Weighing in at 182kg on the 27th of November 2008 was pretty scary.
At my heaviest
I knew I was big but I didn’t think I had gotten that big. On that day in Sydney I was weighing in as part of the Second Chance Team for the 2009 series of the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser. While disappointed I didn’t make the main game at least I was given an opportunity to lose weight, though at the time I was sceptical and I remember thinking to myself that if I could lose weight from home I wouldn’t have applied for the friggin show in the first place! That being said, I took on the challenge. Over the new few blogs and days, I will recount my story and if it motivates just one person to take the challenge to reclaim their lives then it is worth me taking the time to tell the story. If you want any questions answered or advice, please drop me a line as I am more than happy to pass on what I have learnt.
To begin with I will show the weekly diary entries that I sent to the Biggest Loser Online Club which they added onto their website. You can see their edited versions and photos etc here. For the raw stuff, here you go:
Weeks 1 to 5
Week 1:
First day and it went pretty well. Felt a little hungry at different times. The secret I think will be to eat small meals regularly. I have set an alarm to go off on my phone at 10.30am for morning tea and at 2.30pm for afternoon tea so I don’t forget. Feeling good.
Tuesday
Easy day today food wise. Not as hungry as yesterday. I’m finding I have a lot of calories left at the end of the day. I don’t think I can eat too much more vegies. Perhaps an extra piece of fruit or 2 is the way forward. Parked my car about 4 blocks away from work and walked to the office from there. Each week I will park a little further away.
Wednesday
Big test day today with me being in a foreign environment not condusive to assisting me to eat the right foods. I came through ok. The lunch provided at the course today had chicken, beef and heaps of green vegies and lettuce. I skipped the dessert at lunch and skipped morning and afternoon teas but had fruit I brought along instead. The BLOC food program is excellent. For too long now I have eaten the same foods over and over. It is nice to have some variety.
Thursday
Well another easy day today. Temptations were still available at the course including mini drumstick ice creams. I’ve got the self control at the moment to say no. Even though I am finding that I am not using all my calories per day and I could theoretically have a small dessert to catch the numbers up I know that I am playing with fire and one small dessert could lead to much more. I don’t need it, I don’t crave it, I don’t want it. It’s as simple as that. One more day to go with this course then 5 more days at the office then bingo! 4 weeks holidays and hello gym. Bring it.
Friday
Ok – last day of the course today and my nightmare happened. The lunch they served was terrible. Nothing that I would ever eat including sushi. They had curry chicken (yuk) which I forced myself to eat. I had to fill up with three bread rolls (small ones). I am proud of myself here because normally I would have chosen white rolls, but instead I chose wholemeal. They actually were pretty nice. So the big test is this weekend. No distractions like work and courses to take my mind off things. If I get through this weekend….sorry, when I get through this weekend then I have gone 7 days and there is NO looking back.
Saturday
So first full day at home and no probs. Ate when I should and what I should. The recommended fish and chips was great. I’ve never had grilled fish before and after I smothered it in lemon juice it was great. I didn’t eat anywhere near the same amount of chips I normally would either but with a big salad I had plenty to eat. However, straight after eating I was still hungry and that remained until I had dessert so not sure what that means.
I mowed the lawn today as well. Normally I would do the front today and then the back next week but I pushed myself to do both and I whipper snippered as well. I felt pretty strong doing it so very happy with my energy levels.
Sunday
Didn’t eat breakfast today cause had to weigh in at Tony Ferguson as they are the only scales that carry my weight. They didn’t open until 10am and therefore had no time for breakfast before we went to the movies. I know this is a no-no and I won’t do it again but it was a little out of my control as I got to Tony Ferguson at 9.15am thinking they opened at 9am.
Went to the movies and saw Australia again with mum and my sister and brother in law while Lisa took the girls to see High School Musical 3. Had subway for lunch and no snacks or soft drink in the film but drank 2 bottles of water. Just got home at 6pm and about to cook pizza for dinner but am substituting a few toppings. Still 413 calories to go after adding cheese, bacon and chicken so all good. Oh, lost 3.8kg after 6 days. Pretty happy with that considering the strange week with all of the course interruptions and work dinner. Bring on week 2 starting tomorrow which is my last week of work then 4 weeks off. That part of the journey starts the full time fitness segment.
The summaries altered for the remainder of the ‘journey’ to not be like a diary but more like a summary of the week. It makes for easier reading.
Week 2:
Well week 2 is over and done and no dramas keeping the focus on using the online club. This week I learnt that I can swap a meal from another area quite easily. I don’t like prawns etc so swapped Friday’s meal for another I have previously had and it was quite easy.
My challenge this week was drinking enough water. I think that is the main reason I didn’t have as big a weight loss this week. This week coming I am in the gym 4 hours a day as my holidays have started and I need to keep my fluid levels up so I don’t dehydrate. I will also need to make sure I am hitting as close to 2500 calories each day so I have the energy to hit the gym.
I parked further away from the office on Thursday and while walking tripped on the gutter and grazed my elbow and palms. I’m surprise the cars that were following me didn’t crash as the drivers would have been in fits of laughter. I expected Green Peace to show up and rescue the beached whale! All jokes aside my left arm has been pretty sore the last two days so I think I might have bruised it. Hopefully it is minor.
18 months ago I first tried Tony Ferguson and after todays weigh in I am 400gms heavier than then. What a wasted 18 months. I promise I won’t waste it again.
I tried to recreate the photo from the photo shoot in Sydney, wearing the same clothes and same positioning etc so that each week the changes become really obvious. The outcome wasn’t great (those professional photographers know what they are doing) but if I can recreate it next Sunday it will be based on today’s shot so it should look more realistic.
Week 1 weigh in
Well enough from me. Operation Slim Jim is in full swing and week 3 for me is when it really begins with the gym program starting.
Week 3:
Week 3 saw the start of my major assault on winning the second chance competition. Once I found out that the at home comp was on I quickly organized for 4 weeks holidays over Christmas. The purpose of this holiday was not to sit on my butt as usual but to hit the gym and sweat out the kilos. So after securing membership at Goodlife and loads of personal training it was time to hit it on Monday afternoon. I spent a total of 5 days in the gym this week and one whole day cleaning out my garage as another work out. I walked, I ran, I cycled and I boxed. I worked through the pain barrier (no pain no gain right!). I feel great. Back there at 8 am Monday morning for week 2.
Food wise has been a struggle this week. I haven’t been eating anything bad but I haven’t been eating enough with well over 500 calories left over most days. Because I have been so busy with the gym and getting stuff done around the house I have simply forgetten to eat. Something to work on in week 4.
I met with Craig Smith (2008 Biggest Loser at home contestant and winner) this week and he has been great.
2008 Biggest Loser at home champion, Craig Smith
He’s my new brother from another mother. He has been great support and we have trained together a couple of times and he has given me great advice and encouragement.
Well a loss of only 3.5 of this week is pretty disappointing considering the effort put into at the gym but I will not let that get me down. Overall a loss of 9.6 in 3 weeks is a good effort. I will do better this week.
Week 4:
Well the all important Christmas week went by without a hitch. With temptations beckoning on each corner the challenge was to not take any, which I am proud to say I didn’t. Only a small weight loss of 2.5kg for the week which was a little disappointing but if I take the whole second chance competition out of the frame, then I am learning skills to last a life time. However, that being said, I want to be the Biggest Loser out of all 20 of us so it is very important I stay focused and start to sweat more.
I picked up a foot injury last Tuesday at the gym and with two days rest on Christmas Day and Boxing Day I was hoping it would come good for the weekends sessions at the gym, unfortunately though it hasn’t so a trip to the physio is booked in for Tuesday morning to see what is up with it. The gym has been good and with plenty of boxing with my trainer, Mick, I wouldn’t want to be someone meeting me in a dark alleyway. Watch out for my hook and uppercut.
Food wise I didn’t follow the program exactly for the week for different reasons including lack of time, location and also not liking some of the menu options. I did however never go above 2000 calories anyday (my limit is 2500) so I am learning that if I don’t follow the program, providing I stay within the calorie targets then I am on the right track.
Hitting the pool tomorrow for the first time (gotta dust off those togs).
Signing off at 12.1kg less than I was 4 weeks ago, see you next week at hopefully 15kg or more.
Week 5:
Week 5 was a bit of a frustrating week. While I achieved a weight loss of 1.9kg most of this didn’t come off until the weekend. On Tuesday I attended the physio to have my foot looked at and I have strained a tendon in my left foot which is making walking and running extremely painful. The physio ordered 2 weeks rest but I said that wasn’t possible so have been working around it by mainly spending my time in the pool. I suppose with a loss of 1.9kg and having the injury I should be happy with it but I feel I am at least 6 – 8 kg behind where I wanted to be by this stage.
Food has been fine so no probs there with me constantly hitting around 1500 – 1600 calories a day instead of the 2500 I am allowed. Actually I did have a slight issue with food where each night I was having a caramello koala or 2. I figured that I had spare calories left so why not give myself a little treat late at night. There is an upside to this, normally I would have devoured a 250gm block of chocolate no probs, where as 2 koala’s is only 40gm’s so I have learnt that you can have your little indulgence every now and then but by doing it in moderation you can still have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. The downside is that 40gm of chocolate is not being worked off as it is the last thing I am eating at night and I go to bed not long after it. So I haven’t had a caramello koala since Thursday night so a little win for me.
Week 6 is starting now and as it is my last week of holidays I need to step up at the gym and pool. Today I bought flippers and goggles so I can swim properly at the pool instead of just doing walking laps so now my whole body will get the benefit. I didn’t take a photo at the end of week 4 but did this week and I can finally start to see a change in my shape. I suppose that 14kg has got to have an impact somewhere.
End of week 5
To be continued highlighting weeks 6 to 10.
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