Seeing photos of herself playing with her children at the park was the turning point for 33-year-old Annette Papas. She was horrified to see how big she had become – having given her husband strict instructions not to take any pics of her from behind or below her waist, she’d managed to avoid facing the truth for some time.
Annette knew she needed to lose weight. Her erratic eating habits left her feeling bad-tempered and tired and after a day of eating nothing, she would demolish huge amounts of food after her children had gone to bed. The two young children were also a good excuse not to deal with the problem – she felt she was too busy to focus on herself and kept thinking, “I’ll tackle the weight one day soon.”
Soon after the shock of seeing the photos, she came across an advert for The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacement Program and signed up.
Click to enlarge photos
Annette before
At her heaviest
Getting started
Healthier and happier
Home goal
Enjoying life
Weight-loss success
Easy options
Annette thought the Meal Replacement Program would be a relatively easy and convenient way to start eating regular meals and she was right. “The program was an easy option for breakfast and lunch and the Shakes only took a couple of minutes to prepare. Seeing the difference straight away on the scales – I lost 2.5kg in the first week – and in the improvement to my skin was the kind of encouragement I needed to carry on.”
Annette used the free seven-day Club membership you get when you buy the Shakes and really enjoyed The Club’s eating plan. “It was really well-rounded and I didn’t have to give up anything, including my beloved chocolate and red wine.”
Disappearing fat blobs
Annette also gained ideas and inspiration from members on The Club forums – like keeping her fun-size chocolate bars in the freezer so that they would last longer when it was treat time. The charts were another hit and her kids loved the disappearing fat blobs, “They would get a real giggle out of the noises that the fat blobs made and I loved the fact that they were no longer a part of me.”
The most outstanding tool for Annette though was the online diary, “I learned so much from it about calories and portion sizes and I still use the diary every day. Whether I am doing a good job is plain to see and I can also see where I can make better changes next time.”
A committed cook, Annette has had great fun trying out the recipes from The Club and is now so well-known for her healthy, tasty meals that friends often ring for recipes and to ask her about healthier alternatives. The Classic Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Bake, the Bolognaise sauce and the Parmesan Chicken are stand-out favourites for her family and friends.
Making some time
Finding time to exercise has been easier than Annette expected. “It is actually quite easy to work around the kids – I just get on the treadmill or cross trainer or slip on an exercise DVD when they’re asleep or at day care, or I step up the pace when I walk with the pram,” she says. In the evenings, when her husband Con is on babysitting duty, Annette joins friends at a local Zumba Latin dance class, which she describes as, “very, very lively and heaps of fun.” She’s even incorporated exercise into family activities, jogging beside her daughter as she’s learning to ride a bike.
Annette started her weight-loss program at 87kg and is just 900g away from her goal weight of 65kg. She has lost 21.1kg, the equivalent of 24.3 percent of her starting body weight. She is much more confident and says people speak to her more readily now – she doesn’t feel ‘invisible’ as she once did.
Gone too are her bad moods that were triggered by not eating for hours on end and these days she is full of energy and much more relaxed.
Annette says, “The Club has truly changed the way I look at weight loss, at food and at my whole life and my family and friends have also benefitted.” She advises others not be disheartened if there is no change in the scales during one week. “Take body measurements and you will see the difference every week – trust me. Take charge, this is your life and your body, take care of it and it will take care of you.”