Carolyn lost 15kg

Self-confessed boredom eater and potato chip fan Carolyn West had been steadily gaining weight for around a decade. Standing at 165cm, she knew that weighing over 80kg was too heavy for her frame. However, at the ripe age of 53, she feared that her years might be a barrier to losing the excess kilos.

Going it alone on eat-nothing starvation diets had proven futile for the South Australian who runs a schools volunteer program in Kangaroo Island.

She was kicked into finding a diet that works when she saw a family photo of herself standing next to her slimmer sisters-in-law in February 2010.

“I realised that I couldn’t go it alone this time,” said Carolyn.

Thankfully she found The Biggest Loser Club and was pleasantly surprised by the array of foods she could still eat, even if they were in smaller portions.

“I soon found that I didn’t need to drastically change my eating habits or force myself to eat things that I didn’t like,” said Carolyn.

Diary does the work

Carolyn learned where she was going wrong, fast. “Previously, I would avoid sweet biscuits thinking they were much higher in calories than crackers and savoury. But the diary showed me that they were just as high in calories as sweet biscuits and even the potato chips that are my big weakness.”

Better options

Despite being somewhat dismayed when Carolyn cleared the cupboards of potato chips and other tempting foods, her family, husband David, son Brodie (17) and 14-year-old daughter Mikayla, were enthusiastic about the changes she was making for her health.

Carolyn now regularly chooses wholegrain cereal and yoghurt for breakfast, rice cakes with salad or a salad sandwich for lunch and the evening meal might be meatballs, made with lots of carrot and zucchini, with spaghetti, or chicken with vegetables and potatoes.

“We all cut down on eating cheese and replaced full-fat margarine with a low-fat spread, plus we use skim milk instead of full-fat varieties now.

“The whole family has learned to appreciate naturally flavourful foods and we know that you don’t have to soak foods in oil or cheese for it to be tasty,” said Carolyn.

Injuries and exercise

While she realised that she needed to exercise regularly, an old injury to her Achilles tendon meant that Carolyn hadn’t been able to play her beloved tennis for some time. Daily exercise pre-Biggest Loser Club days amounted to a daily walk with the family dog.

“At my age, I didn’t feel that I was quite ready for bowls or golf so I added walk with a girlfriend in the evenings. As I lost weight, it gradually became easier to walk and I found that I could begin to run. Now, my old injury doesn’t hurt at all and I am even hoping to get back to playing tennis soon,” she said.

Carolyn’s progress was steady and she found that, although she didn’t lose weight every single week, she always kept to her plan and never saw a weight gain. This helped to keep her motivation levels high. Over 34 weeks, Carolyn lost a massive 15kg, going from 81kg to reach her goal weight of 66kg.

“I don’t spend the day thinking about what I can’t eat now and instead, I focus on what I can have – which is pretty much everything. It is so wonderful that food is no longer the focus of my day but is still such an enjoyable part of it,” she said.

Fun fashionista

“I also love it that I have been able to ditch those massive tent-like clothes that I used to wear,” beamed Carolyn.

Before, when shopping with her daughter, Carolyn always felt out of place and as though nothing would fit her. But now finding pretty, flattering clothes is no longer a struggle.

“I know I’ll never be mistaken for Eva Longoria, but now I can appreciate my own shape and know that I look good with what I have. Being in your 50s is no barrier to losing weight and feeling great!”

Carolyn’s husband, David, also appreciates her new shape. Carolyn said, “David has heard me whinge and whine for a long time about my weight. Now, the moaning has stopped and he gives me wolf whistles and he tells me I’m a yummy mummy!”