The weight started to creep up on Karen Kelly when her son was born 16 years ago. She grew from a petite size 8 to a size 12. While the 38-year-old bookkeeper from Western Australia wasn’t thrilled about the weight gain, it didn’t bother her too much. She dabbled with a few different diets such as The Lemon Detox Diet, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, 1-2-3 Detox For Radiance and The Atkins diet, but she was very half-hearted about it.
Click to enlarge photos
Karen before
Karen after
In action
Karen after losing 11kg
The Biggest Loser begins
The crunch came when she needed surgery to her shoulder and was unable to exercise. Combined with lots of comfort eating, she stacked on another 5kg and for the first time in her life, Karen found herself wearing size 14 clothes. “I felt miserable. I looked pregnant and I hated it,” she says.
The inspiration to join the Club coincided with the launch of new The Biggest Loser series in early 2009. Karen had heard good things about The Club’s online diary and meal plans so she decided to take the plunge and sign up.
It didn’t take long for Karen to appreciate how good the diary is in assisting weight loss. “I love the diary because it doesn’t just count calories, it calculates energy expenditure, which has taught me how to balance activity to get the best weight loss. I also love that the diary doubles as a nutritional guide so I can also make the choices I need for the best nutrition.”
It also taught her about portion control. Karen says despite eating all the right foods and exercising, she still wasn't losing weight. “Using the diary made it clear – the answer lay in the size of my portions. I continued to eat the foods I love, but I just ate smaller servings.”
Secrets to my success
For Karen, a major factor to her success was the forums. She connected with like-minded people online and also in her local area. Karen explains, “I think that 99 percent of my success has been down to the forums. When I logged on, I got to know a group of people from Perth who have formed a group affectionately called ‘The BLC Perthites’. We chat, weigh-in and exchange support, advice and motivation. We meet and exercise together and we like to walk or jog around the local lakes at weekends.”
Once a month, the group meets with a personal trainer; they also have fun going bowling, rock climbing, to dance classes and other get-togethers. The group even spent a whole day ‘castaway’ on Garden Island where their personal trainer coached them in the style of our very own Commando on the beach.
Karen says, “As we got fitter, members of the group entered local community fun runs, including the Mother's Day Classic where we raised money for breast cancer and the Step Up for MS Challenge where we climbed 1096 steps to the top of the Central Park tower to raise money for multiple sclerosis. When The Biggest Loser finale aired in April, ‘The BLC Perthites’ watched it together and we shared our own successes. Having the strong support and the friendship of others really made all the difference.”
Glowing at goal weight
In the three months or so that The Biggest Loser Couples was on TV, Karen lost 11kg going from 68kg to 57kg. She has a newfound love for shopping saying, “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to walk into a clothes shop and try on dresses I like, rather than searching for styles that hide my stomach. It also feels great to watch the reaction of people I haven’t seen for a while because I look very different. I don’t have the blues like I used to either. I have lots more energy and more confidence – I get out there and enjoy life. Plus, I also have a great new bunch of Club friends to enjoy it all with. It really has changed my life and I am so happy.”
Wedding belle
As well as finding new friends, Karen also now has a new fiancé. “My partner Chad popped the question a couple of weeks ago just before we left for our holiday in New Zealand,” she says. “We are getting married in April 2010 and I have already found the perfect dress – in a size 8 and I am so, so, so happy about that.
“Chad was worried when the weight started coming off at first because I became so confident and outgoing – he was worried I was going to start looking for a new boyfriend. Once I reassured him that wasn't going to happen he relaxed and he now enjoys the fact I'm more energetic than I used to be. We did lots of activities when we were away including ice cave hiking on a glacier, white-water rafting over a 7m waterfall, jet boating, abseiling and black-water rafting through underground caves.
“And guess what? I am even looking forward to turning 40 next year because I know I'm going to look young and hot and not old and tired!”