School ground teasing triggered years of comfort eating for 40-year-old Bridget Herbert. Thanks to her membership of The Biggest Loser Club, and the camaraderie she has found on the forums, Bridget has been able to kiss goodbye to her emotional eating for good. Here’s how she exchanged a lifetime of bad habits for a future of good health.
“It all started in primary school” says Bridget. “My parents weren’t very well off and my two brothers and I went to school wearing second-hand school uniforms. This was not cool back then and I got teased about it a lot. That’s when I started to eat to try and get over the hurtful words.”
Bridget’s comfort eating got so bad her parents took the drastic step of padlocking the fridge! But their efforts were in vain, as Bridget soon found a way to pick the lock so she could sneak down at night and raid the fridge.
After school
When Bridget left school, she made a conscious decision not to dwell on the nasty names she’d been called and managed to get down to a healthy weight. She even managed to maintain her healthy weight after getting married and having two children. But the challenge of losing her pregnancy weight after baby number three proved much harder.
Looking after a young family, Bridget struggled to find time for herself and says, “I started to feel sorry for myself and eat too much again. My weight rose to 70-72kg and that’s where I stayed for some time.”
A family bereavement and the ensuing trauma saw Bridget’s weight spiral out of control. She ballooned to her heaviest ever, tipping the scales at 90kg. Although she felt totally miserable, she put on a brave face to the outside world whilst continuing to comfort eat in private.
“I would eat anything and everything; after work when I was on my own, I would snack on chips and sausage rolls and pies and doughnuts. I also drank a lot of alcohol,” says Bridget.
Click to enlarge photos
Bridget before
Bridget after
Green fingers
Fab at 40
Holiday hell
A family holiday with her husband and 60-year-old father in-law at the end of 2008 was the catalyst for Bridget to change her destructive ways. As the family embarked on a variety of activities, Bridget found herself making excuses so she didn’t have to take part.
“One day we went down some steps to see a beautiful waterfall. But on the way back up, I was puffing and panting all the way while my father-in-law didn’t struggle one little bit.
“When I finally reached the top I felt exhausted and was sure I was dying. That’s when I decided things had to change. I was determined that all the excess weight I was carrying would come off. I didn’t want to die young. I wanted to experience life with my lovely family.”
To start losing weight Bridget cut out sugary and fatty foods, and snacks. Later, as she wanted to learn more about eating the right foods and being healthy, she decided to join The Biggest Loser Club.
“My diet has changed from one with lots of fast food to none at all and I don’t miss it. Now, I tend to have chicken and fish or soy protein in the form of tofu sausages, plus lots of vegetables and fruit. I even started my own vegetable patch and I now have my own constant supply of fresh vegies. Gardening is also another good form of exercise.”
Bridget particularly loves the online diary and the challenges The Club puts together each week. “My special favourite was the one which challenged us to eat all of our meals using chopsticks. I did this and it certainly slowed my eating down. My family looked at me a bit strangely but it worked. Now, I am in the habit of taking my time and enjoying my meals over a much longer time.”
Family fitness
The whole Herbert family is now much more active. Bridget goes running, kayaking and riding with her sons and her next personal challenge is indoor rock climbing with her daughter. Bridget’s kids now have to try and keep up with her instead of the other way around and both she and her husband Michael love their family-focussed, active lifestyle.
Having joined The Club at a weight of 80.3kg, Bridget has whittled her way down to 61.8kg. She’s shed 18.4kg which is the equivalent of 22.9 percent of her starting body weight.
An active forum member right from the start, Bridget says that as her body has changed, so has her forum name, from the unflattering Fattyboomba to the much gentler Butterflykiss. Bridget explains, “Fattyboomba was Michael’s nickname for me when I was huge and carrying our youngest son – it was never meant in an unkind way.
“When I put up some pictures on the site someone on the forums messaged me to say that I looked fantastic and perhaps it might be time to change my name.”
The forums have been central to Bridget’s success and she wants to pass on a huge thank you to her buddies saying, “To be able to talk with people in the same situation as me has been wonderful. Aim79, you’re a big inspiration to me. Robin, Goldcoaster, Glenis and lots more of you on the forums – you all know who you are. You’re fantastic and I wish you all the best!”