Biggest Winner loses 50, gains back marriage

Published March 6, 2009
By Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Connor
31st Fighter Wing public affairs

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles related to the Aviano Biggest Winner contest. The series takes a look at how anyone with the drive and determination can lose, and win, big through the use of base programs, resources and facilities.

In January 2008, two Air Force spouses here signed up for the second annual Aviano Biggest Winner contest. See how this 90-day program was used as a catalyst to improve their self-esteem, strengthen their family lives, and melt away countless pounds and a combined 15 pant sizes in 12 months.

Samantha Adams, 28, a native of Florida, has see-sawed back and forth between a healthy body weight and being overweight throughout her life. Since marrying her husband and becoming an Air Force spouse in 2006, she left everything and everyone she knew behind and moved to Italy. Since arriving to the land of pasta, pastries and pizza in March 2007, her family has bared witness to the rise and fall of her 5-foot-1-inch frame by an astounding 50 pounds.

Move over bacon, there's something leaner--Samantha!

The Buildup
"When I first arrived to Italy from Florida two years ago, I went from having two jobs to nothing," said Adams. "I got depressed, stopped watching what I ate, and didn't do anything or work out."

As the pounds continued to add up on her small frame, the "Sunshine State" native said she was miserable after ballooning up to a size 18 in pants. She said she had no patience, her temper worsened, and that she would take it out on her husband.

"I finally got a job at the child development center on base, but I still wasn't active," said Adams. "I'd wake up, go to work, come home and cook, and then just sit around the house. My weight gain ended up causing fights [in my marriage]."

The Breaking Point
"It was bad," said Adams. "I wasn't happy because of my weight and I took it out on my husband."

Goal Setting
"I wanted to do well, to win the contest -- I just needed a push," said Adams who arrived here a little late to sign-up for the 2007 Aviano Biggest Winner Contest. "After seeing how well people have done on the Biggest Loser TV shows, it made me want to do the Biggest Winner in 2008."

She said although her initial goal was to drop 30 pounds -- 10 pounds a month, just like she used to do when she was a much younger and more active 19-year-old, she said it wasn't that easy for her this time around. As her involvement with the 2008 contest progressed, she said her goal turned into something else.

"This program helped me love exercising and to get out and get going and I love how it made me feel much better," said Adams. "The goal of 30 pounds faded away and wasn't so much my goal by the end of the program -- working out and keeping it up became the focus."

Adams' long-term goal is to compete at fitness and figure competions. These competitions are a class of physique-exhibition events for women; while bearing a close resemblance to female bodybuilding, it emphasizes muscle tone over muscle size.

Reaping The Reward
"During the contest last year, I could barely do 30 minutes of a spin class without dying," said Adams. "By the end of last year's contest, I was doing the entire class and keeping up with the other people in the class."

She said attending the spin class throughout the three months made it easier for her to do her cardio and weight training workouts. Finding a balance in her routines allowed her to get stronger and trim down at the same time.

Working out also helped her regulate her moods. She said if she doesn't get in a morning workout, her day is off completely and gets a little moody.

"I have a better frame of mind and don't feel down and blah," said Adams. "Everything is great now. I'm a lot happier, calmer, and don't feel as stressed as I did before about things, not to mention I have more energy and am able to do more work faster in a shorter amount of time."

Knowing Is Half The Battle
"I wasn't able to go to the Health and Wellness Center because I worked during their classes," said Adams. "But the Dragon Fitness Center staff, especially Henry Lopez when he was here, were really helpful in explaining everything."

She said the staff also helped her with how much cardio and weight training she should be doing on a weekly basis and that Jennifer Kellner, a personal trainer from the DFC, was great and was always giving out compliments and motivating contestants.

"My back was hurting real bad after my back workouts and the DFC staff helped me with stretches and now I don't have that problem anymore," said Adams.

What Worked For Me
"Starting out with a big huge goal is pretty much impossible and leads toward letting yourself down, getting discouraged and ultimately quitting," said Adams. "I feel like from where I was to where I am today; if I could do it, anyone can do it -- it's about starting out small."

And starting out small is what she did. Even if it was just 20 to 30 minutes at first, she would go do something and changed up her routine along the way as well. She said she applied this same thought process to eating.

"I've found that eating is 80 percent of the equation when it comes to losing and maintaining your body weight," said Adams. "Don't just go from eating fattening high-calorie foods one day and only healthy low-calorie foods the next. If you change up what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat -- gradually, it makes it easier to maintain and adopt better eating habits."

From mid-November 2008 to the start of this year's contest Jan. 16, she said she wasn't eating very well and gained 10 pounds back.

"I was still working out every day and my workouts stayed the same during this timeframe," said Adams. "So obviously, if the only thing that changed was my eating habits and not my workout routine, then it just goes to show you how important it is to have a balanced and healthy eating plan."

Staying Motivated
"I never measured myself, I went by how well my clothes fit and of course, the scale," said Adams. "My husband was saying 'lets go, lets go, lets do it, lets do it,' and as some of the pounds started coming off, it helped me stay motivated to go."

She said despite the weight gain and reaching a size 18 pants at her height and small body frame, she still kept her smaller jeans and clothes thinking she would eventually get back into them.

"The contest is great motivation," said Adams. "There are so many people who come to the gym here on a daily basis and they're really great about saying hey, "You're looking really good, keep up the good work."

She said a lot of credit for staying motivated goes to the Dragon Fitness Center staff as they'll come up to someone if they haven't seen them in a few days and ask where they've been and how they're doing. She said it's good to have a support network like they have at the DFC and the HAWC to help keep you on the straight and narrow.

"Since the 2008 contest, I kept up my routine sometimes working out twice daily," said Adams. "Exercising and eating right has become an everyday routine -- it's a part of my life now."

A Family Affair
Looking back at the way she used to be, Adams said she felt it was unfair to her spouse the way she let herself go and stopped taking care of herself. She said the weight gain not only changed the way she looked and felt, but it was changing her relationship with her husband too.

"When you get married, you have this notion that this is the person I married and they're not going to change -- and then you gain 50 pounds," said Adams. "I think it's unfair to your spouse to change that much. I can see how he changed throughout my weight gain toward me and how he is now that I'm getting back into a shape and my overall health is improving. He's definitely more loving and gaining back his attraction toward me."

She said through her fight with finding and maintaining a balance with eating and fitness, her husband has always been supportive of her throughout it all saying, "let's go baby, you can do it, you can do it."

"He's always been mister positive telling me he just wants me to be healthy," said Adams. "It helps a lot when your spouse is right there with you working out and supporting you through it all. We're a lot happier in our marriage now."

When she went home in October 2008 to see her husband who was going thru deployment preparation training and to visit her family and friends too, she said many of them had not seen her in more than a year. She said her family was blown away, especially her husband, as she lost quite a bit in the three months he had been away in training."

"My husband has always told me he just wants me to be healthy," Adams said excitedly with a glow of happiness. "While I was at home, one of my girlfriends said, 'Where did your booty go.'"

How Sweet It Is
"To see the success contestants achieve during the 90-day contest means that they have accomplished their goals, put themselves first, learned something new about nutrition and exercise, and most importantly, made the commitment to change their lives," said Jennifer Kellner, fitness programs director and personal trainer for the Dragon Fitness Center.

Kellner said her reward for what she does is seeing the big smiles when people make progress and achieve their personal goals.

The annual event, sponsored by the 31st Force Support Squadron's Dragon Fitness Center and 31st Aerospace Medicine Squadron's Health and Wellness Center, is a spin-off of the "The Biggest Loser" TV show providing participants from the base community the opportunity to come together through fitness, health and wellness, camaraderie-related events and much more - all at their door step.