Face the fear II

It was great to see Tiff, Julie and Meaghan overcome their fears on last night’s episode. As Tiff put it, after parachuting out of a plane, life is never going to be the same again.

I could really relate to that feeling Tiff has shared throughout the series about her life being defined as a mother and a wife. They are two very important roles to be proud of but when you start to lose your sense of self to them, well, it becomes very easy to gain weight.

I had been in these roles for the better part of two decades by the time I got involved with Loser. Tiff is lucky that she hasn’t been a wife and a mum for too long – she can still choose which direction to go and how to give everything she has to her family but still preserve a little time and energy to take care of herself. It’s so very important, and if anyone can do it, it’s Tiff.

I could also relate to what Meaghan was saying about how being overweight controlled her life and how all the nasty comments people used to make just shut her down emotionally. As she has said many times on this journey, she just kept putting up barriers between herself and life. I hope her time in New Zealand and especially being suspended from a helicopter and swung over the mouth of a volcano has given Meaghan the sense of how free, joyous and exhilarating life can be when you let the barriers down.

Perhaps the most touching moment of last night’s show was when the trainers presented each contestant with a jade stone to represent their virtues on this journey. Cam’s comments when Michelle gave him the ‘Living Strength’ pendant and asked him what he had learned were very poignant. He said, “The comfort zone is a flatline, no ups, no downs, and people with a flatline are dead. I was dead when I came here… This journey has given me life and with it comes the wife.” The ‘Living Strength’ pendant represents confidence, pride and self-belief – qualities that have really blossomed in Cameron, especially over the past few weeks.

I remember being awarded a similar pendant by Shannan last year.  He gave me a turtle, and not because I was the slowest at everything! The turtle symbolised balance because before Loser I really struggled to have balance in my life. I’m proud to say 12 months on I have achieved that balance. I now have a good balance between family, work life and time for myself. I’m able to be assertive but still give as much, if not more, to everyone than I could before. It’s taken a year to get it right, but boy is it worth it!

I hope this year’s contestants can find a similar balance in their own lives and that they never forget the thrill and wonder of the week in New Zealand. The experience will have changed them forever; they will never be the same again.

I’m looking forward to see them tackle the super challenge tonight although I’m also a little anxious as it means one of them is goinghome. Be sure to tune in at 7PM on TEN and check your inbox in the morning for my daily update.

Episode 59 highlights

If you missed last night's show, you can watch the full episode at The Biggest Loser TV show website.

The segment I have shared below includes a catch-up with two of the wonderful couples, Jamie and Donna-Louise and Ben and Kate, who just missed out on a place in the show but are losing weight at home with the help of the Meal Replacement Program. Keep up the great work! I can't wait to see these guys at Finale.