Uni student and Season 3 youngster Sam never let his size stop him being sporty at school; in fact, he was an active member of a number of school sports teams. Yet, being heavy was always a part of his life, emotionally as well as physically. Then, with university around the corner, Sam began to review his life and realised that when it came to his weight, changes had to be made. That moment of truth propelled him on an incredible journey, one that has resulted with him being crowned Australia's Biggest Loser 2008!
Sam says, “I had always been chubby as a child but I didn't really let this stop me from doing what I wanted to. I guess I just put up with the way things were. It wasn't until the time when I was leaving school and about to start university that it really hit me that I wanted things to be drastically different. I didn't want to start the next stage in my life overweight, always sitting on the sidelines and not really living. Starting university was a great chance for change; it was a new stage in my life and I wanted a new me to start it with."
But, Sam's track history with food and weight loss was similar to just about everyone else he knew. He would start diet after diet without any success and the whole thing would leave him feeing down and in need of comfort – which he got in the form of food. In his heart, he knew he needed support, guidance and perhaps something a little on the extreme side!
Sam says, "I had seen both series of The Biggest Loser and enjoyed them, so I went for it and applied for Season 3. After a lot of interviews and meetings, I was finally selected and that’s when my life really started to change.”
During his first days at the White House, Sam, along with the other contestants, was introduced to The Biggest Loser Club, the online weight-loss support tool. Sam says, “At first we used paper diaries to write down everything we were eating and then added up our calorie counts. But then we were taught all about the online diary on The Biggest Loser Club. That was great because it was just so easy and quick to enter what and how much I was eating and let the diary calculate the calories for me.”
One big eye-opener for Sam was portion sizes. He says, “Before, I didn’t know the ‘right’ size of breakfast cereal – a bowl is a bowl, isn’t it? No it isn’t. The online diary showed me why it is so important to stick to a weighed amount – going over can quickly take you over what you should be eating and the whole calorie targets go out the window. Plus, whenever you type in what you have eaten, The Club tells you the exercise equivalents, like a portion of breakfast cereal equals a certain number of minutes walking – that really makes you think, too! There is lots of nutrition information at your fingertips – I never really knew about nutrition before, and I was not that interested in it either, but now I know how important it is for my body and my mind, and I want both to stay as fit and as healthy as I am today!”
Sam loved the sheer variety of foods he could look up in The Club’s food search. He says, “Gradually, I learned what was good for me and what was right for me, and I began to get a better understanding of why I put on the weight before – I never want to go back there!”
So, what top tips does the youngest-ever contestant and 2008 Biggest Loser have for his fellow Club members? “Make sure you put absolutely everything in your diary – food, exercise, everything! Count and weigh as much as you can as everything adds up, and if the scales aren’t going your way, it could be that underestimating is your problem. When you use the diary and really look at what you are eating, it really opens your eyes! I am definitely going to continue with the diary – it is a quick and easy way to make sure I stay on track. Now that I am happy with my weight, I will go into ‘maintenance mode’, so I can eat a bit more. But if I overeat (or exercise less), I’ll see it in the diary’s summaries and take action to balance things out."
Sam says The Club's online nature is perfect for him, “It’s a great fit – it's no hardship to use my computer to stay healthy; computers are a big part of the lifestyle of a 20-year-old student! It takes only five minutes to update my diary, and it is so important to know and remind myself of what is going into my body. I would hate to go back down the path I was stuck in for the sake of just five minutes on my computer!”
The confident but sometimes shy Sam is philosophical about his future and he now has expectations that are so much higher than they were just a few months ago. He is still getting used to his physical and emotional transformation and the positive attention he now gets from others. Sam plans to live life to the full. And, now that he is on the brink of what promises to be a happier and healthier future, what would Sam recommended for those who know they need to start their weight-loss journey but haven’t made the commitment quite yet? “I say, get things started right now. If you don’t do it today, you are denying yourself a month or more of being fitter and happier, too. I denied myself for so long, for too long – don't do the same thing. Think of it, a whole month of a happier new person. Don't wait. Why wait?”