Forty-something Joan Gibson used to stay in shape playing state-level basketball in her native Canada. Unfortunately knee and ankle injuries after university put an end to her sporting days. This lack of activity, combined with her tendency to overeat, meant Joan’s weight crept slowly and steadily upwards.
An emotional eater
Joan describes herself as an emotional eater. She used to eat when she felt low, to reward herself and to lift her mood. “I also enjoyed the physical feeling of being full and I wanted to feel full most of the time,” she said.
The jolt to do something about her weight came around six months ago when she caught sight of her reflection in a shop window. “I thought ‘who is that fat, middle-aged woman?’ I really didn’t want her to be me, but it was.”
Joan used to enjoy watching The Biggest Loser on TV and admired the contestants’ incredible achievements. When she and her husband Steve moved to a rural property, she had to watch the show online and that’s how she discovered The Biggest Loser Club.
The journey begins
Joan decided to try The Biggest Loser Meal Replacements to get her started and she focused on creating new, healthier routines that could develop into daily habits. She’s now pretty active and works her exercise around her work and farm commitments.
She begins most mornings with a 30-minute session on the cross trainer followed by breakfast, which is often a Biggest Loser Shake. She then feeds her three horses before heading off to work.
After work, Joan rides her horse, Roys Boy, and gets stuck into her chores. “It is amazing how tired you get tossing bales of hay,” she said. At weekends, she either walks or jogs, but spends much of her time outside with her animals. Home-based exercise is especially important for her as the nearest gym is around 30 minutes away, so the flexible nature of The Club's exercise program worked really well for her.
Country-loving Joan and her husband Steve both enjoy freshly cooked meals like chicken stir-fry piled high with vegies and flavoured with chilli, garlic and ginger or grilled steak with a chilli garlic seasoning and salad. Joan grows many vegetables and herbs in her garden and enjoys cooking up the fresh produce.
Not so secret weapon
Like many Club members, Joan’s favourite tool is the online diary. “People call the diary a tool, but to me it’s a weapon,” she said. “It is powerful and protects me from potentially poor food choices. It even allows me to eat because I’m no longer afraid of putting things into my mouth for fear of weight gain. The diary also guides me about how much exercise I need to do and all these things allow me to see the bigger picture and be real with myself,” she said.
Slow and steady wins the race
At the start of her journey, Joan tipped the scales at 106kg (16st 9lb) and over 30 weeks has lost 23.8kg (3st 10lb), now weighting 82.2kg (12st 13lb). She wasn’t looking for a quick-fix weight loss plan, “I could have lost weight faster, but I wanted the changes I made to be permanent and easy to maintain over the long term,” said Joan.
Another factor in Joan’s success is that she still includes some of her favourite foods, such as peanut butter, into her plan so that she doesn’t feel deprived. “If you don’t learn to incorporate the foods you love, how can you ever be able to succeed and then keep the weight off?”
Joan loves the fact that life is so much easier now. She can jump, jog and stand for long periods without aching feet. “These are the things I didn’t know were difficult until they became easy,” she said.
Roys Boy knows
Joan is convinced that even her horse-riding skills have improved. “My balance seems better, plus I don't feel like I’m being left behind as much when Roys Boy makes big strides. We seem to be able to move more as one now.”
Joan is delighted with the way she looks and urges everyone to do the same, not just for better physical health, but to feel great too. “I haven’t felt this good in years and it is so good to feel like the real me again. I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel like the person that I was and always wanted to be has returned. It’s a wonderful feeling.”