Forty-five-year-old Toni has suffered from weight issues most of her life, but after the birth of her first child she experienced significant weight gain. By the time her son was at kindergarten, Toni had gained 35kg, weighing her heaviest at 98kg.
Toni’s very supportive husband bought her a gym membership, which she used 4 to 6 times a week, but with little change on the scales. It wasn’t until she saw an episode of the hit US show Oprah that Toni experienced her moment of realisation. Toni explains, “A panellist on the show told the audience to go home and write down three goals that you would like to achieve in the short-term future. You had to stick the note on your bathroom mirror and think about each goal positively every day. They said one of these achievements would come true.”
After four months of reading her sticky notes daily, Toni found the positive head space she needed to achieve her main goal of losing weight and regaining her self-motivation. “I can’t explain where it came from,” she says. “I just decided that I wasn’t going to ‘try’ anymore, but I was going to ‘do’.”
Click to enlarge photos
Toni before
At her heaviest
Inspired to change
Toni after
At 68.8kg
Happy and confident
Virtual support
Toni’s day of dawning coincided with the latest Biggest Loser series. She reveals, “While I couldn’t live at Camp Biggest Loser, I could believe that I deserved what they had; the opportunity to live life fully.”
On starting with The Biggest Loser Club, Toni soon learnt exactly where she was going wrong. While she ate lots of healthy fruit and vegetables, her servings were simply too generous, despite her active exercise regime. “The online diary showed me what all those handfuls of nuts and tubs of low-fat yoghurt actually added up to. Yes they are good for you, but they should still be kept to a reasonable portion.”
Other online tools that Toni puts down to her success are the charts that showed her gradual weight decrease, which helped keep her motivation high. The forums were also a place where she could share her highs and lows and pull together with other Club members.
Lifelong lessons
To date, Toni has lost 20.6kg, taking her down to a healthier and happier 68.8kg. However, the final leg of her journey is still underway as she aims to reach her goal weight of 65kg. In order to achieve this she is sticking to her healthy-eating plan and all that she has learnt with The Club.
“My typical daily diet now starts with my son and I enjoying an egg for breakfast – otherwise it’s beans on toast or a bowl of cereal. Lunch ranges from a soup with bread and cottage cheese to a healthy homemade salad left over from last night’s meal.” Toni finds that eating a carb-free dinner works for her, having more vegetables instead of potatoes or pasta. In between meals she snacks on a cup-a-soup, skinny latte, a small handful of nuts or even the odd dim sim, plus an occasional visit to her workplace patisserie. “I manage to eat all this in a day and still stay within my calorie limit,” Toni says.
Secrets revealed
Thanks to Toni’s extremely successful weight-loss results, she is now able to offer words of wisdom to fellow slimmers.
It’s not about starving or depriving yourself; it’s about portion control. This was a lesson Toni learnt early on in her journey and still sticks by today. She says, “Knowing that I don’t have to go without and that I can eat my favourite foods in moderation is definitely one of the keys to my success.”
If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something different. Despite Toni’s near-daily gym sessions, she just could not shift the weight. It was only when she started to manage her food intake via the online diary that the results began to show.
Confide in those you love, get them on board and let them support you. Thanks to the unconditional love and support from her husband and two children, Toni was able to find solace and celebrate with those closest to her. “My husband Mal was always the first to cuddle me if I was having a bad week or pick me up and swing me round if I’d had an exceptional week,” reveals Toni.
Happy shopper
As Toni’s weight has decreased, her positivity has increased. “Socialising isn’t as much of a chore now because I feel more confident,” she reveals. On top of this she has also found a new love for her wardrobe, saying, “I have so many clothes that make me feel good that I just can’t decide what to wear!”
If you’ve found success with The Biggest Loser Club and want to share your story, plus be in with a chance of winning $200 for a shopping spree, write to us now.