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Nearly 7 months of hard training and one amazing life change transformed a hard-working
Florida
nurse into a national role model.
Kelly J. Fields, RN, earned third place on NBC's The Biggest Loser: Couples shedding 109 pounds - 40.22% of her body weight. Fields, who stands 5' 6", weighed 271 pounds at the beginning of the competition.
She recently returned to her job in the cardiac cath lab at Wuesthoff Medical Center Rockledge, after filming the TV reality series in
Los Angeles
.
"I don't think it's really changed me, but it has helped me to grow. It's made me a stronger person and - I hope - a better nurse," said Fields, who educates patients about healthy lifestyle and nutrition.
"Now, I can lead by example. It was hard to do that when I weighed 271 pounds," said Fields.
Unique Experience
Fields entered the competition with her ex-husband, Paul Marks, and competed against 10 teams for the $250,000 title. Marks was voted off the competition after 7 weeks.
Fields asked Marks to compete when, at an open casting call in
Miami
, she learned NBC representatives were looking for couples.
Like Fields, Marks struggled with being overweight and had already expressed interest in being on the show. Many of his relatives had died young, Fields said, "and Paul thought he was next in line."
"One of the [NBC representatives] asked if we got along, and I said, 'Obviously not - he's my ex.' I showed them a picture of Paul - at 5'3" he weighed 300 pounds - wearing a Speedo."
'I Was Worth It'
Fields saw the competition as a good opportunity to focus inward, working through the issues underlying her emotional eating.
"Going into the competition, I had a lot of anger in my heart toward Paul, and my faith was a bit rocky. It wasn't healthy. I thought there was no better time to work on the relationship with myself. Just deciding I was worth it was a huge step forward," Fields said.
"What makes us good nurses is having the ability to put others first, but at the end of the day I was too tired to do anything for myself. We don't have to feel bad about taking care of our own needs, though. It makes me a better nurse, a better mate, a better daughter."
| About The Biggest Loser |
Contestants undergo dramatic physical - and often emotional - changes through a comprehensive regimen of diet and exercise, under the supervision of professional trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. Each week, they participate in individual competitions with others who ultimately can vote them off the show if they lose. Alison Sweeney (NBC's Days of Our Lives) hosts. The grand prize winner receives $250,000.
Source: http://nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5
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Unbreakable Spirit
Her defining moment came during a grueling workout at the hands of professional trainer and life coach Jillian Michaels.
"We were all trying to find ourselves, find our places and our purpose. Jill asked me why I was there, and I didn't know. I felt like it was the right thing to do - I didn't want to let anyone down," Fields said.
"I remember Jill tried to send me [away], but I wasn't going to let anyone throw me to the wayside," she continued. "She put up the incline on the treadmill. She even had me carrying her up and down the gym.
"My spirit wouldn't break. "Finally I got it: I was there for me. This was about me, and I wouldn't let anyone break my spirit."
Fields described the show's trainers as "very intense and amazing with very different training styles."
Fields recalled: "Jill yells a lot on the camera, but she's very caring and concerned about how you feel. She's concerned about emotional eating and wants to help you keep the weight off."
Whirlwind Transition
During her first 2 weeks home, Fields had to learn to fit exercise into her daily life and incorporate healthy eating into the hectic schedule of a nurse.
She's also adjusting to her work-a-day routine, after months of "training like an athlete" 8 hours a day.
Taking time off to rest an injured back, Fields was still finding her rhythm when she spoke with ADVANCE. While the majority of her exercise came from sports she enjoys, she expected to reinstate her regular workout routine soon.
"I won't lose synch," she said. "I worked too hard."
Fields envisions becoming a motivational speaker with programs like the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, but she has no plans to leave nursing.
"I've had people tell me I should be a trainer now, but I went to school to be a nurse," she said. "I've been a caregiver for a long time.
"Nursing is in my soul - that's who I am. It defines me, and I don't want to lose that."
Karin Lillis is senior regional editor at ADVANCE.
NP August 2008
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