The Biggest Loser Retreat
Mum and I left home on the 7th July not really knowing what to expect from TBLR. When we arrived we were greeted by a very excited Emma at reception :-)
We were given our keys and head up a MASSIVE HILL to our room (forgot to take a picture at the bottom of the hill - but here is our room)
We then head back down to the Dining Room (near reception) and waiting for our orientation.
We were greeted by Mick (RIGHT) one of the trainers for our Orientation. Mick showed us around the grounds and we soon discovered that there were hills EVERYWHERE. After our Orientation we had lunch and then had the afternoon to do our Body Scan and get settled in (unpack etc). We were also Introduced to Duncan (LEFT), another trainer. We were told that either Duncan or Mick will be doing our Body scan that afternoon.
I had my scan first up, so I head to the Spa and waited for my trainer - It was Mick. He had a little chat with me and then I went on the scanner. I was told that we would find out what all the mumbo-jumbo on the sheet means later in the week.
After my body scan I went to the Hanger (what ended up being my FAVOURITE PLACE at TBLR), did a bit of boxing and rowing. After my mum's scan I dragged her down to the Hanger and also showed her a bit of boxing - she seemed to enjoy it. We unpacked and then head down the hill for dinner.
After dinner we had a talk from Sharif - a previous contestant from The Biggest Loser. It was great to hear from him, his weight loss experiences and we were also happy to hear that he would be training us on Thursday :-)
We were also informed that we needed to meet at 'The Meeting Tree' at 6am in the morning for a walk.
Mum and I head back to our room, chat for a bit then went to bed, so we could be up for the walk. It was difficult to go to bed that early, and we were definitely feeling the lack of sleep it the next day.
Day-to-Day
- Every day at the retreat started with a 6am walk (two days there was an alternative deep water running session instead). We had breakfast at 7:30 then we had an information talk/workshop from around 8:15. The workshop went for 1-2 hours depending on the content. Followed by morning tea.
- We then had 2+hours (depending on how long the talk went for) of high intensity activities with the trainers. The group was either broken up into 2 or 3 small groups (depending on the day) for the first part, and then we joined back together for the second part (generally a water activity).
- After the activity we had lunch. The afternoon consisted of a stretch and then 3 voluntary 'FUN' activities that keep you moving, but you don't really feel like you are exercising e.g. Zumba, Water Polo, Tennis etc.
- Afternoon tea was left out in the dining room for you to get sometime in the afternoon between activities
- Some people purchased 'spa' treatments in the afternoon instead of doing the activities.
- We had dinner at 5:30, chat to the other guests and then went to bed. Some guests put on a movie, or read books.
Thursday was special: We had a training day with Sharif in the morning, which was great! It was crazy that he was able to organise one workout for the entire group! But he did it and it was really rewarding! I even found out that I wanted to buy one of the sit-up helper thingys that he had, cause I was actually able to do situps in his circuit! WHAT EVER YOU DO, DON'T MISS SHARIF'S TRAINING SESSION!
MUST DO
There are a number of things that I think are a MUST at the retreat
- The Breathing Workshop (it was on Monday afternoon when I was there)
- The Cooking Demonstration by David (I purchased his book as well, and I've already used it 4 times and I haven't been home 2 weeks yet)
- The Morning Walks - I know it is hard to get up in the morning, especially when this is your holiday, but it is a great refreshing start to the day
- At least one 'Fun' activity each day (generally after lunch you may be really tired, but try to do at least one afternoon activity). Things like Water Polo, or Zumba are great fun and you'll be amazed about how many extra calories you will burn
- Sharif's training session and obviously the training sessions with the other trainers, since that is what you are here for :-)
- If you have some spare money, get yourself a massage or a facial. Your week/s at TBLR does put a strain on your body, so it is nice to remove some of that extra stress with a nice relaxing rub
Sometimes Bad Things Happen
I'm Hypoglycemic, which means I suffer from Low Blood Sugar. When I found out that we had won a trip to this retreat I said to myself that I wasn't going to leave saying that I didn't put in 110% every day. And unfortunately that bit me in the butt!
We are always told 'Make sure you put in 100%', but the trainers here had a slightly different philosophy, they ask people to work at 60-80%, not 100%. I couldn't tell you how many times Mike said to me 'are you at 80%?' and I'd have to rethink what I was doing and back down my intensity.
While I was at the retreat I had two 'bad' lows and a few more minor ones that I stopped before they got too bad. I used up all energy stores that my body had.
Body Scan: When I got my final body scan I was devastated to see that while I was at the retreat I had actually LOST muscle in my stomach and arms (gained it in my legs, but at the time I didn't want to focus at that). I was a mess - I kept saying to myself, what is the point of being here if I'm going to be worse off then when I got here? I felt like everything I had done in the week was pointless! I felt that they had picked the wrong person to give this prize to, and that I had wasted their time and money. I felt like I had let myself down, my mum down and that I had let the trainers down.
Duncan saw that I was upset and explained to mum and I how the body works when you have a sugar low (My brother is diabetic, so we thought we knew everything). I found out that my body was eating my muscles as a way of getting sugar when I crashed, as it is easier for it to break down my muscles in that dire situation than to breakdown fat. They also told me that they were really impressed with how I worked this week and that they knew that I had worked my butt off!
At the time, I was a mess (getting a hug from Mick did make a bit better). But now I'm glad that it happened - because I'm able to see how my body works, and what I need to do in the future to ensure that get closer to my goals. I know now that my body can't handle the HIGH intensity training (e.g. Hill Intervals), but it thrives on strength training (weights) and Mid-Low intensity activities.
I'm looking forward to my next trip to TBLR to see what I can do with this new found knowledge :-)
The Beauty of TBLR
There were a few places that I just LOVED at the retreat. I've said earlier that The Hanger was my favourite place. Here is a shot of the hanger sign with the beautiful Oak next it it (You can actually look at this oak from the Hanger while you are exercising - its great!)
Here is a shot I took of the Oak at night (a bit hard to take without a tripod)
The top pool
We wanted to get photos with each of the trainers, but didn't end up getting them. But we did get a photo of us with Dr. Cris
and us with Vicki We'll get the other photos next time :-)
All the people at The Biggest Loser Retreat are amazing. From Emma in the office, to Andrew the manager, to the trainers Mick, Duncan, Andrea and Sharif, and Vicki who was great at running the afternoon activities. It is really obvious that they genuinely care about our well-being and want us to achieve our goals.
Thanks Team TBLR for all your help and support while we were there. Looking forward to seeing you again in the future!
--Jackie
Website for the Retreat:
http://www.biggestloserretreat.com.au/
So we finally arrived at the retreat. 
Since the 1st of May, I've lost 11.5 kg, which leaves me 15.5 kg to go before I reach my first goal: To return to 90kg and to have a 'Drown the Gown' photo shoot in my wedding dress. That's me on the right --->