Doona devotee Donna Talbot transformed her morning routine and her body in the process. No longer the queen of the lie-in, she walks 5-6km before breakfast six days a week. Her body’s had an overhaul and she’s better friends than ever with her lovely neighbour.
“My life was just too humdrum,” said Donna. Working in a food retail store made it hard to be truly mindful of what she ate. Lunch options were everywhere and time was short, so the 46-year-old would just grab whatever was convenient.
Notching up 63.1kg on the scales, the pint-sized Perthite was unhappy with her figure. “I was acutely aware that I was overweight,” she said. “It was something that was brought home every time I walked out of a dress shop without finding a thing that fitted.”
Having battled with a complicated low GI diet in the past, Donna knew she had to be in the right headspace to start a new healthy eating plan with gusto. She set a date, the day after Australia Day, and put her mind to it.
Big Bob fan
Bob Herdsman won The Biggest Loser in 2009 with a slow and steady approach and Donna was looking for the same results.
She decided The Biggest Loser Club was the weight loss plan for her and resolved to get started on 27 January.
First to go were the creamy pasta sauces. Donna replaced them with low-fat tomato-based alternatives.
“All the information I needed was right there in the diary,” she said. “I was careful to include everything I ate and it was a shock to find I had been eating two or three times the calories I needed.”
Discovering the calories in her beloved red wine was also a shake-up for the mum of two. “Thankfully I didn’t have to give it up altogether. My plan allowed for the occasional glass with dinner, which I savoured.”
Despite drastically slashing her calorie intake, Donna never felt hungry. “Foods such as the cereal and fruit I ate for breakfast worked together so well that I always felt full. There was plenty of food – sometimes it felt like there was too much in fact.”
Click to enlarge photos
Donna before
Donna after
Donna after
Donna after
Domestic goddess
Donna experimented with The Club recipes, alternating between the regular recipes and the meat-free options as younger daughter Danielle is a vegetarian.
“The Thai salad is one of my favourites, the family also likes the Parmesan Chicken and the Chilli Beef recipes.”
Donna’s supportive family encouraged her every step of the way and took on more housework to give her more time to exercise.
Owning the change
“My online diary was a godsend for me,” Donna said. “It was brilliant. I didn’t have to face anyone about my daily progress but I still had to answer to myself. I looked at myself in the mirror after clearly seeing in my diary that I had overindulged or not exercised and it was like my conscience looking right back at me. What choice did I have but to get on with it?”
Realising that exercise had to be a part of the mix, Donna began to walk with her neighbour. “It was hard in the beginning. I was a real sleepyhead and found it difficult to get out of bed and because I was so unfit. But I stuck with it and it got easier and easier.
Now Donna and her buddy walk for 5-6km, six days a week. “It’s something I look forward to. It really is true: you actually do get a buzz from exercising regularly".
In fact, the duo recently completed a 12km walk as part of the Perth City to Surf. Joining 40,000 other Western Australians, Donna pounded the pavement for 1 hour and 42 minutes to get her medal.
Over eight-and-a-half months of ups, Donna lost 11.5kg from her starting weight of 63.5kg to reach her goal weight of a trim 52kg, which feels fantastically right for her petite, 152cm-frame.
And while the City to Surf triumph is one of Donna’s major highlights of 2010, she also loves the freedom she feels every time she goes into a dress shop.
“Being able to pick and choose what I try on is fantastic. Feeling good about how clothes look on me feel is great. I adore getting dressed up now. And, when I bump into people haven’t seen for a while, it feels wonderful to hear positive comments about the weight I have lost, too, although it is still something I am getting used to.”
Over to you
If you’re ready to make a change for yourself, Donna urges you to think first.
“Know your weaknesses, whether they are foods or friends. I downsized my savoury treats and red wine and this was a great start. But it was inspiring to be around a friend who got me out and encouraged me too.”
“I realise now that if you hang around with people who always have that extra glass of wine or eat unhealthily, it is best to pull back from your visits for a while as it is so easy to be tempted.
Avoid the people and places that put you off. Put yourself in the zone and know that you have to work to stay there. Know who is going to be better for you to be around and who isn’t. I did and it feels great.”