Loving wife and mum-of-two Lisa Hose can’t believe the astonishing changes to her life over the last few months. She has been crowned Australia’s Biggest Loser 2010 and is the first woman to take the title in Australia. She also just happened to be wearing the double bracelet when Hayley Lewis spoke those immortal words – “Lisa, you are The Biggest Loser!”
Lisa’s weight struggles have been life-long. There were a few years as a young woman when she was comfortable with her size including the time of her wedding to husband, Campbell. But within about 12 months, contentment saw her weight climb and she hovered around the 95kg mark. Then her babies came along; Chelsea now 15 and Tegan, 13, and from then on, Lisa’s life centred on caring for her precious family.
“As a mum, your focus shifts from self mode to nurture mode. Everybody else comes first and you come after. There was no time for me – I was just not a priority,” Lisa said.
The whole family always ate well. Salad, vegies and fruit are always on the menu and with Campbell being a trained chef, good food is a regular way of life for the Hose family. “The weight crept upwards simply because I ate more than I needed to and I didn’t exercise; I just never got round to it,” Lisa said.
Life on the sidelines
Lisa knew it was time do something about her health. She had raised blood pressure and, despite being on medication for the last 10 years, it wasn’t totally under control. “That was a serious worry. I wanted to be around and healthy and see my girls grow up and I wanted the opportunity to know my grandchildren when they came along. I was not sure that I would live long enough for that. Also, I wondered how my amazing husband could love me the way I was. I had a lot of self-doubt but it wasn’t until a lot later that I realised that I wasn't dealing with my emotions.”
Lisa knew that although being overweight didn’t affect her outward personality, sub-consciously it changed her. “Being overweight affected the decisions I made daily," she explained. "Because of my weight, I chose not to participate in life. I would go on holidays but only ones where I would not be out there on show. I avoided going on rides like the rollercoaster – the thought of being wedged in was too awful. I was an observer on life and not a participator. I watched Campbell playing with our children from the sidelines; I really missed out.”
It was her good friend and colleague at the educational centre for children with disabilities, Jarna, who convinced 41-year-old Lisa to apply for a place on The Biggest Loser 2010. Former hairdresser-turned-education assistant Lisa didn’t think she had a chance of being selected yet Campbell was convinced of it and he and the girls were immensely supportive right from the start. A few weeks later, a nervous and excited Lisa left Western Australia with Jarna for Sydney.
Getting out there
Early on in The Biggest Loser journey, the contestants were asked to stand up in front of an audience in a local theatre, an experience that Lisa describes as “mortifying”.
"It was such a wrench to be away from my family and I was feeling pretty emotional at the time so the thought of having to get up there and speak was too much," she said.
“At first, I just said no, I wouldn’t do it. I had never done public speaking before and I had no desire to do it either.
“Overweight people hide from life and I was no exception. The thought of standing up there in front of all those people was really confronting and so when I was eventually convinced to get out there, I didn’t do much public speaking – it was more like public crying.”
With the public speaking task over, Lisa was determined to get the most out of her unique opportunity. She threw herself into meeting her goals. She used The Club diary to help her stay on track with calories consumed and burned.
Click to enlarge photos
Lisa before
Lisa before
Lisa before
Lisa after
Lisa after
A unique journey
“I met so many wonderful friends on the show but Shannon and Phoebe are the two that I am closest to. We have a strong bond because we shared such incredible challenges together – we helped each other and we have come out of it stronger and happier people.”
Apart from saying goodbye to Jarna, she can’t remember another low point at Camp Biggest Loser. Lisa said that, although there were lots of high points, slipping on her wedding dress was a major high.
“When I was told it was dream outfit day I cried; after all the changes I had made, I felt that if it didn’t fit I would have failed. All of us were a bit teary. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt when it fitted. My body and my mind have seen so many changes in a few short months and it made it all real to me.”
Weighing in at 121.9kg at the beginning of her Biggest Loser journey, Lisa is now a slender 65.7kg. She intends to stay around her current weight. “I am looking forward to using the maintenance features on The Club program. As well as daily morning exercise on my spin bike, I know from experience that the diary will help me to stay in control and on track. I am going to stay focused by weighing in each week, too. There is no way I am going back to being overweight.”
Kudos for Campbell
Despite the unbelievable changes to her health, her looks and the family’s finances (she plans to pay off the mortgage and take the family to Disneyland with her $370,000 winnings), Lisa knows she couldn't have reached to such heights without the love and support of her family.
“When I got home from Camp Biggest Loser, I couldn’t run or walk [because of an ankle injury sustained in New Zealand] so my lovely husband went out and bought me a spin bike. He put it in the lounge as he knew I didn’t want to be away from the family. The family would watch films and I would just spin. When I told the TV crew, all of the women agreed that every woman needs a Campbell!”
The prospect of wearing a bikini still brings a resounding 'no' from Lisa but the beach is definitely calling now. After being given a personal surfing lesson by Layne Beachley, she has a new hobby in mind. “I never thought I would say it but I want to take up surfing and I want to encourage my girls to try it too. I just want to try everything now – every activity, every challenge out there because I know just how much fun life can be. I just never knew it. I never knew I had determination either because it was just so much easier to opt out before. I have no intention of opting out of life now.”
Modest mum
Although being centre of attention doesn’t come naturally for Lisa, she is happy to consider motivational speaking if there is a chance that she could help people, especially mums like her. “If being a 41-year-old mother can inspire other mums to do the same and get healthy and be happier, why not? If I can do it, anyone can,” she said.
“At Finale, I was the first one of the four of us to weigh in before Joe, Shannon and Wayne and I thought, ‘Oh well, that’s because I didn’t win’. When Hayley said to Joe that he needed to have lost 83kg to take the title and then when he weighed in with an 82.7kg loss, I screamed and then I burst into tears again. Who would have believed that 300g could make such a massive difference? Actually, perhaps I shouldn’t believe it at all. Perhaps I will wake up and find it was just a great dream!”
Lisa is delighted that she has regained her health and her life, and now the unassuming mum is continuing to come to terms with her incredible achievement. “I haven’t really thought about being the country’s first female Biggest Loser – I haven’t thought about life beyond going home to my lovely family,” she said.
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