Press

Cover Search Winner: Josh LaJaunie

If you see LaJaunie’s “before” pictures and then meet him in person, you can’t help but wonder, Who is this guy?

Runner Who Lost 230 Lbs. Starts Private Facebook Group and Helps 52 Men Drop Over 4,000 Lbs. Total

When Thibodaux, Louisiana, native Josh LaJaunie appeared on the December 2016 cover of Runner’s World and revealed he had lost 230 lbs. through running and a plant-based diet, his story touched the lives of many self-described “country boys.”

Facebook fitness group helps members lose collective 4,000 pounds

LaJaunie said he decided to turn his life around after he weighed in at 420 pounds, and he started by just walking on a treadmill. Eventually, he started running, and has since lost 230 pounds.

Facts and Myths with Bojana Jankovic

Board-certified internist Bojana Jankovic Weatherly emcees a game in which Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager try to separate myths from facts about how to prevent and treat the common cold. For instance: How long does a typical cold last?

4 Things You Can Do to Keep From Getting Sick

There are quite a few things you can do to up your chances of staying healthy, if you ask Dr. Bojana Jankovic Weatherly — and we're sharing them all with you.

Meet WellStart Health, the startup that wants to reverse chronic disease

“We help people reverse or significantly arrest their lifestyle-related chronic illnesses by addressing the root causes. We do it through our tech platform, but it's physician-led and dietician and health coach supported.”

Former 400-plus pound Louisiana running celebrity offers advice at Rock ’n' Roll Marathon

What started as a private Facebook group meant to offer encouragement and nutrition advice has grown to a 50-member organization of runners who combined have lost more than two tons of fat.

Chackbay runner’s weight-loss commitment inspires others

“I had a real shakeup with my relationship to what ‘impossible’ meant,” LaJaunie said about the “paradigm earthquake” that motivated him to become fit. “I sort of reviewed my own life and what changes I could make.”

Firefighter shifts lifestyle, loses 100 lbs

Gr8 Inspirations: Firefighter shifts lifestyle, loses 100 lbs.

Food to fuel your next run

Josh LaJaunie, 2016’s Runner’s World Cover Search winner, is on a mission to inspire others to take charge of their health with his Missing Chins Running Club. Topping 420 pounds in his early 30s, he has since lost 230 pounds and shared his inspiring weight loss journey with a meal plan to help you fuel your next run.

Healthcare Innovation Labs Interview

WHCC18 Health Innovation Studio: Howard Jacobson, PhD, MPH, WellStart Health

WellStart Health Joins American College of Lifestyle Medicine Corporate Roundtable

Guthrie, MD, MPH, FACLM. “WellStart Health can be a valuable asset for individuals, physicians and employers in their quest to find healing for many chronic lifestyle related diseases. ACLM is pleased to have them in our Corporate Roundtable.”

10 little ways you're sabotaging your weight-loss efforts

Dr. Saray Stancic, MD, told INSIDER that weight loss is not just about the number on the scale. "It's all about acquiring a new skill set," she said."Learning and reinforcing optimal behaviors leads to adopting new health building habits."

8 Mindfulness Tips to Help You Make It Through the Holidays

Before you can tell yourself to be mindful, you need to learn how to flex this powerful muscle. Dr. Howard Jacobson, cofounder of WellStart Health, says you develop the capacity to be mentally present by practicing. “You don’t get it by wishful thinking or by shaming yourself,” he tells SheKnows. His tip: When you notice that you’re somewhere else in your mind, bring yourself back, and do it again and again.

7 Bad Goals to Avoid (and the 3 Steps to Achieving Any Goal)

Once you've identified some goals that you feel good about, it's time to create a plan to start moving toward them. Howard Jacobson, PhD, co-founder of WellStart Health, recommends following these three steps to achieve truly empowering goals.

Role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease

Guest Bio: Howard Jacobson, PhD Howard Jacobson, PhD, is Chief Behavioral Science Officer at WellStart Health. He is contributing author to Whole, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Proteinaholic, by Garth Davis, MD, and the host of the Plant Yourself Podcast.

Finding Your Inner Doctor: The Rise Of New-Age DIY Tools

At digital health platform WellStart Health, chief medical officer Dr. Saray Stancic also had concerns about self-administered home tests. “[It] conjure[d] up worrisome images of misinterpreted results fueling fear,” she says. But no longer. Stancic highlights a December 2018 report in the highly respected Obstetrics & Gynecology journal to explain her shift. Here, low-income women, a notoriously under-screened demographic, tried home HPV kits, with an in-person test, to check against success...

How this man dropped 230 pounds — and inspired his friends to lose 4,000 combined

"I had tons of medical issues that have went away, and I'm out there running where I couldn't even run before. It's really given me my life back," he says.

‘Sick to Fit’ Josh LaJaunie’s Weight Loss Journey (VIDEO)

Fitness inspiration and author Josh LaJaunie joined us live to talk about his inspiration journey to better health. Josh’s new book is called “Sick to Fit – 3 Simple Techniques that Got Me from 420 pounds to the cover of Runners World, Good Morning American and the Today Show.” For more information, visit his website or visit WellStart Health. You can also follow Josh on social media.

Josh of WellStart Health on Hallmark Home & Family

Josh of WellStart Health on Hallmark Home & Family discusses his book "Sick to Fit".

What Being a Runner Is REALLY Like (as Told by GIFs)

Let’s face it: Your non-runner friends may admire your dedication, but when it comes to understanding the perils and pitfalls of being a member of this unique bunch, it’s safe to say that only another runner knows what being a runner is actually like. From port-o-potty pitstops and chafing in some very awkward spots to your love for all carbs and training shoes, there are certain things all runners know to be true. Here are just 10 of those things...

10 Ways to Get Healthier That Have Nothing to Do With Weight Loss

By focusing solely on the scale, notes Howard Jacobson, PhD, co-founder of WellStart Health, you're actually focusing on avoiding being overweight rather than gaining health. "When we try to avoid something, we naturally slow down and ease up the farther we get from it," he explains. "That's why we can be extremely motivated to say ‘no' to donuts and ice cream and pepperoni pizza at the start of our diet, but when we only have a few more pounds to lose, we tend to give in to cravings because...

 From 400 pounds to the cover of Runner’s World Magazine

Co-Founder of WellStart Health and Author of "Sick to Fit" Josh LaJaunie takes us through his journey from weighing over 400 pounds to being a weight loss sensation.

Meet the man who went from 420 pounds to the cover of “Runner’s World”

Josh LaJaunie used to weigh 420 pounds, but after seeing family members with chronic health conditions and feeling very tired and physically heavy himself, he knew he needed to make a change. He started going to the gym and making simple changes in his life. After he started running, the weight really started to fall off. 230 pounds lighter, he even made the cover of Runner’s World magazine!

How to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep

Josh LaJaunie – WellStart Health - One of my favorite ways to assure a good night’s sleep is to be truly, physically tired. I never sleep better than when I’m training for something scary. And it scares me into an early morning wake-up on the regular. Something else I find helpful is to get the TV out of the bedroom. Not off. Out. Gone. I may watch a few videos and scroll through social media in bed, which I know is oft deemed a “no-no”, but it pales in comparison to my old amount of...

Josh LaJaunie's Morning Routine

Josh LaJaunie is the co-founder of WellStart Health and author of Sick to Fit. Having tipped the scales at over 400 pounds in 2011, Josh has since lost over half his body mass. He currently live in Thibodaux, Louisiana.What is your morning routine? I usually wake up around 4:00am and begin my run by 4:30 or so, while waiting for the gym to open at 5:00. After an hour of running, I go inside my gym where I do some body-weight strength work—usually pull-ups, push-ups, and dips. How long have...

Healthy Identity with Howard Jacobson, PhD

Physical health is obviously critical to overall well-being. Have you ever thought about the importance of aligning your life values with your health goals? Why does identity matter? Learn more about creating healthy lifestyle changes with the co-founder of WellStart Health and prolific author, Howard Jacobson, PhD.

Why it Takes More Than a Healthy Diet to Achieve Optimal Health

In this episode of the Jennifer Zee Plant-based and Happy Podcast, Olivia Kelly of Wellstart Health, shares about the innumerable benefits of a healthy lifestyle and why having support is so important to healthy living success.

Secrets of People Who Lost Major Pounds and Kept Them Off

Shedding triple digits (or nearly that) requires commitment, discipline and a lifestyle change that involves more than just food choices. Josh LaJaunie, Wellstart's co-founder is one of the inspiring featured stories in this article of weight loss success.

WellStart Health Joins Blue Shield of California's New Digital and Community-Health Network

"Most common chronic diseases are caused by lifestyle, but the good news is, they can be improved and often even reversed by changing one's lifestyle," said Olivia Kelly, co-founder and CEO of WellStart Health. "We are excited to collaborate with like-minded, mission-driven, organizations like Blue Shield and Solera to expand our reach, helping more people prevent and reverse chronic diseases and make lasting lifestyle change.