Queen of the scales

By Jessica Buccolieri
When it comes to weight loss, Berwick resident Kelly Rogerson makes the contestants on The Biggest Loser look like… well, losers.
The pain, sweat and tears we see the contestants endure – not to mention the television appearances and magazine photo shoots – Kelly has done it all.
She had no idea she would be treated like a star when she began her weight loss journey, but now being dolled up by make-up artists, hair experts and wardrobe stylists is something Kelly says she could get used to.
But glamour hasn’t always been her thing.
The Victorian finalist in this year’s Weight Watchers Healthy Life Awards used to hate buying clothes for herself: “I hated shopping and I couldn’t understand why anyone would like it.”
But that was before Kelly lost 55 kilograms through the Weight Watchers program and turned her life around.
At her heaviest, Kelly weighed almost 135 kilograms before giving birth to her second child. She remembers telling the midwife in the delivery room her weight and noticing the shocked look on her face.
As a health professional – Kelly is the Southern Health deputy director of nursing – she knew she was unhealthy: “I had a lot of pain in my knees and feet and that was stopping me from doing things.”
Her main trigger though was when she stepped aside for a “larger lady” coming through the sliding doors at the supermarket. She was surprised at her judgment of the overweight woman, but more so when she realised she was looking at her own reflection.
“I walked into the Weight Watchers meeting at 8 o’clock the next day and in the first week I lost 3.6 kilograms,” she said.
“I tried every other diet known to man and I’d been to Weight Watchers a couple of times before, but after a while I didn’t really stick to it. I’d do it on my own at home thinking I knew the program and obviously it wasn’t working because I was still overweight.”
“This time I literally went every week and stayed for the meeting. I followed the program to a T and the weight just dropped off me. That positive reinforcement of actually achieving really helped spur me on and in the first 42 weeks I lost 40 kilograms.”
But as with most challenges, Kelly reached a hurdle on the road to achieving her goal.
“I was heading very strongly towards my goal weight and then I found out I was pregnant to my third daughter,” she said.
“It was due to the weight loss really. Evidence shows us that by losing weight you increase your fertility. I think it was a wonderful joyous thing to be able to have another child so easily.”
This did not deter Kelly from her goal. Six weeks after delivering her youngest daughter, she rejoined Weight Watchers when her doctor said it was safe to do so.
Over the next two years Kelly continued losing weight with the support of her family and Weight Watchers.
“The meetings provide you with peer support and you’ve got a leader who has successfully followed the program and lost weight. It’s about portion control and learning about real food and how to incorporate the right choice of things in your life.”
“We now buy fresh fruit andvegies at home and there’s always meat in the freezer so we don’teat take-away. I plan andprepare our meals. I can have any meal on the table within half an hour and we eat gourmet beautiful food now.”
Kelly said that throughout the process her family ate what she did.
“Healthy food is now embedded in their lifestyle. My eldest daughter has gone to school today and she’s chosen a salad roll for her lunch order. They’re the things that say to me I’m winning and this so worth doing.”
There were a lot of challenges along the way. Typically fun occasions like dinner parties and Christmas posed a threat to Kelly’s willpower.
“It sounds easy in retrospect because I’ve done it and I’ve achieved it, but it’s never easy losing weight,” she said.
“We’re really quick to chastise ourselves if we make one bad choice and not go back because we feel guilty. Just own what you do. If you really want that piece of cake, have it, but know that it’s one bit of cake, not five.”
Her biggest challenge was incorporating exercise into her daily routine.
“I was always really anti-exercise so I started off by increasing my incidental exercise – things like walking to the letterbox two or three times a day. I knew the postie hadn’t been, but I needed the excuse to do something.”
Kelly now does yoga once a week and walks every day. She even competed in her first triathlon last year and recently ran in the Mother’s Day Classic.
But how did Kelly go from successfully losing weight to being a finalist in this year’s Healthy Life Awards?
“There was an entry process and it really looked at your journey and identifying the lifestyle changes you’ve made,” said Kelly.
“They were looking for people who’d made long-term changes and could illustrate that it had widespread impact on their lives and inspired others.”
“I was a semi-finalist along with five amazing women chosen across Victoria. We went to the city and got interviewed and I was fortunate enough to be chosen as the Victorian winner.”
“It’s been an amazing ride because there were fantastic prizes. The state finalists got a week in Sydney, lots of fitness gifts, pampering and make-overs – it was amazing.”
The five finalists were given the opportunity to train with former Australian sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Weight Watchers fitness expert Martha Lourey Bird.
They also won $1000 worth of clothes and the chance to be consulted by a stylist.
“That was gold because when you’ve lost this much weight it’s really hard to know how to dress,” said Kelly.
The winner was announced last month in Sydney.
“We went back for the big gala event, which was bigger than I expected it to be. There were probably more than 400 people there and there was a big stage runway. It was just phenomenal.”
While Kelly did not win the Australian title she says she still feels like a winner and hopes that her efforts can inspire others.
“Being overweight impacts every moment of every day, but so does being healthy, and being healthy is so much easier than being overweight.”
“I still go regularly to Weight Watchers meetings to encourage others and help support the leaders.”
“That was why I was part of the awards, to inspire other people, because the previous slimmer of the year inspired me – I’ve still got their photo on the fridge. I thought if I could just inspire one or two people to get moving and change their lifestyle then it’s really just a positive thing.”
Kelly has been on goal weight for more than six months and encourages others battling with their weight to give Weight Watchers a go.
“My body just works for me instead of against me now, which is wonderful. I feel so alive and my attitude’s so positive,” she said.
As for her hate of shopping for clothes: “I love shopping now because it’s so much easier.”