Now that father-of-three Michael Turner has shed nearly 22kg, his energy levels are sky high, he has a stronger connection with his children and he’s even taken a turn on the trapeze.
For soccer-loving Michael Turner, the kilos began creeping on gradually after he left school until he found it difficult to play his beloved game.
A knee injury took Michael to his GP, where the doctor confirmed what he already knew inside – that his weight was putting a strain on his ailing knee. His wife suggested he get involved with The Biggest Loser Club, something Michael describes as a life-changing experience.
“Until I started my Club journey, I would have said that I was very active – after all, I played soccer regularly," he said. "Yet, when I entered my activity into the online diary, I saw that it wasn’t nearly enough to keep my weight under control considering the calories I was consuming.”
Erratic eater
Before his Club journey, Michael's alarm would sound at 5.30am. He would skip breakfast and, by 10am, he would be ravenous and eating six-to-10 biscuits with his morning tea.
“When work finished at 2pm, I would return home to eat a lunch of chicken or peanut butter sandwiches, made with six to eight pieces of bread,” Michael said.
Then, when his children, Alex, 16, Justin, 14 and Casey, 10, came home, Michael would join then for afternoon tea and graze continuously until a family dinner of fish or meat and potatoes with vegetables later. Michael would continue to snack on more bread and biscuits until it was time for bed.
Reading the information on the diary, left Michael "stunned" by how many calories he was consuming.
“My food added up to 3,000 calories a day and I was only using up around 2,500 of them. It was obvious that the extra calories were the reason for my continuous weight gain,” he said.
Eye opening
“The diary made me think more carefully about portion sizes and snacks and it made me much more aware about the consequences of what I was eating. I began to question whether it was really worth having those two biscuits or that handful of hot chips. Was I really going to walk for an extra 30 minutes or more to work it off? I decided that I wouldn't. And I began to balance food with exercise,” Michael said.
The whole Turner clan began eating The Club recipes but they didn’t give up their favourite foods – fish, chips and salad was a family tradition on a Sunday. It’s still a favourite but now, the fish is dry-fried with lots of herbs and spices.
Click to enlarge photos
Michael before
Michael before
Michael after
Fitness focus
Michael had knee surgery and, as soon as he could, he started working on his fitness with The Club program.
“We live on a 200-metre hill and I would get up early and try to walk as much as possible. At first, I could manage 10 trips up and 10 down. It was then that I realised I wasn’t in great shape at all.
“As I began losing weight, I carried a kilo in a backpack for every kilo I lost. By the end of 12 weeks, I couldn’t pack any more weights into the bag. It was incredible to think I had been carrying more weight than that on my body without even realising it.
Goal weight and beyond
When he started his journey with The Biggest Loser Club Michael weighed 97.7kg and, within just three months, he had reached his goal weight of 80kg. He has continued eating healthily and keeping fit and he is a very trim 75.8kg – that’s a total weight loss of 21.9kg.
Michael is delighted to report that at the age of 46 he feels fitter and better about himself than he can remember. It feels great to slip into jeans that are smaller in size than the jeans he wore at school and it has brought fantastic benefits to his relationships with his much-loved family, he said. “I have so much more energy and I love to get involved with activities with the kids.
“Before, I used to lie on floor watching TV – just getting up was an effort. Now, I spring up and go bike riding with my boys. I never used to initiate activities but now I encourage Alex to come cycling with me and we talk about his day.”
Family activities
With a holiday to central Australia on the cards, the Turners are now looking forward to gorge walking. The family also recently tried their hand at the trapeze with a family day learning circus skills, something Michael would never have done when he weighed 97kg, he said.
Losing weight, being fitter and rediscovering his enthusiasm for life has strengthened Michael’s bond with his family.
"Cathy glimpsed me from the corner of her eye the other day and said – ‘wow, I am married to that guy!’ It really made me feel good. My life with Cathy is just as close as it was before but now, it is even more romantic than ever!"