First of all, I would like to thank you for your support through out my journey. I really appreciate your interest and hope you will be inspired to start your own journey after visiting my site.
My mission, as promised, is to help as many people as we can to overcome obesity and its related issues, as well as assist state and federal government bodies to tackle obesity head on, and to be a role model for my family and every other Australian family.
This has been a life changing experience for me. Since winning The Biggest Loser, I have spoken to hundreds of people that face similar problems. I have been working on ways to reach others with weight problems and teach them how to get moving, feel great and learn to live life again.
The year 2006 has been the greatest year of my life. It is the year in which I found myself and so much more. After enduring 5 months of intense workouts, drastic weight loss, phenomenal lifestyle alterations and the intensity of a Reality TV show I developed a keen mind for strategy and a fierce determination. I had become a tough competitor but tried to maintain my focus by envisioning me reaching my target. I was not going to fall short, I owed it to myself and to my family.
Through all of my weight loss I believe that I truly found “The New Me” at Camp Eden. I'm sure many of us know that any struggle in life starts in our heads, and there is no problem that we cannot overcome if we overcome ourselves first. My experiences at Camp Eden gave me the strength to see this journey through to the end and all the way to the top.
At the finale, I exceeded my dream weight of 95kgs and weighed in at an amazing 85.2kgs, down from an original 145kgs. I had been too scared to weigh myself when I was at my heaviest; but winning the title of The Biggest Loser was one of the proudest moments in my life. I had finally overcome my life long burden of being obese and I had seen something through to the end. What an accomplishment that was for me! I promised Australia on that night that I was going to help as many people as I can to overcome and win their battle against excess weight and obesity.
As a Husband to Samantha, father to Odessa (3) and now the newest edition to our family Eden Harper in November, I want to make sure that I can set the right example for my own and Australia’s next generation.
I was born 15 May 1979 in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. I am the 3rd child in a family of 7 children.
My father and my mother separated when I was about 5 years old and I guess that's when I remember putting on the extra weight. My mother was a pensioner and like all great mothers, her first priority was to make sure our bellies were full.
As I look back now I realise that most of our food intake was carbohydrates. I guess they're so versatile, cheap, plentiful, and the easiest to prepare for a large family.
Growing up, getting bigger was tough but you quite easily adapt to that overweight way of life, and even at such a young age you begin to believe that you're destined for it. As the years and the kilos stacked up I found that I was consumed with the notion that I would never be able to do anything about it and that I would always be big. I found myself becoming angry with myself, the world, and everyone I came in contact with.
I remember going to a dietician with my mum when I was 11. He told me that I should try to stay under 75kg. Well that didn't happen and I quickly reached and passed that weight.....and kept going!
On becoming an adult I tried to make some serious attempts at losing weight. Some attempts were successful but most weren't, but even the successful times were only short-lived. Either the fad diet became too hard or I lost interest due to a lack of results, and then the weight came back because I hadn’t learnt anything from the experience.
My most successful attempt came when I tried to educate myself through a body builders ideas on weight loss. I forced myself to go to the gym every morning and afternoon. My waist went from 44" to 38" in 9 weeks; but it all came to an end when I took up ground-fighting and tore the ligaments in both knees.
As the years moved on I tried Duramine, shakes, and just about anything else that I thought of and was told by doctors to try.
At 23, I met my now wife Samantha and was weighing 125kg. By the time she was near full-term with our daughter (Odessa) I was at my heaviest weight ever, 144kg. From then on as I grew larger I decided that measuring myself was probably not in my best interest.
Once my daughter was born I just wanted to spend every spare moment with her and Sam. They both became my top priority, and my health came in well behind. I was also only eating one meal a day most days and that was generally a pasta dish late at night after work.
Well, The Biggest Loser came along and I was given a fantastic opportunity to lose weight and improve my life. I have learnt a lot since starting with Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels and I can't thank them enough.
Once I left the house I started training with my personal trainer and now great friend Ray Kelly, who really pushed me hard but it was certainly worth it.
My resolve was tested the day I got home and learnt that I'd lost my business. But it got worse. Whilst I was clearing out the factory I fell on a broken bottle and cut my hand quite badly. It required immediate surgery. So within a week of leaving the house I had lost my income and now I was laid up in hospital as well. Being in hospital also saw my weight rise to 112kg!
The old Adro may have given in but not the new one. Ray and I devised an intense schedule that would still allow me to reach my goals. The plan entailed intense training balanced with longer, lighter sessions. It also covered other aspects of my life that would need to be improved. I was so determined to win this (The Biggest Loser and the fight against my own demons of obesity) that I even went running with my cut arm strapped to my chest and often ended the run with a bloodied shirt.
A big part of this plan was improving my fitness by running. I have never enjoyed running and at this stage I could only run for 3 minutes without stopping. We incorporated a mix of long runs, hills, beach runs, intervals, and circuits. Within 5 weeks I was able to run 10km non-stop!
Going into the Finale I knew I would be hard to beat. I had reached my adjusted goal of 85kg (my first goal was 95kg) and I knew the other finalists would have to have a near perfect preparation to win. It was a great feeling taking out the first ever series of The Biggest Loser in Australia in 2006. I've seen the changes that losing weight has made to my life and now I want to help as many others as I can. Ray and I are teaming up to open a weight loss centre that will be like no other. It's called “The New Me!” I really can't tell you how much your support means to me. The letters, emails, and even the screams of support as I'm jogging past, really push me on. Just like everyone, I have my ups and downs but you guys keep me going.
Thanks,
Adro
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