While shopping in her local supermarket, fan of The Biggest Loser TV show Rebecca Stuart caught sight of The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacement range. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she threw a pack into her trolley and she hasn’t looked back since. In just 18 weeks, this mummy is more yummy than she’s ever been and she’s proudly sporting a bold, bright new look too.
At just 26 years of age, Queenslander Rebecca Stuart is no newcomer to weight battles and she describes her weight as being “up and down” since her teens. In the past, Rebecca had tried counting calories and a stint with Weight Watchers, but couldn’t keep motivated beyond a few days.
Since having daughter Alyssa, now three, Rebecca struggled to lose her post-baby weight gain.
“I would eat anything and everything continuously throughout the day,” confessed the stay-at-home-mum. “I loved carbohydrate foods such as pizza, pastas and bread, and I chose takeaways because they were an easier option than cooking from scratch.”
Personal journey
Watching the latest contestants going through their own personal challenges on The Biggest Loser, Rebecca was all too aware of her desire to drop her own extra kilos.
“I didn’t like to look at myself in the mirror and I found it hard to find clothes to fit and flatter my shape,” Rebecca said.
“I had also booked myself an appointment to have a new tattoo in a few months time and I wanted to look fit and toned for that. Most of all, I wanted to be a better role model for Alyssa,” she said.
So when she was food shopping in her local supermarket Rebecca caught sight of The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacements, she decided to give them a go.
Believe in yourself
“It just clicked that if I wanted to successfully lose weight, I had to make changes immediately and I had to believe in myself. I started the next morning with a Shake for breakfast and this time, I was determined to stick with it.”
Rebecca loved the variety of flavours of the Shakes and enjoyed the Meal Bars and Snack Bars, too. Using her first free seven-day pass to The Biggest Loser Club site, she logged on and immediately fell in love with the online diary.
“It kept me focused on everything I ate and, over time, I realised what an easy-to-follow weight loss plan The Biggest Loser Club is. There are few restrictions and you can eat the foods that you love. There was also lots of online support and guidance, so making the right choices was easy.”
Soon, she had signed up for a 12-month membership with The Club. Rebecca decided to cut out the white carbs from her diet and replace them with whole grains and corn thins which she used as snacks. She experimented with some of the recipes from the menu plan which the whole family enjoyed.
Typically, Rebecca would start the day with a Biggest Loser Club Shake for breakfast and have another at lunch. Snacks could be yoghurt or corn thins with light cheese or a Biggest Loser Club Snack Bar. A typical dinner was a ham and salad wrap or chicken with vegetables and sweet potato.
Rebecca chose the frenetic pace of Zumba dance classes to have fun while she got fitter too.
Click to enlarge photos
Rebecca before
Rebecca after
Speedy success
Rebecca bought her first pack of Club Meal Replacements in February 2010 when she weighed 81.5kg. She reached her goal weight of 65kg in just 18 weeks and then switched to maintenance mode. Because of her healthier new habits, she has lost a further kilo and a half and is now a trim 63.5kg.
Putting part of her success down to using the diary daily and meticulously, Rebecca said “I think it is also important to be positive; tell yourself every day that you can do it.”
Like the vast majority of successful slimmers, Rebecca says that you have to keep your goals at the top of your to do list. “I think that it’s important to stay with it – be single minded if you want to meet your goals and don’t have major treats or splurges; just stay focused and you will see success. I liked that the program was easy to follow and the Meal Replacements were good value. Plus, there was lots of great information and support online,” she added.
Healthier tastes
Rebecca has found that her tastes have changed and she is now eating and enjoying foods she never liked before, including pumpkin and sweet potato, capsicum, cucumber, tomatoes and onions. “Best of all about this whole journey has been that my tastebuds have changed; I prefer natural flavours and I seem to have lost my liking for greasy, oily, salty foods.”
The bonus is that Alyssa now also enjoys a wider variety of tastes and fewer takeaways, although boyfriend Kieran is still partial to the odd takeaway or two!
“I feel confident about going out to buy clothes because everything fits and feels better and I am really pleased with my tattoo, too.
“I am so proud of myself and I believe my daughter is proud of me. Best of all, I plan to influence my daughter to eat better and enjoy a healthy life,” she said.
But it’s not just her immediate family that Rebecca is motivating. “Friends ask me how I have lost weight and it’s great to be able to share advice that really works. My boyfriend’s sister was especially interested and guess what? She started her own weight loss journey with The Club a few days ago!”