Losing weight has truly been a family affair for the Cutrupi clan. The mum of the family, Karen, has lost 12kg and reached her goal weight first, but husband Robert and their two teenage daughters are hot on her heels towards reaching their own personal goals.
The whole family is loving the practical and tailored advice from The Biggest Loser Club, plus they’ve inspired friends to set out on their own better-health journeys.
Keeping it in the family
In December 2009, and with latest series of The Biggest Loser about to air, Karen decided she was sick of feeling overweight and sluggish. Her two daughters, Rebecca (19) and Victoria (17), also wanted to lose weight – they had around 30kg to lose each – and her husband Robert decided he needed to lose around 22kg. The youngest in the Cutrupi family, 10-year-old James, had no need to lose weight but he enthusiastically encouraged the rest of his family.
“The kids were my main motivation," Karen said. "I wanted to be around and be involved with them more and I wanted the whole family to be healthier. At the same time, I knew that I would only be successful if I made the commitment for me.”
Decision made, Karen set about looking for the best weight loss advice around and, knowing that The Biggest Loser contestants used it themselves, she began investigating The Biggest Loser Club.
Individual plan
“I immediately liked what I saw,” said Karen. “In fact, the whole family did. We all thought that the website was appealing and a tailor-made plan for each of us sounded great. All the answers we needed were on the site, too.”
The Cutrupi clan was so convinced by The Club that Karen, Robert and the girls signed up for a full year each.
“We became little disciples of The Club and started to experiment with the recipes on each of our plans," Karen said. "We cooked up many of the dishes – we had four menu plans to choose from after all, including one vegetarian option."
Click to enlarge photos
Karen before
Karen before
Karen after
Karen after
Karen after
New family favourites
The stir-frys and risottos were popular but it was also nice to see good old family favourites, such as healthy spaghetti bolognaise and chicken and vegies included, Karen confessed. "We often go meat-free for one or two meals per week and it was good to get some new vegie recipes to try.”
While she admits to being "a bit dubious at first" about The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacements, Karen decided to give them a go for the first two weeks of her program.
“Actually, I was pleasantly surprised and I especially liked to have a Shake for breakfast. They were very filling and fast to prepare so they were especially good for a busy lifestyle like mine,” said Karen, who works as a sales consultant in the plumbing industry.
The whole family threw themselves into eating healthily, opting for two fruits and five vegies per day. “Surprisingly, it can be difficult to get good quality fresh produce in the country," Karen said. "It was easier in the summer when we started. I would make up a large batch of fruit salad in the morning and each of us would take a cup to eat for morning tea."
Shaking things up
After a Shake at breakfast, morning tea might be a crumpet with honey and fruit. Lunch was often a Biggest Loser Club Soup, with bread and salad, while dinner might be a chicken stir-fry with lots of vegies and a diet chocolate mousse as an indulgent dessert.
Karen shook up her exercise routine and began to exercise more frequently, too. “The girls and I started to go to a boxing class three mornings per week and I would often do a circuit class with a friend in her garage. This involves walking on a treadmill combined with other machines like stepping and we do that for about an hour each time around twice a week,” she said.
Karen logged everything she ate and drank and all of the exercise into her diary to ensure that she kept to her recommended calorie intake and she was delighted with her consistent weight loss of around half a kilo each week.
Beginning her personal Biggest Loser Club journey at 72kg, Karen reached her goal weight of 60kg in August 2010. With her diet and exercise combo, Karen has also sculpted her figure and has lost a super and substantial 51cm from her body measurements.
Success all round
Karen is thrilled with the changes that the whole family is making. Robert is well on his way to reaching his goals and both of the girls are about half way through, having lost about 15kg each. And, although 10-year-old James never needed to lose weight, he has benefited too – the whole family eats more healthily and exercises regularly now.
Friends have been supportive and encouraging throughout Karen’s journey. “Some of my friends have told me that they didn’t want to say anything about my weight before I started as they didn’t want to insult me. But as I went on, all I have heard are words of encouragement.”
It’s all good
There are so many benefits to losing weight and feeling fitter that Karen believes she could go on and on but, for her, it’s the little things that really count. “I love wearing nice clothes again and feeling good about myself. Summer is just around the corner and if we get to the beach I won’t feel embarrassed about getting into a swimming cossie now.”
If you want to feel as great as Karen feels right now, she urges you to be committed and real and honest about yourself and your lifestyle. “My biggest piece of advice for anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off for good is simply to stick with the menu and diet plan for at least the first few weeks. Use the diary to stay on track because it really works – I’m living proof!”