This Mom Beat Cancer After She Changed to a Healthier Lifestyle and Lost 76 Lbs.: 'I Want to Be Here for My Kids' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jen Coleman.Photo:Courtesy of Jen Coleman;Gene SmirnovOne of the most memorable hugs in Jen Coleman’s life was when her 6-year-old son put his arms all the way around her last year and said, “Mom, my hands are touching!” She tears up at the memory.“He saw what a healthy mom looks like,” Coleman says. “I don’t want that to ever change.”Since she was a child, she was conscious of her weight. At her heaviest, Coleman was 309 lbs., but after having her two daughters, now 13 and 9, she slimmed down and was active enough to run a 5K.Then the pandemic hit. “In that terrifying environment, the negative coping skills I had with food reemerged,” she says. “I’d be at the nurse’s station stress eating. Scrubs are the most forgiving clothes.”In July 2022 she turned to Optavia, a weight-management program, for help. Paired with a health coach (“accountability made a difference”), she focused on her motivation rather than weight.“I was always chasing after the number on the scale,” she says. Instead she discovered her “why”—the three kids she shares with her husband, John: “It’s my job to parent them. If I’m not healthy, I won’t be here for that.”Jen Coleman with her son.Gene SmirnovNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.With healthier food choices, like swapping pasta for spaghetti squash, and a more active lifestyle (she took up boxing, pickleball and coaching her kids’ sports teams), Coleman lost 76 lbs. and is down to 165.In April she faced another setback when she was diagnosed with lymphoma.When friends offered to bring meals to help her through chemotherapy, “I could have used it as an excuse to eat comfort foods, but I asked for healthy options like grilled chicken,” says Coleman, whose scan in November showed she’s cancer-free.“It’s a true lifestyle change.”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

Jen Coleman.Photo:Courtesy of Jen Coleman;Gene Smirnov

Courtesy of Jen Coleman;Gene Smirnov

One of the most memorable hugs in Jen Coleman’s life was when her 6-year-old son put his arms all the way around her last year and said, “Mom, my hands are touching!” She tears up at the memory.“He saw what a healthy mom looks like,” Coleman says. “I don’t want that to ever change.”Since she was a child, she was conscious of her weight. At her heaviest, Coleman was 309 lbs., but after having her two daughters, now 13 and 9, she slimmed down and was active enough to run a 5K.Then the pandemic hit. “In that terrifying environment, the negative coping skills I had with food reemerged,” she says. “I’d be at the nurse’s station stress eating. Scrubs are the most forgiving clothes.”In July 2022 she turned to Optavia, a weight-management program, for help. Paired with a health coach (“accountability made a difference”), she focused on her motivation rather than weight.“I was always chasing after the number on the scale,” she says. Instead she discovered her “why”—the three kids she shares with her husband, John: “It’s my job to parent them. If I’m not healthy, I won’t be here for that.”Jen Coleman with her son.Gene SmirnovNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.With healthier food choices, like swapping pasta for spaghetti squash, and a more active lifestyle (she took up boxing, pickleball and coaching her kids’ sports teams), Coleman lost 76 lbs. and is down to 165.In April she faced another setback when she was diagnosed with lymphoma.When friends offered to bring meals to help her through chemotherapy, “I could have used it as an excuse to eat comfort foods, but I asked for healthy options like grilled chicken,” says Coleman, whose scan in November showed she’s cancer-free.“It’s a true lifestyle change.”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

One of the most memorable hugs in Jen Coleman’s life was when her 6-year-old son put his arms all the way around her last year and said, “Mom, my hands are touching!” She tears up at the memory.

“He saw what a healthy mom looks like,” Coleman says. “I don’t want that to ever change.”

Since she was a child, she was conscious of her weight. At her heaviest, Coleman was 309 lbs., but after having her two daughters, now 13 and 9, she slimmed down and was active enough to run a 5K.

Then the pandemic hit. “In that terrifying environment, the negative coping skills I had with food reemerged,” she says. “I’d be at the nurse’s station stress eating. Scrubs are the most forgiving clothes.”

In July 2022 she turned to Optavia, a weight-management program, for help. Paired with a health coach (“accountability made a difference”), she focused on her motivation rather than weight.

“I was always chasing after the number on the scale,” she says. Instead she discovered her “why”—the three kids she shares with her husband, John: “It’s my job to parent them. If I’m not healthy, I won’t be here for that.”

Jen Coleman with her son.Gene Smirnov

Gene Smirnov

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

With healthier food choices, like swapping pasta for spaghetti squash, and a more active lifestyle (she took up boxing, pickleball and coaching her kids’ sports teams), Coleman lost 76 lbs. and is down to 165.

In April she faced another setback when she was diagnosed with lymphoma.

When friends offered to bring meals to help her through chemotherapy, “I could have used it as an excuse to eat comfort foods, but I asked for healthy options like grilled chicken,” says Coleman, whose scan in November showed she’s cancer-free.

“It’s a true lifestyle change.”

For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

source: people.com