Unable to exercise due to an illness and not eating enough to keep her metabolism at a healthy rate, Tania began to pile on the kilos. Inspired by The Biggest Loser contestants Tania turned to The Biggest Loser Club menu plans to help her regain control of her weight.
In 2006, Tania McDonnell was admitted to hospital with severe headaches, fatigue and nausea. Doctors suspected the NSW mum-of-two might have suffered a mini stroke or that she may have the beginnings of multiple sclerosis.
After a number of diagnostic tests and still without a definitive cause for her symptoms, Tania returned home a few days later. She couldn’t move very far without getting dizzy and couldn’t eat much either, her daily intake amounting to three small squares of chocolate and a glass of lemonade.
In November 2007, Tania was diagnosed with a condition called rickettsia, an infection that results in symptoms similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome and malaria. Tania says, “With the diagnosis came a whole load of new medications and because of the fatigue associated with the condition, I couldn’t exercise. As a result the weight started to pile on. I was really unhappy and even desperate about this and told my husband Wayne that l really wanted to have a tummy tuck. I felt so unhappy.
“It was around this time that I started to watch The Biggest Loser Series 3 on television. I liked the fact that some of the contestants were mothers like me with zero time for themselves. I saw the advertisement for The Biggest Loser Club and thought, ‘I wonder what that would be like for me?’ When I finally got on the computer and checked out The Club, I joined straightaway.
“That was on 24 February 2008 and I was the heaviest I had ever been. I felt ashamed just getting on the scales on that first day. I cried and was dumbfounded. How had l put on that much weight by eating so little? I had always thought that excess weight was caused by overeating, but I soon learned that by eating very little I had actually slowed my metabolism and my body was hanging onto every calorie that I ate.”
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Tania before
Tania after
Pretty in pink
Glamour photo
A fantastic first week
Tania started to eat according to her Biggest Loser Club program and after the first week lost a fantastic 1.7kg. The 35-year-old bookkeeper says, “I was so amazed! I just seemed to be eating all the time and l wondered how I was ever going to lose any weight. In fact, I was so worried about eating so much that I contacted support at The Club. They assured me that l needed to eat to fuel my body to lose weight. It was great as I was never hungry yet I was losing the kilos.”
Right from the start, Tania’s husband was very supportive. She explains, “Wayne would listen to my fears and insecurities and always offer such positive support. He has always been very encouraging of me.
“My kids have been wonderful, too. My nine-year-old daughter would come to me on my weigh-in day, and ask me how much l had lost that week. She would always be so positive, saying things like ‘Oh Mummy, that’s a great job!’ or ‘Wow, that’s your lowest weight. You’re so skinny!” She always makes me smile! My son said, ‘Mum, before you lost weight, you had a big tummy but now I can fit my arms around you!’"
Support from real people
Tania really enjoys being a part of the forums and appreciates the support from other ‘Clubbies’. She says, “The support comes from real people who are going through exactly the same things as you. It helped me realise I wasn’t alone. Whenever l was having a hard day, whether it was because I wasn’t feeling well or if I felt that I wasn’t coping, I would go onto the forums and find that other people were living similar experiences to me. It would encourage me to continue on this journey in my life. I have met some fantastic people on the forums. I’m not sure that l could have coped without their support.
“If l ever had a question about my calories or if I had any technical problems with the site, I would just drop a line to the tech support people and they would usually answer within 24 hours. This help was very important to me."
Easy to get together
“I enjoyed all the meals that The Club encouraged me to eat. It was quite easy to follow the program as l didn’t have to think about coming up with new meal ideas nor find out the calories they contained. Recipes were quick and easy to prepare and usually l would have all the ingredients I needed already in the fridge or in the cupboard.
“I chose the vegetarian menu plan as l don’t eat red meat, but sometimes l added some chicken. My husband is a big red meat fan and at the start of my weight-loss journey I used to cook a different meal for him and the children. After the first week I decided to cook the same meal for all of us and just included some meat on the side for the others.
“Now on a typical day l eat a slice of wholemeal toast with some baked beans, a tub of low-fat vanilla yoghurt and a tub of peaches. Morning tea is usually a cappuccino with skim milk, some fruit or a low-fat cereal bar. Lunch could be a toasted chilli and cheese sandwich with a mixed salad. Afternoon tea is a milkshake made with skim milk, blueberries and some vanilla yogurt. Dinner could be roasted vegetables, chicken and couscous.
“Due to my illness I can’t exercise. It can be hard work for me to just hang out the washing on the line. Today it was tiring for me to get the sheets off the line and make the beds.”
Starting her Biggest Loser journey at 73.7kg Tania shed 8.9kg and 29cm from her body. She now looks fantastic at her new weight of 64.8kg.
Tania's tips for you
If you’re encouraged by Tania’s experience, her tips are:
- “Write down everything you eat in the Club's diary, which will work out how many calories you have left at the end of each meal. This way there’s no need to stress over working out remaining calories.”
- “Stay positive even when you gain a little. Just continue with eating properly and exercising, if you can.”
- “Occasionally give in to your cravings. Sometimes we all need a little bit of chocolate so just make sure you allow for the extra calories.”
Tania finishes by saying, “I now believe that each of us is in control of our own life and our level of happiness is our own responsibility. Anyone can change their world and make it a wonderful place to live. It’s all in your attitude. If you believe in yourself, you can realise your dreams and anything is possible!”