Nurse Plays "Biggest Loser"
Florida RN loses 109 pounds on reality TV show
Monday May 19, 2008
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Kelly J. Fields, RN
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Nursing Spectrum: How did you and your ex-husband end up as a team on the show?
Kelly J. Fields: I was the one who wanted to get on the show and went down for the casting call. I found out that they were taking couples. The heaviest person I could think of was my ex (Paul Marks). They asked me, did we get along? I said, 'No, we don't get along. We're exes.' Then they asked me what kind of personality he had and I said he was a ham. They asked if I had a picture and in my digital camera, I had a picture of him in a Speedo.
NS: How have you changed as a result of the show?
Fields: I changed from the inside, out. Just the knowledge that I learned, recognizing emotional eating. The inner strength that I found. I found faith.
NS: What prompted you to make this change in your life?
Fields: I truly felt like I was at the point of no return. It was so hard for me to get around and to exercise. I felt like a hypocrite. Here I am, a nurse in a cath lab, telling patients that they need to eat right, diet, and exercise. I was not a role model in any way. I wasn't eating right. I wasn't exercising. And I felt like I was going to be my own patient one of these days.
NS: Have you learned things that will change the way you educate patients?
Fields: I don't think so. While I think this will make me a better nurse, the things that we did to lose the weight might not be applicable to people who have other medical problems.
NS: But you'll feel better telling them now what they have to do?
Fields: Absolutely. And I would like to think that they can see through me that it can be done. If there's anything that I learned is that anybody can do it. You might not be able to do it in the five months that I did it in. We were doing it as a full-time job.
NS: Do you think that certain nursing tasks will get easier?
Fields: As nurses we're on our feet all the time. I'm definitely much stronger. My arms are stronger and so is my core strength; so, as far as moving patients and lifting and pushing stretchers, those things are going to be a lot easier. I have more energy. I was never lazy but I was carrying 100 pounds. I was carrying 10, 10-pound bags of potatoes everywhere I went.
NS: Why do you think obesity is such an issue among nurses?
Fields: If I were to venture to guess, I would say it goes with the kind of people we are. We're caretakers; we're givers; and we don't put ourselves first. I keep saying that this was the most selfish thing that I ever did. I left everybody that needed me and went off and did what was best for me. Nurses are very giving, loving, caring people, and we don't always love and care for ourselves.
NS: Do you have any suggestions for other nurses struggling with weight?
Fields: I think believing in ourselves and recognizing that we are doing for everybody but ourselves. We have to recognize emotional eating. I hid behind all that weight for so long. That food that I thought would make me feel better was a sabotage. I'm not perfect. I worked through and I lost that weight, but I recognize everything and keep my eyes open because I could go back into that same mode.
NS: Are you making permanent changes to your diet and lifestyle?
Fields: Yes the whole thing that I learned was a lifestyle change, which I'm going to have to take with me forever. I never had a scale in the house. I never looked at the nutritional labels before buying things. I just looked for whatever was cheapest —the 99-cent bread — and picked it up. Now I make choices. I look at the labels and then the price. I want to get what has the lowest calories. It's funny, I would go to breakfast to a place where I would always get my eggs over light and dip my toast in the egg yolk. The people at the restaurant got the point where they knew I didn't eat the egg whites, so they would bring me two yolks. Now, I eat egg whites and add a little salsa. My breakfast now is about 120 to 140 calories, and I'm very satisfied.
NS: Do you have a good tip for patients?
Fields: I think we need to eat frequent small meals. Your metabolism is like putting a log on a fire. When it starts to burn out, you put another log on. Jillian [Michaels, the show[']s trainer] instilled in us that we'd have our breakfast and a couple hours later we'd eat a snack, then lunch, then a snack, then dinner. We were working out six to eight hours a day. Our bodies required that fuel.
NS: What are your goals now?
Fields: I still want to lose another 15 pounds. I want to be in the 145-range, but I don't want to be too small at 5 foot 6 inches.
NS: Now that you're returning to work, are you looking forward to real life?
Fields: I've been on a rollercoaster 24/7. I haven't been home for almost 6 months. I just spent a few days cleaning. I got overwhelmed because I'm giving away boxes of clothes. I don't fit into anything in my closet. Macy's was nice enough to give me a gift card. That made it a little easier on the pocket. I've had to borrow money to be able to stay out of work and continue on the show. Right now, I'm a little bit of a pauper. I've got to get back to work!
Lisette Hilton is a freelance writer.
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