Jamie Smith, a 36-year-old Queensland-based business analyst, knew he needed to lose weight for the sake of his health, so when the opportunity to be a part of The Biggest Loser Club Second Chance Challenge came, he took it.
However, Jamie didn’t just take up the Challenge for him. He was also concerned for the health of his family as his wife, Lisa, has a form of hereditary cardiomyopathy. Jamie realised that he wanted to be around for his family and to help Lisa undo her bad eating habits, habits which he admits partly rubbed off from his own.
Jamie says, “I've started and restarted my battle with my weight so many times. My problem was that I just liked foods and I liked the wrong foods. Instead of eating them once a day, I would tuck in three times and I was drinking 12 cans of Coke a day!
“When I left high school I was a lean 76kg, but I hurt my knees and stopped being as active as I used to be. It’s not as though I was inactive, but moving less and 12-hour work days meant I was taking lots of energy in through food but little energy was being burned with exercise. Unsurprisingly, the weight went up and up."
Click to enlarge photos
Jamie before
Sibling support
Jamie before on the beach
Donna's wedding
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Treadmill training
Jamie at Finale
Taking his second chance
“After seeing everyone at the Second Chance Challenge meeting in Sydney I knew it was not going to be easy, but I asked myself, was I up to the Challenge? When I got home I went onto The Biggest Lose Club website and I really liked what I saw, but I knew that I needed to get my head into focus for it to be a success. I had a decision to make; either start now and be full on or don’t bother. I decided then and there to give everything a good go.
Eating well
“It was great to kick-start my new healthier life with The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacement Program. I really liked all the Shakes, from the Double Choc to Choc Mint and the Berry and Yoghurt Snack Bar was really nice, too.
"I used the Meal Replacements together with healthy meals. I would have toast for breakfast with dairy-free margarine and Vegemite, then a Shake or a piece of fruit for morning tea. Lunch was usually a chicken salad sandwich on multigrain bread and for afternoon tea I would have another Shake. Dinner was usually meat and salad or vegies and fruit for dessert and the occasional Caramel Koala.
Becoming active again
“While my head was in the right space to start eating right, I didn’t want to exercise. I felt that changing things around all at once might be too difficult for me to keep up, so I didn’t exercise for two weeks after I began. As soon as I did start working out though, I loved it. Having lived a very physical life years before, it was like it all came back to me.
“My little girls love it that we are so much more active together. At weekends, we play and have fun with a football or Frisbee in the park. My energy levels increased really quickly at the beginning, but I was still embarrassed to be seen by others in an active scene. Perhaps now that I am not a morbidly obese person, it may be more acceptable in the eyes of others.”
The journey doesn’t stop here
Tipping the scales at the beginning of his Second Chance Challenge at 182kg, Jamie now weighs 135.9kg having shed a fantastic 46.1kg. He plans to lose a further 40kg to reach his goal weight of 95kg.
Now Jamie has more incentives than ever before to shift the extra weight. He explains, “I was late for the first Second Chance meeting in Sydney because I had a job interview with the international arm of a restaurant chain. They were concerned about my size as the job involves a lot of long-haul air travel. I had another meeting with them when I had lost 25kg and they said I looked fantastic. We have another meeting arranged for June and if I am near my goal weight, I will be flown to the US to start the induction program!”
On top of this Jamie is also continuing to lose weight to raise money for his 18-year-old nephew Jed, who was recently involved in an accident and has third degree burns. Family and friends have already pledged $6000, but if you’d like to sponsor Jamie too, visit his fundraising website.