Craig lost 51.3kg!

Climbing what seemed like an endless flight of stairs carrying two bags of shopping under one arm and his precious two-year-old son Noah with the other, Craig, winner of the 2008 Biggest Loser Club prize, knew something had to give. It was time to do something about his weight – and there was no more time to waste.

Craig says, “My son, Noah, was the main reason that I wanted to lose weight and be healthy. I became a father quite late in life and it hit me that I would be in my 50s going on 70 by the time he was 21. I wanted to be around and I wanted to be well.”

Craig’s eating habits began early in his childhood. He says, “We didn’t have much when we were growing up and we were thankful for what we did have. My brother and I would eat anything we could (even our sisters’ meals sometimes) and we definitely always cleared everything on our plates. We weren’t satisfied until everything was empty. Now, I know that you should only eat until you have had enough – you don’t need to clear everything on your plate, that’s a sure-fire way of eating more than you need. Also, portion sizes are essential – putting the right amount of food on the plate in the first place makes it easier if, like me, psychologically, you still want to clear your plate completely.”

Married in his 20s and divorced in his 30s, Craig recalls the time when the weight started to creep up. He says, “When my marriage broke up and I moved out of the family home, I had to start again. I used to skip breakfast then be hungry through the day. Then, it was either grab whatever was in the hot box at the convenience store or some fast food with chips, all of it washed down with soft drinks. Not eating regular meals then bingeing on one or two fatty meals really affected my weight.”

It also took its toll on Craig’s health in other ways. His unhealthy diet triggered fatty deposits in his liver (his doctor said he had the liver of an alcoholic even though he didn’t drink to excess) and he had a large fatty deposit on the back of his neck. For both conditions, Craig underwent test after test after test. Having lost 51.3kg (he went from 142.3kg to an athletic 91kg), his liver function tests are now normal and the fatty growth on his neck has disappeared, too.

Craig got to where he is today with the help of The Biggest Loser Club. Of the 30 men and women who took part in Season 3 of The Biggest Loser, Craig was one of the 11 contestants who didn’t make it into the White House (collectively, they’re known as ‘The Club 11’). Instead, he used The Club’s world-class weight-loss and support tools to achieve his amazing transformation.

Craig used every feature of The Club including the unique and popular online diary. He says, “The diary is a great tool for keeping an eye on what I am eating – I use it every day and record absolutely everything I eat and drink. Each day I focused on making sure my ‘calories in’ were fewer than my ‘calories out’ which is how you lose weight. I know it now, but if anyone had tried to talk to me about this before, I wouldn’t have listened; I didn’t want to listen. Now, it is clear that if I want to eat a certain something, I need to work it off – it’s all there in diary, plain as can be.”

Craig continues, “I also loved the chance to enter my measurements into the diary and I put in regular photos, too. Two months ago, I thought I was looking good but looking back, I can see that I had some ways to go – I just couldn’t see it at the time – story of my life? The other section I found really useful was the food search – it has thousands and thousands of foods listed so I could check up on the calorie content of virtually anything – you would be amazed how the calories in flat white coffees can add up!”

Of course, support is another weight-loss essential and Craig had bags of it. He embarked on a rigorous training regime with his personal trainer Daithi O’Cathain, and the two have ended up great friends. Family remains central to Craig’s life; one of Craig’s sisters has joined The Biggest Loser Club (she is doing really and has already lost 8kg) and his other sister and brother have given him their total support. When Craig began his journey with The Biggest Loser Club, he moved in with his mum and has been living with her ever since.  He says, “She has been my biggest support; she raised the four of us on her own and we have all drawn upon her strength.”

Things have moved so quickly that Craig can’t quite believe how his body has changed. He says, “Even though it’s great to be where I am now, I am still stuck in the past in some ways. Take buying clothes – I went shopping for jeans recently with a friend and picked up all the larger sizes. My friend noticed but didn’t comment at the time; later she said she had to let me do it as I had to learn for myself that things have changed – and changed a lot! And, I will do that but it will take time. But, I am having great fun playing with Noah – he’s energetic and now, so am I!”

Today, after months of single-minded determination, Craig is healthier than ever and having lost the biggest percentage of body weight (over 36%) at the 2008 Finale, he won $10,000 from The Biggest Loser Club.

And what about his 10 fellow contestants? “All of the Club 11 contestants have been in touch regularly and we have given each other so much support. Misi and I have even got Club 11 tattoos! We will be friends forever!”

So what does the future hold for Craig or, rather, what would he like the future to hold? “Well, like some other members of The Club 11, I am single and I’m looking to find my soul mate. Any offers?”