Doug lost 18.8kg

And he's kept it off for over a year

As a new father, 34-year-old Doug Bowden wanted to be a healthy role model for his new baby son, which meant losing the extra kilos he was carrying. He joined The Biggest Loser Club and managed to lose a fantastic 18.8kg.

A year on, we caught up with Doug to check he’d maintained his healthy weight, how he was now living his life and find out whether he has the energy to keep up with his now toddler.

Looking back

Before starting The Club, Doug knew little about food, nutrition and energy balance. However, he soon learnt about calories in and calories out by using his online diary. Doug learned which foods have the best nutritional content and, most importantly for him, about the right portion sizes for his tall 193cm frame.

“I never really looked at portions before my time with The Club,” says Doug. “But now I know that although we ate healthy things like steak, new potatoes and vegetables, it was the extra couple of slices of bread and butter on the side that made a big difference. Once I started to get my portion sizes under control, I quickly learned that I was eating too much at one sitting.”

One year on

Doug is still living by the healthy lifestyle lessons he learned while losing weight with The Biggest Loser Club, the main one being portion control.

Doug reveals, “I am really proud of the self control I have developed and I will never binge on food again. For example, the other day I had some chocolate cake, but before I did, I mentally weighed up that I had already played 90 minutes of soccer and that I would be walking later on. It’s all about balance.

“Before, if there were some Tim Tams in the house, I had four at a time. Now there’s a half-opened pack that’s been there for a week, because I only have one biscuit or none at all. I know that it all adds up and that the little things count." 

These little changes include a simple swap in Doug’s caffeine intake. “I used to have a large skim flat white with sugar that totted up to 120 calories. Now my regular is a long black, which is 18 calories. For each two coffees, that’s a saving of 200 calories and over one month it could add up to 4000 calories, which in turn could add up to over half a kilo in weight in just four weeks.”

Movement motivation

In order to live a healthy lifestyle and keep the weight off, Doug knows that he needs to keep active as well.

He says, “Exercise is still a big part of my life. My soccer mates can see that I am faster and fitter. I also run about three times a week and I’ve also started doing weights to build some muscle tone. I ran a 5km race recently and did it in 29 minutes. My recovery was very fast, showing my fitness levels are good.

“I even stay active during the holidays. When I was in Fiji last year I fitted in 40 minutes of gym work every other day, which allowed me to enjoy the occasional cocktail!"

Like all of us though, Doug sometimes just doesn’t feel like exercising. So how does he do it? “When I’m not in the mood I motivate myself by thinking of that feeling after a workout. I know that post-exercise buzz will make me feel great!”

Health and happiness

As a result of Doug’s drastic weight loss and his prolonged healthy diet and exercise regime, he has also noticed an effect on his health.

He reveals, “Over the last year I have managed to avoid catching the flu, whereas before I used to be ill every winter without fail. I believe my improved health has increased my resistance to infection. Eating more fruit and veg has also helped!”

If I only knew then...

Looking back, Doug says, “If I knew then what I know now, I would never have skipped breakfast and I would have paid more attention to portion sizes. I would also have trained more and varied my exercise like I do now.”

Weighing in around 108kg and wearing size 38-40 inch trousers at the start of his Biggest Loser Club journey, Doug is delighted to say that he now hovers around the 88kg mark. 

However, even now Doug still forgets just what he has achieved. He explains, “I recently bought some shorts. As I was looking at them on the rail a slim muscular man picked up the same shorts in the same size. It hit home that I look like him – slim and athletic. It was a shock, but a nice shock.”

The real question on everyone’s lips though is can Doug keep up with his toddler son? “Yes, just about,” says a proud Doug. “He’s very active and it can be tough, but I know we have a lot to look forward to.”