Andrew and Nathan
Name: Andrew Miles
Age: 23
Height: 190cm
Lives: Qld
Status: engaged to Kylie.
Children: Ella (1) and step-daughter Emily (5).
Occupation: support worker
Biggest Loser partner: Nathan (brother)
“This is what I need, a controlled environment where I can create time for myself instead of others.”
At such a young age, Andrew has already had a serious health scare. Paralysed for nearly an hour after a suspected stroke last year, doctors told him that he if didn’t lose weight, another stroke would most likely kill him.
Overweight since the age of eight, this support worker struggles to eat healthily while doing shift work and has gained even more weight eating on the run from fast food outlets. Andrew’s work can be stressful, which he says makes him eat more. He hasn’t exercised much since he was a kid and although he lives in sunny Queensland, this young father hasn’t been to the beach in years, embarrassed as is he is by his weight.
Andrew hates not being able to keep up with his kids – after five minutes, he has to sit down. He also has always wanted to be a policeman but his current size prevents him from even applying.
Andrew says he is very close with his Biggest Loser partner and brother, Nathan but also very competitive. The two brothers like to have eating races and Andrew admits that when Nathan was trying to lose weight, he was the voice of temptation, “I convinced him to dump the salad and eat KFC instead.”
“Kylie and the kids are my motivation because I want to be around for them a long time,” says Andrew of his reasons for being part of the Biggest Loser. “I want to lose the weight and be healthy again for my family.”
Favourite foods:
Pepperoni Pizza
Steak
Ice cream (2 litres in one sitting).
Name: Nathan Miles
Age: 31
Height: 176cm
Lives: Qld
Status: divorced 2 years ago, now engaged to Alicia.
Children: Mollie (9), Jacob (7)
Stepchildren: Jack (7), Sahra (5)
Occupation: support worker
Biggest Loser partner: Andrew (brother)
“I feel that it is important for me, as the eldest in the family, to set an example to everyone else who is overweight and to inspire them into changing their lives too.”
Like his brother and Biggest Loser partner, Andrew, Nathan has always been big. A serious interest in rugby league, though, kept him fit as a teenager until a knee injury when he was 19 put an end to any hopes of a professional career. Since then, Nathan has steadily put on weight and like his brother, a lack of exercise and irregular eating patterns because of shift work have created a vicious cycle. Nathan doesn’t even walk the 150 metres to his corner shop, driving there instead.
“I feel that I just got to point where I lost all confidence in myself to change,” says Nathan. “I declined into ‘I’m already fat so I’ll just eat what I like’ type of thing.’”
This father of two wants to be more active with his family and a new man for his impending marriage to Alicia. He’s always tried to mentor his brother and hopes that their Biggest Loser journey together will make them both change, not the least because he’s sick of them wearing the same plus-sized clothes!
“We support each other in every aspect of life, but when it comes to our weight we are not a great help to each other,” says the elder brother. “We will regularly have eating contests where we will challenge each other to see who can eat more pizzas or burgers.”
“I think that this will change my life both physically and mentally,” predicts Nathan of the Biggest Loser. “I hope to be able to come out of this experience with more confidence so that I can take control of my life.”
Favourite foods:
1kg steaks
KFC
Spaghetti Bolognese