Ashley

Participant Bio

By the time she was 20 years old, the fashion conscious, Hollywood-adoring Ashley found herself at a dangerous weight of 323 pounds. A cosmetology student, the friendly and outgoing Ashley is motivated to lose the weight as she fears her appearance may keep her from getting a job in the beauty industry.

Ashley, whose parents divorced when she was a year old, has never been able to conquer her weight. Her family enjoys large gatherings at home surrounded by Italian food and despite her best efforts, Ashley has been unable to get her addiction to food under control. Living at home and without a driver's license, Ashley is dependent on her mother. Ashley seeks much-needed support from her as well as her sisters. As Ashley transforms her body, trainer Chris Powell encourages her to take great emotional steps to change her relationship with her estranged father.  

At the beginning of her year-long weight loss journey, Ashley is stunned to learn that her body mass index is over 60 percent, which at her young age is causing problems one would see in a woman in her 50s. Ashley is determined to work hard to reverse the harm she has done to her body, while taking leaps of faith to become a confident, independent woman. She hopes Chris's expertise and support will help her regain her health and claim independence.