Fiona Falkiner has never looked back after kicking diets to the kerb for good and learning to love her body – “wobbly bits” included.
“I’m not perfect, but it’s me and I’m happy and I’m healthy,” the Biggest Loser host reveals to Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview. “I love my curves. I’m soft and curvy but I’m also healthy and strong. I’m happier now than when I was skinnier.”
‘I lost too much weight’
Fiona dropped 30kg to weigh just 71kg in the first Australian series of The Biggest Loser. But when she was crowned the winner, the former makeup artist found she’d lost a lot more than a whopping four dress sizes.
“I lost too much weight to be a plus-size model,” explains Fiona, 32, who was signed with a modelling agency even before she finished the show. “I had the experience of literally going in for a couple of months and coming out – boom, and I was skinny.
“It was an amazing time, but I also realised my problems didn’t have anything to do with the number on the scales. The person you see right now is so far from that girl I was back then.”
Before and after: In 2006, Fiona went from a size 20 to 12 on The Biggest Loser.
Fiona makes sure to give herself a pat on the back every day. “I’m so far from that girl I was.”
Positive self-talk
Fiona has been on a long journey of self-discovery to learn to love her body, and ultimately find happiness.
“I know this sounds silly, but I started doing positive affirmations. It sounds really odd, but it’s a ritual I have which I do pretty much every day. I go for a walk to a spot I find really calming. If I go home to the farm [in Victoria] I’ll go down to the dam.
Now a size 16, Fiona’s made a splash in TV and as an international plus-size model.
“I sit and take five minutes out and think about all the positive things going on in my life, and feel thankful for all the things I’ve done. I give myself a pat on the back for all my achievements and for the things I’ve done during the week that have been great.
“Then I start setting small goals for myself, and think about everything I still want to achieve, and reinforce the positivity that I am strong, and I am healthy, and I am beautiful.”
The bubbly TV star’s life and mentality has changed beyond all recognition. “I’m not sabotaging myself, I’m not hurting myself in any way, I’m just enjoying it,” she says. “Before The Biggest Loser I’d tried every diet, and none had been successful.
Fiona knows a good diet, simple exercise and a positive mind are key to finding balance.
“If you go on a crazy, strict diet, I don’t think you’re ever going to be successful.
“Stop comparing yourself to other women. Just look at yourself and try to be the best and healthiest you can be.”
To find out Fiona’s top five tips to kick-starting a new lifestyle pick up the latest issue of Woman’s Day, on stands now!
