We witnessed many personal milestones in last night’s episode of Loser. So many that a friend of mine – who knew I would be teary all the way through the show – texted me to say, ‘Go wipe your eyes, Alison!’
Forgive me but it’s hard to not get emotional when you see people overcoming demons, pushing through limiting mental barriers, and claiming their lives back. While all the contestants deserve acknowledgement, I wanted to single out a few people…
Firstly, Julie: Don’t underestimate what a massive leap forward it was for Julie to ask Shannan to stop calling her ‘Mum’. Not only did she make it into the ‘sub 100kg club' last night, but she asserted herself – something she hasn’t done in a long, long time.
Sammy: I know she has a long journey ahead of her, but to acknowledge that her poor self image is getting her nowhere and that, although she’s been doing the hard yards physically, she now needs to ‘work out’ mentally is a big achievement. Big. Massive. Huge!
Teresa: Not only is she looking gorgeous and nothing short of skinny now that she's lost 30kg, but to stare down her self-loathing and start to really like herself will transform Teresa in ways she’s never imagined. Teresa has so much to give life and it’s encouraging that now she recognises that too.
Nathan: I think Nathan deserves credit for being an excellent gamesman. Since the couples have split into teams, he has been the rock of the Reds and his words of support to team mates last night and bitter disappointment that his excellent weight loss of 5.1kg wasn’t enough to keep them from Elimination suggested that he’s not the schemer I thought he was.
Last but certainly not least is Bob. Is this man a machine? Do you believe that by only the eighth week of the competition someone could have lost as much weight as Series 1 winner Adro? That they could have gone on to be The Biggest Loser of the week five times? And all of this at age 56?
Bob’s achievements are extraordinary and inspiring. And while I wish I could say that the story he recalled about being humiliated as a child is extra-ordinary, it’s sadly very common. What’s also common is how we let things like this hold us back and stop us from truly embracing life.
I know because I let being overweight hold me back from life; I let it kill off my dreams and stop me from being who I wanted to be. While I am so blessed to have experienced a life transforming journey such as Loser while I was young, people such as Bob and Sammy prove that it’s never too late or too early to start this important work on yourself.
The other important lesson from Bob last night was not comparing yourself with anyone else. How true that is! I used to compare myself to a 20 year-old-boy (Sam) and an ex Olympic athlete (Kirsten). It wasn’t until very late in the game that I realised this journey is about me and me alone. That’s when the true transformations really started for me.
What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you lose weight; as long as you’re doing something positive each day to improve your health and wellbeing – that’s all that matters.
That’s also why it was such a pleasure for me to catch up with the ‘Perth people’ on Sunday. These group of friends who met on The Biggest Loser Club forums got together to run Jacobs Ladder – a tortuous set of stairs in Kings Park in Perth – and continue the support they have been giving one another in the virtual world. A big thanks to Kreig for organising the event (which you can read about here) and I hope it inspires all of you other Clubbies to organise similar catch-ups in your home towns.
In the meantime, I can’t say I’m looking forward to tonight’s elimination but I’ll be tuning in at 7PM on TEN to lend my support to the Red team. Check your inbox in the morning for my thoughts on the aftermath.
Episode 42 highlights
If you missed last night's show, you can watch the full episode at The Biggest Loser TV show website.
The segment I've shared below is what I'm calling 'Bob's moment' – it's worth a replay even if you saw it live last night.