Josh"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

BARBARA WALTERS, WHOOPI GOLDBERG & HOSTS OF "THE VIEW" HELP CHRIS POWELL SURPRISE AN OBESE MOTHER & SON LOOKING TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES, ON ABC'S "EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS"

Renowned Chef Rocco Dispirito Guest Stars

"Kathie and Josh" - Over the past 21 years, Kathie and her only child, son Josh, have slowly eaten their way into obesity as a way of dealing with the absence of Kathie's husband - Josh's father - who abandoned the family when Josh was only nine months old. Last year, Kathie wrote a letter to Chris Powell asking for help. Ultimately, both Kathie and Josh will have to work separately to become stronger people together during their year-long transformation on the hit series "Extreme Weight Loss," airing TUESDAY, JUNE 3 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network.

Kathie (52) and Josh (21) are from Charlotte, NC. She is 5'2" and weighs 255 pounds, while Josh is 5'7" and weighs 345 pounds. After an unexpected and messy divorce rendered Kathie a single mom, she became depressed and didn't date at all for the next 20 years. Food was her comfort. With Josh by her side, hurting from the absence of his father, whom he felt disconnected from even though they live in the same town, they both became dangerously overweight as Kathie continually consoled them both with food. With little money to spare, the fast food "dollar menu" became their daily go-to meal (in fact, they keep a giant box full of Happy Meal toys as a reminder of their bad habits).

Now, Kathie harbors so much guilt over Josh's childhood, she can't bring herself to kick him out of the house. Josh, in turn, is so dependent on his mother that he won't leave. Hoping to break this cycle, Kathie wrote a letter to Chris Powell, asking him to take them on as clients. Chris chose to help them in a very surprising, public way: on national television. While in the audience at a taping of "The View," Chris told Kathie and Josh they'd been chosen, and they joined Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and then co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on stage for a live weigh-in to begin their yearlong journey.

Neither Kathie nor Josh knew what to expect when Chris recruited his wife, Heidi, to assist with their transformations, she insisted they focus not only on their health, but on their careers and personal lives as well. While Kathie welcomed a new man into her life, Josh struggled to move out and to do the most difficult thing he's ever done: confront his absent father.

Also in the episode, Chef Rocco Dispirito teaches Kathie and Josh how to break away from their chronic fast food habits and turn to a new way of eating and healthier food choices.

New in Season 4, in addition to working with Chris and Heidi, each participant spends the first 90 days of his or her weight loss journey at the renowned University of Colorado's Anschutz Health and Wellness Center (AHWC) in Aurora, CO.

Chris and Heidi, along with AHWC's medical director Holly Wyatt, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, guide participants on their journeys to safely lose up to half their body weight, ultimately revealing an amazing metamorphosis. The Anschutz Health and Wellness Center offers some of the country's most advanced research and science-based expertise, focusing on a comprehensive weight loss and weight loss management approach, including fitness, nutrition and wellness services.

"Extreme Weight Loss" is produced by Eyeworks USA. JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Matt Assmus and Brant Pinvidic are the executive producers.

For more information on "Extreme Weight Loss," visit ABC.com

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