Petite Paula Kane knew she was carrying a few extra kilos, but when she logged onto The Biggest Loser Club, she wasn't prepared for such a shock. In no uncertain terms, the tough-talking Commando told her she was nudging the obese weight range. Shaken into action, the determined Paula took all the advice that The Club had to offer and reached her goal weight in just a few months. And, with all the knowledge she’s gained, she’s certain to stay that way too.
When Paula married her husband Anthony seven years ago, the Perthite weighed around 56kg, fine for her petite 157cm frame. Then, long working hours coupled with the contentment of married life saw her weight creep slowly upwards.
“I love to cook and Anthony loves to eat, so at weekends I would often bake for him. I prefer savoury tastes and potato chips were my personal favourite. I would buy a big bag and polish it off throughout the week. For us, evenings and weekends were about relaxation – exercise was the last thing on my mind,” she said.
Growing family
A few years later, baby Jasmine (now three and a half) added to the happy, hectic pace of life for the Kane family. By the time Joshua, now 15 months, was born, Paula knew that she had to lose weight.
“I had never been on a weight loss diet before so it was all new to me,” Paula said. “I’m not a big fan of fads or extremes so I knew that I had to make healthy lifestyle changes.”
Around this time, Paula’s sister-in-law, Kristen decided it was time to lose her tummy weight too, and she had opted to use The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacements. The packs come with a free seven-day trial to The Biggest Loser Club and Kristen handed one over to Paula who decided to check it out.
“I put my details into the BMI calculator and The Commando said that we needed to talk. My weight had put me almost into the obese range for my height and I was truly shocked – I really didn’t think I looked that bad,” she said.
Signing up
Paula took the plunge and signed up to The Club for a year. At that time, Paula was still breastfeeding baby Joshua and so she had an extra 500 calories added to her basic calorie allowance.
Right from the start, Paula was dedicated about using her online diary. She weighed everything she ate including the lettuce in her lunchtime sandwich and was meticulous about putting everything in her diary. If she didn’t eat all of her meal, she would enter that into the diary too so that it was as accurate as possible.
“It was soon clear that I was eating way too much,” Paula confessed. “As well as my own meals, I was finishing up the children’s leftovers and the habit of joining them for morning and afternoon tea had to change.”
Paula was also staggered about how quickly the calories add up. “I switched to low fat milk and low fat products but it was really surprising to me how many calories there were even in some low fat food products,” she added.
Click to enlarge photos
Paula before
Paula before
Paula before
Paula after
Paula after
Steady losses
Single-mindedly, Paula took all of the advice that The Club had to offer and the weight began to come off immediately and steadily at the rate of about half to one kilo each week. Paula’s sister-in-law was also finding success.
“We pretty much lost the same amount of weight each week which was great,” Paula said. “She only lives two minutes away from me, so we would get together to walk and later, I made her jog.”
Nowadays, a typical day for Paula starts with a high-fibre breakfast cereal with low fat milk. Lunch could be a ham salad wrap or soup, while a typical dinner would be steak with low fat chips and vegies.
Paula started her first ever weight loss journey at 65.4kg. But soon she had lost a fantastic 12.4kg and reached her goal weight of 53kg – that’s the equivalent to losing 19% of her starting body weight. And, by using her online diary extensively, she has gained the valuable and practical information she needs to know about the calories in all of the foods and drinks she consumes.
Motivated to maintain
Paula has been maintaining her weight for some months now. She weighs herself every week to ensure that she can jump on any weight gain.
“I know that it is all about balance now. So, if I overdo it one day, I make up for it in the days to come and that that’s how I have stayed on track. Now I know that I have the willpower to say no – and that power feels good.”
But that doesn’t mean that treats are banned. “It’s just that now, I won’t eat a big packet of chips; I choose a small bowl instead,” Paula said. “Plus, my tastes have changed so when I go to restaurants I prefer not to choose creamy dishes – they actually make me feel sluggish.”
Looking back, Paula never thought she had to willpower to make so many changes for the better, but she found it surprisingly easy and her steady weight loss meant that she never lost her motivation.
Paula returned to work recently on a part-time basis and has loved hearing compliments about her new look. “People tell me that I look wonderful and that’s great – who doesn’t want to hear that?”
Fab in flannelette
But it is the unexpected compliments that mean the most to Paula. Her mum says that she looks the way she did when she was a teenager and when she was having breakfast in her flannelette pyjamas the other morning, Paula’s husband told her that she looked gorgeous.
Clothes shopping is also a joy now; shrinking from a size 14 to a regular size 10 and the occasional size eight has made fashions very enjoyable.
But new fashions aren’t the only transformation to Paula’s looks. “I could never think about having a short haircut before – my face was too round. But today, I went out and had a bob – and it feels great to have the confidence to take on a new look."