Health & Wellbeing
Meet Anna - The Bürgen® 2 Slices a Day Winner
Most young girls dream of having the perfect wedding. Anna Helton dreamed of fitting into a perfect wedding dress.
Last year, Anna, 26, happily celebrated her engagement party with close friends and family. However, when she looked at photos from the party, she was shocked at how she looked. Despite being 180kg, Anna’s weight had never really bothered her before. A vivacious and outgoing child, Anna had always been a "bit bigger" – but she’d never worried about the excess weight she was carrying.
With strong support from her family and fiancé, she decided to lose a significant amount of weight before walking down the aisle. She wanted to walk down the aisle in the dress of her dreams – not one that simply "fit". Being proactive, she went to a weight management clinic for advice where she consulted a doctor and was given a suitable eating and exercise plan. Anna was surprisingly healthy, with her blood sugars and cholesterol being normal. Looking back, she counts herself lucky she didn’t have any of the common health problems associated with obesity, which made it easier for her to embark on her diet.
Having made a conscious and serious decision to lose weight, Anna was realistic about the lifestyle and dietary changes she would have to make in order to lose and keep off the weight. Following a strict diet, she was restricted to 3 meals a day. Gone were the 5 cappuccinos she had every day, boozy nights out with friends, and take away meals. She joined a gym and engaged a personal trainer - training 3 times a week.
Anna has now lost 75kg and is an inspiration to those around her. She was invited to work part time at the weight management clinic, and is attracting much attention. Returning home for the first time since her weight loss, her Mum cried when she got off the plane because she just didn’t recognise her. And the attention doesn’t stop there – colleagues at work and friends who haven’t seen her recently often compliment her on her incredible weight loss, which she relishes and uses to boost her confidence.
Winning the Bürgen® '2 slices a day' competition was a total surprise for Anna! She eats Bürgen® every day, but hadn’t even thought about the competition since entering. After a 3 week holiday, the competition prize of a training session with Shannan and Michelle (The Biggest Loser trainers) was just what she needed to get back on track.
Shannan and Michelle took Anna - and her sister, Jen - through basic nutritional facts, dietary tips, how to measure themselves correctly, lifestyle choices and appropriate exercise plans. The session has taught Anna that she can push herself much further when she trains – and has also educated her about certain nutritional myths. As Shannan puts it, "Your butt doesn’t know the difference between good fat and bad fat…"
Balance is now a key aspect of her diet – a little treat now and then is allowed, but it doesn’t mean a blow out. Complacency happens too easily when embarking on a major lifestyle change – and Anna admits that it does happen sometimes. She says her new-found knowledge, and support from her fiancé, keeps her on track. "In hindsight, some people don’t realise the things they take for granted – like crossing your legs. My fiancé now says to me that I can keep up with him while we’re grocery shopping. I used to lag behind before."
Anna is still working towards a goal weight but certainly has a new lease on life. Planning for a 2010 wedding, she is confident she will reach her goal of being a beautiful bride in a perfect dress. Looking at the bright, gorgeous woman she is today, you wouldn’t have guessed she’s lost 75kg. Now, even more so then before, she’s looking forward to life, and all the things she has yet to do. As she says, "It’s all about me now, and getting the most out of life."