Account executive Kate, 31, wants to get down to a svelte 66kg. With friend and Challenge partner Ben by her side there are sure to be laughs along the way.
Update 10
This week has been pretty tough. Work has been mad and I have been feeling really tired. I didn’t have a great weight loss and neither did Ben. I know that hitting a plateau at some point is normal, but I am determined to stay positive about the whole thing. It’s great to know that I now weigh less than 90kg and I am closing the 10kg gap between my husband Mark and I.
I also started boot camp this week. If I had realised that I would be running in the dark, rolling around on the wet, muddy ground and getting told off for putting my hands on my hips (the whole team gets punished with 10 push-ups) I probably wouldn’t have signed up in the first place! The 6am starts are definitely not a favourite, either.
This week, I also took a bit of time to reflect on the last couple of months and how lucky I have been to have had the support from my family and friends. I have also made a whole heap of new friends – the Second Chance Challenge Team. Tanya is great; she has been such a tower of strength to me and is always offering me advice and support and just being the gorgeous person that she is. We chat regularly and we’ve decided to have a girls’ weekend in Melbourne soon. I am flying over to her and we will train together and also meet up with Jodie and Craig. I am really looking forward to it.
The end of the competition is so close and the reality of this is starting to set in. I am not sure whether I am happy or sad about it – probably a bit of both. I think the best thing about the whole experience is that I have learnt so much from this and I am positive that I can continue to lose weight and get fitter in my ‘normal’ life.
Update 9
This week has been a good week for both my husband Mark and I. We have been doing lots of exercise out in the fresh air. I have really felt a sense of achievement running outside. I did my first fun run this week at the Carisbrook Classic. I opted for the 5km race and ran it in 35 minutes. I was very happy with the result as I didn't stop once and had a really even and steady run going. Considering how easily I did it, I think I am going to have to step it up next time and do the 10km race!
We also caught up with a lot of family that Mark and I hadn't seen for ages this week. They were very surprised at how much weight I had lost and how different I look now. There were even a few comments about how happy Mark and I seem to be (not that we haven't always been happy, but I suppose we are a lot more relaxed and healthy now!). They were good comments to hear.
I didn't have the greatest weight loss this week, but I have finally got into the 80s which is a massive achievement. I think I am officially at my lightest adult weight ever now. It’s funny to think that only a few weeks ago I was all excited about my work suits and clothes were fitting me perfectly, but now they are all hanging off of me. Yesterday I had my work pants rolled over at the top three times so that they wouldn't fall down and then I realised that my ankles were showing (how embarrassing!). Oh well, I guess I will just have to go shopping...
Update 8
I have really started to feel the effects of my weight loss this week. Having lost 25kg, I feel I have now crossed over into new territory. I haven’t been this small since year 10 at high school and back then I was a netballer who played a minimum of five games a week. I feel a lot happier about life now. I feel as if a huge weight (literally and metaphorically) has been lifted from my shoulders.
I think the highlight of the week was cleaning out my wardrobe on Saturday. I moved all the baggy ‘fat’ clothes into the spare room and packed them all away and I moved all the ‘thin’ clothes (that haven’t fitted for years) back into the wardrobe. It is great that I have so many nice things that all fit comfortably now. It is just awesome.
We also went shopping on Saturday and I was very pleased to see that a size 16 top fitted comfortably. I can’t believe it! If anything, the top was a little baggy and I could have got into a size 14! It is just insane that only a few weeks ago I was a size 22 (which was tight and uncomfortable) and now I am nearly sliding into a size 14! I can honestly say that I have never been able to buy clothes from a ‘normal’ person’s shop. It has always been the big girl's shops and I fully intend never to go in there again!
Update 7
We had a surprise lunch on Friday at work; the surprise was that we didn’t know what we would get for $10 per head. I was a bit worried but decided to go ahead and put my name down. It was steamed snapper, turkey, lean steak and salad. What a bonus! I couldn’t have made anything better!
I spent a bit of time with mum at the weekend and she gave me a pair of track suit pants that she no longer wanted. I didn’t ask what size they were — I just put them on and although they were a snug fit, they felt really nice. I checked when I got home and was delighted to find that they are only a size 14!
Ben has been down this weekend and it has been great catching up with him. We had a joint session with my personal trainer Andrew and boy was it tough! Andrew reckons it was the hardest that he has seen me work, which I was a little surprised about as I didn’t feel too bad afterwards. We did lots of running which I know is Ben’s least favourite exercise but he came out of it well. Andrew loaded up backpacks with the weight that each of us have lost and made us hike up a hill. This was probably one of the most defining moments for both of us as we couldn’t believe that we used to live with this weight every day. Crazy stuff!
Another great piece of news is that I have finally taken 20% off my starting weight and am almost at my lightest ever adult weight. I am delighted and a bit relived as I have now qualified for Finale in April!
Update 6
My exercise regime has really stepped up a notch this week. Every time I think about slacking off I think about the contestants in the house and how I am sure that they have the opportunity to work out a lot more than we do. I figure the times you go to gym when you really don't feel like it are what really counts. I have cracked running at 10km/hour and it feels great. I think the faster I go the better it feels but I can only last for a small amount of time. I made a promise to my husband Mark this week that my long-term goal is to run the City to Bay Marathon (12km) in one hour and 10 minutes in September.
The Second Chance catch-up in Sydney was fantastic and I feel it has motivated me more to keep going. It was great to see everyone and I must say I was very impressed with how healthy and happy they look. What a difference we have all made so far.
One of the best things about this week was as the taxi drove up to Centennial Park and I saw some people gathered around and noticed this handsome looking guy who was so tall and thin. My jaw hit the ground when I realised I was looking at Benny! OMG! He looks absolutely fantastic and is so happy! I am so proud of him and the rest of the team. They have all done so great!
I was especially tickled pink to be able to fling myself onto Ben and for him to be able to lift me off of the ground without me squashing him. It was a very proud moment!
The highlight of the week was meeting Alison Braun, runner up of The Biggest Loser 2008. It was so lovely to meet Alison and she is unbelievably gorgeous and such a genuine person. It was so great to hear her talk so honestly about her journey and how she has gone back to real life after the show. What an inspiration.
Had a good loss this week, which has reinspired me to go that little bit harder. I want to be in the 70s by Finale and to do so have another 16kg to lose. I am now more determined than ever to do it. It will also be nice to finally weigh less than my husband Mark!
Update 5
This week I have cracked the balancing act; I can now fit in a couple of exercise sessions twice a day around work by shifting my sleeping patterns and getting to bed a lot earlier.
Ben and I have stayed on track and we both realise that this is the key to success and to keeping the weight off.
Food wise I have done really well. I eat smaller meals more often. It’s great! Everyone at work has been really supportive, which makes the world of difference. The Challenge has really taken over my life and it seems like it is the only thing that Mark and I and the family talk about. Some days I just wish I could forget about the whole thing, but that’s only for a split second and then I get right back on track.
I tried on the dress I wore at my engagement the other day (it hasn’t fitted me for nearly two years) and it was really exciting as not only could I get it on, it actually felt a little loose. Things like this really get my motivation levels soaring! All those clothes that have been sitting unused in my wardrobe for so long are gradually starting to fit me again.
I was briefly in first position on the Second Chance Challenge leaderboard until Michael pipped me again! This is the second week in a row that he has beaten me for the top spot and I am so determined to get back there! We’ll have to wait and see how I go this week.
Weighing-in today, it was really exciting to find that I am now under the 100kg mark! Yay! My next goal is to get under 92kg, my lowest adult weight and coincidentally the same weight I was when I met Mark!
Update 4
My training schedule was a bit on the light side last week and I definitely felt a bit guilty for taking the time off. This week has been another story though. I have been exercising constantly. Much to my amazement my body hasn’t been too sore and is recovering quite nicely.
My friends and I went out to a really swanky restaurant the other night and I was the only one that didn’t drink or have the seven course degustation menu. I stuck with grilled fish and lots and lots of salad. I had a great time and I really enjoyed watching the others tuck into their really fancy meals. The best part of it was that I wasn’t hung over the next day and I didn’t have a belly ache from overeating. Sometimes, in my recent past life, I would gorge myself on fatty foods to the point that I couldn’t get off of the sofa. Now I wonder how I could have been so silly to have put my body through that. I know now that you really do get out of life what you put in.
Mark and I are exercising together more and, as my personal trainer is away, we did the playground exercise plan. (Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Well, let me tell you it is one of the hardest you can do!). I had only ever run the short interval course three or four times before but this week I managed to complete the course 10 times and Mark completed it 14 times (he kept lapping me which bugged me so it made me go faster to catch him up!). It was a great all-over workout. We have also been doing quite a bit of gardening and general tidying up of the yard and I have been sweating up a storm shovelling soil from the trailer into the garden. Every little bit counts!
Right now, I am feeling really good and I feel a lot lighter. I tried on some of the clothes that I took away on our honeymoon 12 months ago and I was disappointed to find that I am still a little way off from being able to fit into the trousers. Oh well, nothing is going to stop me from continuing to work towards my goals this time.
I feel that next week might well be a challenge as I will be returning to work after a few weeks leave. I hope that I can maintain my exercise routine. Food wise, I am pretty sure that little will change. I just hope that I don’t get so consumed with work that I let my exercise levels slack. I am quietly confident that I am up to the challenge!
Update 3
Well what a week. I have been faced with so many social get-togethers that I’ve lost count, but I am very proud and happy to say that I have resisted temptation and I have been very strong! This whole process has been so empowering, it’s incredible! I really feel that I can continue and really live with this healthy-eating lifestyle!
I made some sweet treats for friends and family the other day, including after dinner mints, chocolate balls, shortbread and more! While I was preparing them my resolve didn’t waver. I didn’t sample or taste test anything at all! Instead, my husband Mark and friend Michelle did the tasting and do you know what? I got as much satisfaction from the looks on their faces than if I had eaten them myself (and I enjoyed not feeling the guilt, too!).
I stepped up my gym and exercise routine a notch this week. I had a one-hour session with my personal trainer Andrew and I worked really hard. I also made sure that I did lots of gym sessions on my own and some home workouts. I started running in week two and have now upped the speed of that too, so I am improving each week. There was one day (Wednesday) where I could hardly move but that was my own fault as I went to gym then cleaned the house (and when I say cleaned, I mean every square inch!). I over did it a bit and my body told me so!
Update 2
My weight loss hasn’t been as huge as some of the Second Chance team members that I noticed on the leaderboard this week, but I have been happy to see over 20cm has dropped off my measurements, so I am pretty happy with that. I find that I am eating fewer than my recommended daily calorie allowance, but I have got myself into a bit of a routine which makes sticking to the plan easier.
Exercise wise I have been doing extremely well and have even started running again (yes, running!). Mark, my husband and I also bought an exercise bike at the weekend, which I peddle on while I watch TV. Mark has been a great support with exercise and is constantly pushing me to do more and to keep active. He has lost a kilo now (which is a pretty good effort given the unhealthy foods he eats while he is at work).
Due to the new frame of mind I am in, I have found that I am saying ‘no’ to lots of foods that once I wouldn’t have been able to resist. I don’t think about eating them for one second! I am not sure where this resolve has come from, but I like it!
Ben is doing so well and has been a tower of long distance support from Canberra. It would be great if we were in the same state but never mind. We’ll just continue to rack up those phone bills!
I am so looking forward to getting fitter and being able to go a lot harder at the gym, and I am sure that when this happens the weight will start to fall off! The leaderboard has spurred me on to try harder, but we seem to have a lot of BIG losers in our group. Fingers crossed I can step up and be a contender. Bring on Week three!
Update 1
Well what a first week it’s been! I have to say that the food on my program and The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacements have been fantastic. The Shakes, Soups and Bars taste great and I like the fact that you also get to eat real, tasty, healthy food – and lots of it! I'll admit that I probably haven't been eating my full share of calories every day, but I come close on most days.
I have been motivated and in the past week there has only really been one day when I felt flat with zero energy. I spoke to Ben and he had a day like this too, so I guess it could just be a sign that our bodies are getting adjusted to the different diet and exercise regime. I guess that this isn't such a surprise given that I have done more exercise this week than I have in the past six months! Amazingly, working out at the gym is getting easier and that’s something I didn't expect! I am also able to push that little bit harder than I have in the past, which is great.
I had my weigh-in today and I was very pleased with my result; a 3.3kg loss! This certainly gives me the motivation to continue with good eating and lots of exercise. I feel happier in myself and a lot more confident about my abilities. Sure, there have been temptations thrown at me and this is something that I have struggled with in the past. I don't know exactly what it is that is making me strong right now but my willpower is at an all-time high. I even cooked a Cherry Ripe Chocolate Mud Cake this morning (for my mum's birthday tomorrow) and didn't even lick the spatula. It was FANTASTIC!! I felt so empowered.
Overall I am coping very well with the eating plan and have used the online diary to put in recipes to work out the calorie content. It’s a real asset and an eye opener! Some of the meals I have put together aren't the sort of things that I would usually have chosen but both my husband and I have really enjoyed them, especially the vegetables and salad. We are having heaps! In fact, I am not the only one benefiting from this new lifestyle. My husband has also lost 0.5kg, which is awesome for him because although he is in a good weight range, he is hoping to lose up to 5kg.
Everyone has been very supportive and has been calling to see how I am doing, which is really nice. Ben and I have chatted on most days and he has been my greatest influence. He has had such great words of encouragement for me, especially when I have been feeling down.
Overall this first week has been a very positive start to my new life!