Most of us will be familiar with the unfortunate fall of The Biggest Loser contestant Big G – now known just as G. Things looked promising when G was teamed with Rob but, on day two in the house, he slipped during a race with Wil and dislocated his knee, putting him out of action for two months.
There was no option but for G to leave the competition and go home. Looking back he says, “At the time I was devastated. It was my worst nightmare. With one blink I was back home again.”
Thankfully for G, he has an amazing family who bought him back from despair and told him he could do it.
And he proved his family right because, when he stepped on the scales at The Biggest Loser finale, he had lost 4st 6lb – over 17% of his starting body weight – which was enough to put him in sixth place on the runners up leader board.
Without the help of Richard and Angie and unable to even walk for eight weeks, just how did G do it?
Club addict
G read The Club’s informative articles every day to teach himself on nutrition and exercise so he had the knowledge and power to succeed. “First, you have to educate yourself on nutrition and food before you can lose weight. The Club allowed me to carry on my weight loss journey from home. It was my window back into the house.”
He relied on the diary to count his calories, nutritious recipes and exercise tips. “The Club guided me to be healthier.”
A true convert to healthy eating, G now cooks everything himself so that he knows the exact ingredients and quantities in his food. That way he can always be sure of an accurate calorie count.
G religiously weighed in online each week to replace the weekly weigh in on the show. “My weight loss chart is important to me. By seeing how much weight I’ve lost each week I can look back in my diary and see what I did differently.”
G’s typical day now consists of brown toast with honey for breakfast (but no butter!), green tea and a fruit salad. He then prepares a snack to take to the gym, such as nuts and a banana. For lunch it’s usually a ham sandwich and then for dinner it’s a high-protein, low-carb meal.
As for exercise, G is now mobile again and works out five to six times a week. “I’m still slightly limited by my former injury, but I use the bike, rower, free weights and I box. To train every day I had to make a hobby out of it to enjoy it, so I chose boxing.”
Click to enlarge photos
Big G before
G after
Strangers reunited
The future is bright
Now finale is over, G still has a goal to reach between 15st and 16st and he aims to do this in time for a family wedding in July. And this positive man knows he will do it — and will continue using The Club to make sure of it.
G explains, “I’m still learning and The Club will continue to inform me. I’m not going to eat the same foods forever — I need to mix it up a bit or else I’ll lose interest and revert back to my old ways. Every time I try a new meal or food I have to use the diary to know the nutritional information.”
As well as The Club, G puts a lot of his success down to his family. He can’t thank them enough for their love, support and belief in him. “They are so proud and they surprise me every day at just how great they are. Every time I feel down or like I’m about to give up, they pick me up and show me that I can do it.”
G is a full-time carer for his father, who is awaiting a liver transplant, but the family have pulled together to allow G the time he needs to focus on himself in order to lose weight. He says, “My weight was going up because I wasn’t paying attention to myself — I had to concentrate on my Dad’s needs. But now I’m a much better, more active person. My weight loss has been important to all the family, because they need me as much as I need them!”
Looking back at his unlucky start in the show, G takes his usual positive and philosophical approach. “I believe that everything happens for a reason and I wasn’t meant to be in that house. Obviously I would have loved to see what I could have achieved with the trainers, but I’ve had to do it the hard way and I’m stronger for it.”
And at finale he proved to everyone that he could do it and he was elated at coming sixth on the runners up leader board. But with his new healthy knowledge and mindset, he closes with some wise words: “For us, the end of the show is only the start of the journey. I’m going to have to keep doing this for the rest of my life, but I’m going to enjoy it!”
While waiting backstage at The Biggest Loser finale, G reveals how The Biggest Loser Club has helped him achieve his amazing weight loss results...
Watch G's mid-way catch up with The Biggest Loser trainer Richard Callender as
he shows how The Club can help him on his weight loss journey from home...