Amy Hunt is the picture of a happy and healthy new mum.
But a year ago the 25-year-old weighed 107 kilograms and was desperate to make a change.
“I knew I wasn't living my full potential and I was quite unhealthy. Wanted to have children, further my performing career and just be healthier and happier with myself,” she says.
So she joined weight-watchers and lost 34 kilos.
She has also set up a kids group and got her dream role in the musical Ms Saigon.
Forty-year-old Sharyn Gibbons says she put most of her weight on after having children.
“I needed to fix a lot of pain that was happening in my body. I have arthritis so the heavier I am the more painful it can be. So the time was now”.
The Wellington union official lost 11 kilos in just 16 weeks.
She says the secret of her success was understanding the programme's message of moderation.
And she is confident she'll keep the weight off.
Mike Spencer is the North Island's only male finalist. The 43 year old boat builder from West Auckland used to weigh a staggering 131 kilograms.
“There was no limit to what I would eat. KFC, McDonalds, a whole bucket of chicken, or a tub of ice cream or a chocolate bar, whatever,” he says, and that left him with all sorts of problems.
But when his partner dragged him kicking and screaming to Weight Watchers, a whole new life opened up.
“I can't explain how great it feels to be this small. To be able to mountain bike and have a run with my children… It's just unbelievably fantastic”.
Spencer has lost 48 kilos, or 37 percent of his body weight.
In 2000, 55-year-old Jacqui Knight was diagnosed with Crohns disease.
She had to take large doses of steroids and quickly lost control of her health and weight.
“It was really difficult. I did feel like I was struggling and I lacked energy. Blood pressure went up, swollen ankles, sore joints, sore back. So the weight was causing me a lot of problems on top of the disease that I’d already got,” she says. Travelling and exercise went out the window.
Joining weight-watchers has seen her lose 32 kilos and transformed her approach to food and life.
It's hard to believe Catherine Jackson could ever have been overweight but a year ago the 38-year-old Auckland doctor weighed 107 kilograms.
Jackson says her weight left her tired, moody and had a big impact on her self confidence.
It also affected her professionally.
“I was happy to talk to parents about underweight children and how to feed them up and grow, but I found it very hypocritical about talking to parents about obesity and weight loss when I was obese myself”.
When her mother passed away, Jackson decided it was time to retake control of her life and joined Weight Watchers. A year and a half later she had lost 41 kilos.
“I can not believe I carried all that weight around. I couldn't lift that weight now, so it's hardly surprising I felt tired all the time. I've gone down from a size 22 to a size 10 so it's been an amazing physical transformation. But I think the transformation in my head has been more important for me”.