Chocolate lover and self-confessed exercise avoider Krissie Vine gained weight so slowly that she hardly noticed. But, when a fellow parent at a school get-together exclaimed that she couldn’t believe Krissie was pregnant again, the mum-of-three was so embarrassed that she made it her mission to slim down and shape up. Now, Krissie’s fabulously fit and photogenic enough to look forward to a family holiday and get in front of the camera too.
Krissie gained her weight during IVF treatment and while her daughter, Gabrielle (now six), was growing up fast, Krissie's post-pregnancy weight was still hanging around. She gained more weight trying to conceive a second time and said that by the time twins Isabelle and Jake, now two-and-a-half years' old, were born she had gained 15kg.
Krissie’s happy, hectic family life meant that, like mums everywhere, focusing on herself was not a priority and grabbing quick-and-easy eats, such as chocolate, chips and biscuits, became the norm.
With a family holiday in Florida coming up, Krissie felt the need to shape up so that she could look back at the photos without feeling horrified and embarrassed.
Pregnant again?
The Biggest Loser fan Krissie was attending her daughter’s dancing concert when an excruciating moment spurred her into action. “One of the other mums looked at me and said ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re pregnant again!’
“I wasn’t pregnant but I was very embarrassed and so devastated that all I could do was laugh nervously, make an excuse and leave as soon as I could.”
That was in December 2009 and, with the latest series of the show about to begin, Krissie logged onto The Biggest Loser Club. Liking what she saw, she signed up and began to experiment with the tools on the site. By using her diary Krissie clearly saw how much exercise she needed to do to burn off just a quarter of the calories she was consuming.
“I realised that unless I was prepared to run a marathon every day, I needed to choose my foods much more wisely,” said Krissie.
Krissie read more about The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacements and decided to use them alongside The Club. She started to have a Shake for breakfast and a piece of fruit or some popcorn mid-morning. Lunch would either be a sandwich with lots of salad or another Shake.
Dinners are leaner now, too. Sausages have been replaced with chicken or steak with lots of vegies, plus Krissie always ensures that the portion sizes are kept under control. She has become a food label detective and says that she has been surprised at how high in calories even low-fat foods can be.
Click to enlarge photos
Krissie before
Krissie before
Krissie after
Krissie after
Krissie after
Keeping it in the family
Encouraged by her immediate weight loss, Krissie gave one of the free weekly Biggest Loser Club vouchers from her Meal Replacement packs to her sister-in-law, Paula Kane. Paula also wanted to shift her post-pregnancy weight and achieved great success with The Club, too. Exercise-loving Paula encouraged Krissie to take regular walks with her as part of their combined get-healthy plans.
“Soon, our walks turned into jogs and then we began running – although I must admit that Paula had to encourage me quite a bit there!
Plus, I find that running around after my three children continuously provides a little added exercise each day,” said Krissie.
Like many Clubbies, Krissie’s favourite tool was the diary. With a real sense of relief, Krissie discovered that she didn’t have to give up her favourite snack, chocolate. “Instead of eating a whole, regular-size Mars bar though, I started to downsize my portions and would buy the snack-size packets instead.
Savour the flavour
“I also began to eat my snack much more slowly and now I savour every small bite. Thank goodness I didn’t have to give up chocolate – I would never have been successful if I’d had to give up my favourite treats.”
Krissie said that once she had finally made the decision to commit to losing weight, she found it quite easy. “OK, there have been times when I overdid it in the eating department, but I made sure I would get back on track the next day,” said Krissie.
Beginning her Biggest Loser Club journey weighing in at 84kg, Krissie has lost a fabulous 11.5kg so far; she now weighs-in at 72.5kg which is just 1.5kg off her goal weight of 71kg.
Size 12 and loving it!
“It feels really great. I love the fact that I am in size 12 clothing; I can’t remember the last time I was able to fit into clothes this small.”
No one can mistake slimline Krissie for an expectant mum nowadays and she is looking forward to their family holiday in Florida more than ever. “But more than that, I am looking forward to feeling comfortable about looking back on the photos to come.
“The diary has made it so clear that just a few extra calories add up over time and I have learned so much by using it that I really am confident that I won’t ever end up feeling fat and frumpy ever again."