Applying for The Biggest Loser made me realise one thing, that I was ready for a change. I was sick of being fat once and for all. I knew that should I be accepted into The Biggest Loser that I would lose enough weight to carry on a healthier and happier life and hopefully be able to learn enough to stop my daughter from becoming overweight and suffering the same childhood problems I suffered.
I guess as I went through the process of being accepted as a contestant I never really gave much thought to the fact that this was for real. I didn’t really consider what it meant to get onto TV and I surely never thought I would come away from the whole experience skinny and a totally different man.
I would never have dreamed of my life changing in as many ways as it did during my transformation. I think the point that I am trying to make is that I was expecting it to be about losing a few kilo’s. Instead I found it was about a man fighting a war within himself and never having enough courage to follow the battle through to the end. My fear of failure was so much stronger than my fear of defeat.
What really happened was that I stopped trying to lose weight because I disappointed myself so much by quitting rather then seeing it through to the end. The easiest way to not fail was to not try. Fighting obesity is definitely something that I underestimated my whole life. I really thought that I would just get around to losing the weight when I was ready. I realise now that it would never have been possible for me to have done without the help of Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper; and the whole The Biggest Loser approach to weight loss and well being.
When I first applied for The Biggest Loser I didn’t know what to expect. I have an Aunty Jessie who does TV commercials and the day before I went into the house I met with her and she told me that there was nothing spontaneous about TV. I listened to that but didn’t really understand what it meant until we had our first day shooting. It started at 5am and by 2pm we had entered the house and were ready to begin our day. By that stage we were all hot, bothered, sun burnt and tired.
Although there was definitely the excitement for me of knowing what I was about to do, I was also filled with fear as I realised for the first time that I was the smallest and youngest guy. WOW! That was weird. For the first time in my life I was the little one in the group.
The Biggest Loser
Week 1
The first week was a time of trial, for me. It was all about testing my body, mind, emotions and of coarse, my patience. I pulled through and shone I guess. Unfortunately my strong attachment to DAVID wasn’t enough to see him stay for longer then the first week. An injury made him an easy out for the other team members. I swore I would never double cross him and do what I could to carry him to the end. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and the other red members sent David on his way. Sadly, I bid goodbye and best of luck to my new found friend.
I lost 7.7kg
Week 2
The second week saw the exercise routines stepped up a notch in a bid to save the red team from going through another elimination. Unfortunately, we were no match for Wal and Harry on the blue team, and though we were subject to a grueling workout each day from Jillian it wasn’t enough against the blue team. I was learning a lot about my body already by this stage and the way the house was set up we had to fend for ourselves. We had to cook and organise all of our own food and so it didn’t take long to get into the rhythm of eating better. This elimination saw Ruth and Kristie portrayed as double crossing Jo to keep me from going home. Right from the start the three of us, Kristie Ruth and I had seen ourselves make it to the end or close, as we had met at our auditions and were friends from the beginning.
With Jo going home this week, the red team was looking pretty down as we had not won a major challenge yet and we were two team members down.
I lost 2.4kg
Week 3
It was time for the red team to make a change and start to make a difference in this game. The challenge saw me play an absolutely brilliant game of soccer with the amazing Dwyat York. What a guy and what a game.
Winning this game gave us the ability to bring Wal across to our team. As expected red team won the weigh in and this unfortunately saw the blue team send Cat home. A real shame but one of them had to go.
I lost 1.8kg
Week 4
The fourth week was another powerful week for us. Although Wal had to sit out of almost every challenge, the red team’s morale was up and we were not going to fool around this week. With our powers combined we saw the blue team loose in the weigh in and again faced elimination. Without using many brain cells the blue elimination saw Harry sent home which in the eyes of the red team meant that they, blue team, would never again beat us in a weigh in.
I lost 2kg
Week 5
The game then took a turn that saw us split into pairs with me matched up with Ruth. Neither of us were too happy as we both believed that it would be the ruin of us. We realised that neither of us were a powerful force when it came to weigh in’s. With the challenge won we had an advantage over Tracy and Artie as they had a 2kg penalty at the weigh in and this found both them and us under the yellow line and up for elimination. Fe trying to stick together voted for Ruth and I to go but as Tracy and Artie had well out stayed the non existent welcome the elimination showed that it was time for them to leave.
I lost 600gr
Week 6
We were split up and it was every man for himself. I think that this was the point where I was really able to shine. After having a run in with Jillian over what she considered laziness saw me begin training with Bob and sparked the beginning of me making my mark with a huge weight loss. This gave me the advantage to defeat Wal in the weigh in. This seemed an opportunity to send the fiercest competitor home. This still didn’t leave me looking like much of a threat to others but I felt that my only challenger now was Shane.
I lost 7.7kg
Week 7
Another week where I felt I was in control. I had two great weeks in a row and I wanted it to continue. I had my head down and my bum up as I worked hard to stay above the yellow line.
In the weigh in Ruth and Fiona fell below and were up for elimination and as we had agreed to stick to the original plan I prepared myself for Fe’s departure. Shockingly, though Kristie double crossed both Ruth and myself and sent Ruth on her way. It was at this point that I knew I could no longer trust anyone and had to really make sure that I made every second count.
I lost 2.4kg
Week 8
This was the turning point of my life. With only four of us left we headed up to Camp Eden. During our stay I truly found myself and as I did I realised that it was my turn to shine. I was real, in control and not going to stop until I had what I wanted. I realised at Camp Eden that there was a lot more to this weight loss then just shedding a few kilo’s. I discovered up on top of the Braveheart that I had been searching the whole time for 'The New Me'. With this week being a spiritual journey, to say the least.and the turning point for me owning my body and mind. I defeated Shane at weigh in not only for the first time but for the time that really counted which saw me, Kristie and Fe as the final three.
I Lost 3.6kg
Week 9
In true TV style they decided to bring the contestants back for a wild card entry and would allow one successful contestant to stay. We all knew that this would be either Shane or Harry and to be quite honest the final three didn’t want a part of it. Feeling cheated at the new game plan we decided to make a pact and do what we could to see the intruder sent on their way.
Week 10
Week ten was tough, mentally emotionally and physically. As Harry made it through as the wild card entrant I didn’t know how I would beat the big boys again. No matter how much I trained I was struggling with the visualisation of my success. As the weigh in approached I fell short within a kilo of being able to send Harry home and carry on with my two team mates Kristie and Fe to the finale.
I lost 6.5kg
Week 11
Training at home 6 weeks on I decided when I was eliminated that I was going to be The Biggest Loser. I called upon all of inner strenght to fight for what I believed was going to be the biggest ‘Up Yours’ I had ever known as I returned with the greatest weight loss of all contestants. Having AJ come to my home and tell me that I was back in as a twist as one of the final four I couldn’t believe my luck. I could have thrown in the towel and given up the fight once I was eliminated because of the feelings of being cheated. When AJ arrived at my house she couldn’t believe how much I had changed.
Week 12 Finale
Time for the finale. I had trained for the last 4 months for this day. Making it all count today was the focus of the last seven weeks at home and all of the struggles and pain I had put myself through.
It had all boiled down to this.
When all of the contestants arrived to be weighed in the behind the scenes murmur was that I had lost enough to take out the competition. I also felt in my heart that I had lost enough weight and would be the one to win the competition. It seemed a very gloomy day for Harry as he prepared himself for the worst.
I was not as nervous as I thought I would be as I stepped onto the scales. I had visualised this event a million times over and I had seen my moment of triumph in my head time and time again. I stood there and as the scales clicked over the room went silent. The only sound I heard was my brother Mac’s scream and I knew that I had done it. The feeling was truly indescribable and as I rerun the event through my mind I still get butterflies in my stomach.
FOR MY WIFE SAM & DAUGHTER ODESSA, Thank you for letting me find me.
And for my family friends and fans, thanks for your support it means the world to me.
Adro.
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