Kristen Cahir allowed herself to relax her diet and exercise routine during pregnancy and, by the time her second baby was on the way, she was too heavy to give birth at her local hospital. Determined to succeed, Kristen made her mind up to lose weight and get fit, and now she’s more than 54kg (8st) lighter.
In her early years, Kristen kept fit by playing lots of sports and being careful about what she ate. At the age of 18, she was surprised and delighted to discover she was pregnant and she began to relax her careful eating habits and stopped exercising too.
“I looked at pregnancy as a nine-month break,” Kristen explained, “and as a result my weight began creeping upwards”.
From a pre-pregnancy weight of 88kg (13st 12lb), Kristen notched up 100kg (15st 10lb) by the end of her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter. “After Lily was born, I went clothes shopping and found that size 14 clothes no longer fitted me,” she said.
Not ready to change
This was a surprise, but Kirsten was not shocked enough to change her habits. She would go for hours without eating and then grab whatever was handy. Kristen would eat when she was tired, depressed or bored and instant noodles, biscuits and large blocks of chocolate were her comfort foods.
“I also drank too much alcohol,” she said, “and, over the next three years, my weight climbed to 125kg (19st 10lb)”.
Every so often, Kristen would try a new diet, but without much success. “I even tried not eating at all, but absolutely nothing worked. In the end I gained more weight than I lost,” she said.
When Kristen was 127kg (19st 14lb), she found that she was pregnant again and both her doctor and her partner Ben were concerned about how she would handle pregnancy at such a heavy weight.
Kristen said, “At my first antenatal appointment at the local hospital, I was told that I wouldn’t be able to have my baby there as the beds only catered for a maximum weight of 140kg (22st); they anticipated that my weight would go up during the pregnancy.”
Screaming inside
“The doctor was as nice as possible about it and I took all his words with a smile, but inside I was screaming. How could I have let myself go like this?”
She knew she shouldn’t try to lose weight during pregnancy and, after she and Ben welcomed their healthy baby boy Ethan into the world, parenthood kept her busy.
Six weeks later, Kristen did something that she had been dreading for some time – she jumped on the scales. Her own weighing scales only went up to a weight of 140kg so she had to use the scales at the shopping centre to weigh herself. “I was shocked to learn that I weighted 145.6kg (22st 13lb); I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone else,” she said.
Too big for size 26
Shock number two came when Kristen went shopping for something new to wear for Christmas lunch 2008. Having scoured the plus-sized clothing shops, she was dismayed to learn that even size 26 clothing was too snug.
“I left, empty-handed, went home and cried,” she said.
The time to get serious about her weight had come and Kirsten set her start date at 1st January 2009. Ahead of D-day, she rid her cupboards of unhealthy snacks and went to the supermarket to stock up on healthier foods.
Kristen had also researched meal replacement products on the market and opted for The Biggest Loser range. “I chose The Biggest Loser Meal Replacements because they were cheaper than other varieties and because they are available in supermarkets and therefore easy and convenient to stock up on.”
Click to enlarge photos
Kristen before
Kristen before
Kristen before
Kristen after
Kristen after
Time for action
Kristen started to replace two meals every day with a shake and, in her first week, she lost 5kg (11lb). “This encouraged me to keep going. I knew I had to add exercise into the mix. I didn’t want to exercise in public – at my size how could I leave the house in joggers? I just didn’t want to be seen in public so I would walk up and down the hall.”
By April, Kristen had lost a fabulous 15kg (2st 5lb) and felt comfortable enough to join a gym. Gradually, she switched to just one shake a day and opted for a sandwich for lunch. For dinner, lean meat with vegetables or salad would keep her satisfied and she would snack on fruit and sip green tea between meals.
Kristen now rarely drinks alcohol and she doesn’t miss it. “I don’t deny myself anything; I just know that if I choose to eat it, I’ll have to work it off.”
Life changing results
Starting her Biggest Loser Club journey at 145.6kg (22st 13lb), Kirsten lost a staggering 54.6kg (8st 8lb) over 18 months to become a shapely 91kg (14st 5lb). She is delighted by her slow and steady progress of about 1kg (2lb) a week and feels that she has made lifestyle changes that she can keep up for good.
“I was well and truly ready to change my life for good,” Kristen said. “My heart just wasn’t in it before – I just wasn’t ready to stop eating fatty foods and stop drinking.”
Making lifestyle changes is as much about a positive attitude as diet and exercise. Kristen explained, “In the past, if I had given in to takeaway, I’d give up and continue binging before starting on another diet. Now if I have a slip-up, I just start again at my next meal.”
Wedding bells
Kristen’s partner Ben has been her biggest supporter and encouraged her every step of the way. Early on in her get-healthy journey, Ben proposed and a delighted Kristen gave him an emphatic yes!
“At that time, my goal was simply to look nice in a wedding dress, but secretly, I wanted to be able to fit into a size 16.”
In August 2009, Kristen went shopping for a wedding dress and left the boutique clutching her dream outfit – a size 16 Maggie Sottero Couture Wedding Gown. At 115kg (18st), she knew she still had some work to do but on her wedding day in September 2009, Kristen is delighted to report that she weighed 99kg (15st 8lb).
Happy days
But Kristen didn’t stop there and today she is a shapely 91kg (14st 5lb). “My goal at the beginning of this weight loss journey was to wear size 16 clothes (I remember telling my husband that if I could buy a pair of size 16 jeans, I would be a very happy lady).”
That happy day came around last week when Kristen popped into her local department store and left clutching a pair of size 16 jeans!
Losing such a huge amount of weight has been life-changing for Kristen. She no longer eats to soothe her emotions and her life doesn’t revolve around food: “I eat to keep my body functioning not to make me feel better or because I’m bored,” she said.
“I have two wonderful children who used to run laps around me, but now they struggle to keep up with me!”