Teresa shed 26.4kg

“I look better, feel better and hope to be around to see my family grow up”

In July 2008, we shared the story of 37-year-old Teresa Strom (Tess), who successfully lost weight with the help of The Biggest Loser Club. Teresa’s own mother passed away at the age of 35, when Teresa was only 13 years old, due to health problems associated with being overweight. However it was losing her father to a heart attack three years ago that acted as the real wake-up call Teresa needed.

She finally realised she had to do something about her weight, fast. Full of determination and a positive attitude, Teresa joined The Biggest Loser Club and shed a fantastic 26.4kg. One year on, Teresa has managed to keep in control of her new healthy weight, and has gone on to cut even more kilos. Here, she reveals how.

Click to enlarge photos

Before

Before

Before

Birthday cuddles

Fun run Mum

Trim Teresa

Glamour queen

Posing

Lovely shot

Lessons learnt

As a long-standing Club member Teresa has learnt many lessons that have helped her achieve and maintain her healthy lifestyle, however she singles out the online diary as being her number one motivational and educational tool. Teresa says, “It was just so revealing to know, in calories, exactly what I was eating.  It soon became obvious that I was consuming more than I needed, so my portion sizes were the first thing that I had to regain control over. I made weighing and measuring all food and drink a priority, which helped me learn about the right serving size for me.”

Teresa initially made the mistake of not eating enough, however The Club soon had her eating six times a day. “Before joining The Biggest Loser Club, I didn’t eat anything for hours and then I would binge eat because I was so hungry,” she explains. “However, my Club program taught me that regular eating was a must. I started to make sure that I ate every few hours and the habit has stuck. Hunger can make me feel stressed, but by eating regularly I know that my moods are slightly more balanced.”

It’s no secret that there needs to be some sacrifices when trying to reach a healthy weight and for Teresa it was alcohol. She explains, “By using the diary I soon learnt about how many calories alcohol contains and realised just how it weakens the willpower when it comes to nibbles. So while I was on my weight-loss mission, it was out with the booze.”

Teresa’s weight-loss journey wasn’t without its ups and downs. She says, “I experienced a few plateaus throughout my journey and the odd weight gain, but my determination didn’t waver and it still doesn’t. I knew it would all be OK because I looked at the overall picture. My weight was going down and that was what I kept in my mind.”

Despite looking at the bigger picture, Teresa used the weekly weigh-ins as a small goal in order to keep on track and remain motivated. “Weigh-in day came around pretty quickly and knowing this helped me to focus on each seven-day period.” Teresa also says, “The forums were a great way to share ideas, get motivated and pass it on too!”

Healthy and happy

As a result of Teresa’s life-changing weight loss and continued healthy habits she is proud to reveal, “I don’t have high blood pressure anymore and my asthma is almost gone. The way I feel now is great and helps keep me motivated. Seeing family and friends from my ‘fat’ days is also a great ego boost.”

As a mum-of-two, Teresa doesn’t struggle to keep fit. She says, “I find that running around with my daughters Morgan and Riley is one of my favourite fitness regimes. We’re currently renovating a new family home so that is keeping me pretty busy too.”

Now in maintenance mode, Teresa is determined never to let her weight creep back up to what it was. While she has learnt that losing weight is far from easy, she also knows it’s important to take responsibility.

“Losing weight is hard and you have to be focused. Personally, I will never let things get as out of control as they were before I joined The Biggest Loser Club the first time around. I am confident in saying that I will always take responsibility for my actions. If I choose to eat something, I enjoy it and I don’t beat myself up about it, but I know that I may need to take some action, either by eating a bit less or exercising a little more. I still eat everything, but it is all about moderation.”

Strike a pose

Teresa’s weight now hovers between 82kg and 86kg and because she has managed to keep off the excess kilos, her husband recently treated her to a glamorous photo shoot.

“I think that taking pride in yourself is very important. Taking the time to do your hair and make-up helps you feel good inside as well as out,” says Teresa.

Happier and healthier than ever before, Teresa finishes by saying, “Since losing the excess weight, I look better, feel better and I hope to be around a lot longer to see my lovely family grow up.”