The weighting game

Fiona Falkiner can remember what it was like when she was a contestant on The Biggest Loser. r. She tells DANIELLE McGRANE why this year’s Transformed series is better than any that have come e before.

When Fiona Falkiner looks in the mirror she makes sure to say something kind to herself. It’s a technique she’s learned to help get rid of the negative voices that threaten her self-esteem.

“I used to look in the mirror and absolutely tear myself apart and I think every woman out there can relate to that,” she said.

“I came from a place of complete negativity towards myself and my body. I didn’t value myself, I didn’t love and accept myself.”

Many people who watched Falkiner’s transformation on The Biggest Loser in 2006 would probably be shocked to hear she felt that way, especially after she managed to lose so much weight.

But the problem, according to Falkiner, is that while she had transformed herself on the outside she still had problems with how she felt about herself.

“When I went on my weight-loss journey I didn’t deal with any of that kind of thing, so for me, when I came off the show, the weight came back on. It wasn’t until two years later that I realised. I got to a pretty low place, and I was like, ‘I have to change this, I’m so unhappy and no one deserves to be this unhappy’, and I had to actively try to change the negative voices inside my head,” she said.

“Now, every time I look in the mirror, I give myself a compliment and I always leave the house thinking something positive about myself.”

It’s because of this attitude and outlook that Falkiner feels particularly excited about hosting this season’s The Biggest Loser: Trans-

formed because the emphasis has changed.

“When I got the call-up to come back and they told me about the changes they were going to make I was really thrilled. This season we’re focusing a lot more on mind- set and figuring out what’s causing you to be the way you are, and from my personal journey, I know the importance of having a happy, healthy mindset,” she said.

This season, the focus is on dealing with the issues the contestants have and the winner is no longer based purely on the numbers on the scale. This year, the public gets to vote on who has made the biggest overall transformation in the finale.

The contestants, according to the host, are a bit different too.

“They’re your average everyday Aussies, they’re not as big as the contestants we’ve had in the past,” she said.

Instead, they’re people who need help turning around their lives from the inside out.

“Nikki is probably our smallest contestant and she’s just so broken and has no self-esteem, and doesn’t value herself. She’s probably got the least amount of weight to lose but she needs to deal with what’s going on inside of herself,” she said.

The show can be frustrating at times for Falkiner as she watches the contestants beat themselves up. But there’s also an immense sat- isfaction in seeing how effective the process is.

“You just look at Nikki and think, ‘Why are you saying these horrible things about yourself?’, and you just want to shake her and give her a hug. But as you watch the show, you’ll see it’s absolutely an incredible transformation that she undergoes,” she said.

The contestants meet regularly with psychologist Glenn Mackintosh who helps them get to the root of their problems, and there’s also more analysis of their food intake

“This season, when we finish and they go home and train they’re building muscle and getting fit and healthy and happy … It just had a completely different vibe to it.”

Falkiner: “When I got the call-up to come back and they told me about the changes they were going to make I was really thrilled. This season we’re focusing a lot more on mindset and figuring out what’s causing you to be the way you are.”

The Biggest Loser: Transformed Ten, Monday to Thursday, 7.30pm