As stepfather to Jesikah, Alex wants to make sure she doesn’t feel his life-long pain of being overweight. Together they aim to show those that once ridiculed them exactly what they can do when given the opportunity, with the help of The Biggest Loser Club Second Chance Challenge.
Alexander Beggs
Age: 42
Occupation: Road Service Consultant
State: NSW
Now: 146.1kg
Goal: 85kg
Fed up with being a yo-yo dieter, Alex hopes that the Second Chance Challenge will help him keep the weight off for good. He says, “I’m tired of being ridiculed about my appearance and have grown to hate being called ‘big fella’, ‘tiny’, ‘slim’ and all the other nicknames that come up from time-to-time.
As well as being stepfather to Jesikah, Alex is married to Haylee and proud dad to two young boys Brayden and Logan. “I knew I had to start tackling my weight issue when recently coming across a photo of me holding my newborn son. This should have been one of the highlights of my life, but what I saw was an unhappy-looking, fat slob.
“I really want to be around to see my children grow up and grow old with Haylee. I want to see what sort of people my kids become and what kind of life they make for themselves.
It was Alex that chose Jesikah to be his partner. “I want her to feel self-confident and good about herself, because she truly is a beautiful person.”
Read Alex's revealing online diary.
Click to enlarge photos
Jesikah before
Alex before
Jesikah Sarkezi
Age: 20
Occupation: Retail Assistant
State: NSW
Now: 131.5kg
Goal: 65kg
At just 20 years of age, retail assistant Jesikah can’t recall a time that she has ever felt satisfied with herself. “I've always known I have a problem with food but I just chose to ignore it. I justified my weight by putting it all down to genetics and saying, ‘we only get to live once, why shouldn’t I eat what I like?’
“I think it’s harder to lose weight at my age because there’s so much temptation out there for me. I’m young and I like to go out clubbing with my friends and I know that the greasy meals I have the next day don’t help.
Despite this, Jesikah is ready to embrace her weight-loss challenge. “I’m so ready for the changes to come. I’ve grown so sick and tired of being overweight, sick of feeling low all of the time. These are the years I should be ‘going for it’ and really living my life. I have set huge goals for myself (including landing my dream job in the music industry) and I refuse to fail. I won’t let my weight hold me back any longer. I would be lying if I said I've never thought of giving up but I know I need to do this for myself. No one else can lose the weight for me.
“I want to be able to walk up the stairs and not get puffed out. I want to inspire my friends to choose a healthier lifestyle and I am looking forward to being able to run around with my brothers and have endless energy.
“I’ve chosen my stepdad Alex as my partner in the Challenge because we both have a lot of weight issues and I know we can help each other.”
Come back each week for Jesikah's diary updates.
Meet the Second Chance couples