A Launceston woman has felt the support of her community after being evicted from reality television show The Biggest Loser on Monday night.
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Teacher Steph Koshin was inspired to apply for the show at the last minute after seeing a photo of herself.
“I wasn’t aware the photo had been taken. I saw it and I was really shocked and horrified and that was what pushed me into applying,” she said.
Miss Koshin was “desperate for change” ahead of her upcoming wedding.
“I was certainly having a lot of trouble trying to make any change by myself. I sort of just got stuck in a rut and wasn’t able to pull myself out of it. It was desperation,” she said.
“(The wedding) is sort of the reason that I went on the show was so that I can actually get married and feel happy on the day rather than just feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about my weight.”
She described her time in the house as intense because of the training and the challenges.
“The toughest thing was not having contact with the people you’re used to have contact with every day. You don’t have your phone or any contact with the real world, so that is quite different,” she said.
Miss Koshin said knowing the nation would be watching was definitely motivation to try her hardest.
“I would have preferred to be able to do this without cameras and the whole nation watching, but it was that extra sort of pressure of being in the public eye to be able to make the changes and to do them with out too much interruption really,” she said.
“It’s definitely been a positive thing being in the public eye because you’ve got no option really to muck up.”
Miss Koshin said she could understand how she became overweight.
“I can see very easily how I got overweight and perhaps how others might not be able to have a healthy lifestyle as well, because there are so many challenges … It’s more that our lives are so busy and so full, especially with children.”
She said to make changes you have to be fully committed.
“Unless you’re going to make it a priority it’s going to be really difficult, that’s what I’ve had to do. Instead of being able to spend a few extra hours at work each night I’ve had to go ‘no, I have to go and exercise and I have to go and get the right food’. I think making yourself a priority is probably the only advice I’ve got.”
Miss Koshin said being in the house had given her the confidence to join a gym.
“Prior going into the house, I felt like I couldn’t go to any gyms here in Launceston. My sister owns Anytime Fitness here and I hadn’t stepped foot into her gym in about three years because I was just far too embarrassed,” she said.
“I thought gyms were a place for fit people, not for people wanting to get fit. So I finally went into her gym. I train there nearly everyday with her. It’s been really nice to be able to walk in there and feel like a normal person, not like I don’t belong there.”
Miss Koshin said she hadn’t had anyone in public recognise her.
“At my work, I’m a teacher, I have a school of 600 children, so there are heaps of parents and children who will come up to me and have a chat about the show. It’s been really nice and it’s felt like there is a real community support around me.”