And the Winner is...

Michael Ventrella! Yes, the biggest contestant ever to step on a Biggest Loser scale ended up winning the latest season of The Biggest Loser. I have to admit, I wondered if Diane was screaming when he weighed in and it was revealed he'd lost more than 50 percent of his weight, making him the big winner.

The thing that struck me about so many of the contestants tonight wasn't so much their weight loss (though that was striking), but their attitudes about themselves. So many went from depressed and lonely and not feeling much self worth to wide smiles and confidence. Can you imagine the Michael of eight months ago trying to pull off a huge, shiny skull bell buckle?

Highlights of the night:

1. Daris has a very pretty girlfriend. This made me smile. And he was announced as the third finalist, based on America's votes.

2. Shay weighed in and revealed she'd lost 52 more pounds, which made her eligible for a check from Subway for $52,000. Only when Jared from Subway came out, the check was blank and he offered her another challenge -- train with him for the next year to run a marathon. Do that and they'd double the check. She accepted.

3. So many of the contestants looked wonderful, but I was particularly struck by Maria, Michael's mom. I still felt that when she left the show, she was in danger of not making the change in her life that she needed. I'm so happy that she's succeeded in her weight loss. She looked beautiful.

4. Cherita's willpower helped her lose 91 -- all on her own!

5. O'Neal practically running down the stairs when he was introduced. He has come such a long way from the man who could barely pull himself up stairs. And I love the enthusiasm his sons have for him and particularly their sister, Sunshine, who was rocking a very appropriate bright yellow dress.

6. Loved Miggy's new, short haircut.

7. Darrell, proclaimed the sickest man on the ranch by Dr. Huizenga at the beginning of the season, dropped an amazing 189 pounds and looks the picture of health. He took away the top percentage of weight loss from Sherry, who'd held it during most of the weigh-ins of the night. He eventually lost out the $100,000 at-home prize to Koli, but I still think Darrell's accomplishment is so much bigger because he had to do more of it at home than Koli did and because he improved his health so much. Not that Koli didn't make a huge change in his own life, but I think Darrell's health situation was more dire.

8. Ashley proved you should never underestimate anyone, especially a pink ninja. :) She came in second place, losing 183 pounds. And there's part of me that wonders if there's something more than friendship between her and Michael. Hmm...

9. I know Melissa wasn't a lot of people's favorite contestant, but I thought she looked smashing in her red dress tonight.

The percentages of weight loss were impressive tonight, lots of them in the 30-45 percent range. Some people still have a ways to go -- Migdalia, Drea, James and John come to mind -- but they're already well on their way. I wish all of the contestants well, whether they're still on their journey to their goal weight or in maintaining it.

What was your favorite moments of the finale? Who impressed you?

Note: Jillian's new show, Losing It with Jillian, debuts in the same time slot as The Biggest Loser next week. I'm going to check out the first episode to see what it's like and decide from there if I'll continue watching. I have a feeling I will. I need all the inspiration I can get.

Continue Reading...

A Week of Challenges

This week's The Biggest Loser, the last episode before next week's live finale, was filled with challenges for the final four contestants. First, they had to go home for 30 days and face real life with all its distractions and temptations. Though they all knew they would have to weigh in again and run a marathon on the ranch at the end of the month, each admitted to struggling.

Koli couldn't focus with all the distractions of friends and family in California, so he left for Las Vegas and some intense training at a mixed martial arts facility. It struck me that he was perhaps way too focused on the game instead of the fitness/health aspect, and Bob pointed this out to him when he came for a visit. Koli even acknowledged this at the weigh-in at the end of the show.

Ashley was disappointed in herself for staying out too late with friends, even though she did make the positive step of saying she didn't want to go drinking like she used to. She and Michael agreed to run/walk the marathon together, to support and encourage each other. They seem to have gotten really close.

Daris is the one who really broke my heart this week. Despite being a running machine, he is still struggling with the emotional side of things. I think that despite having friends, he feels really alone. He seems like a quiet, kindhearted soul who internalizes much of what he's feeling. When he was videoing himself emotional eating in the middle of the night, I wanted to walk into that kitchen and say, "No! Don't do this." I think he's someone people can really relate to because his struggles are so like ours.

The marathon day was wet and cold, but all four contestants were determined to do the best they could and finish the race. Daris was determined to beat the previous record time, and he did so by nearly and hour, finishing in 4 hours, 2 minutes. Koli arrived a couple of hours later with a time of 6 hours, 8 minutes. Mike and Ashley arrived hand-in-hand at 6 hours, 26 minutes. Pretty darned impressive for people who could barely walk 5 months prior.

At the weigh-in, Michael hit another huge turning point, going below the 300-pound mark at 299. He broke down crying, and I admit I teared up too. He lost 23 pounds while at home; Ashley lost 18 (but had the biggest percentage of weight loss at 7.79 percent); and Koli lost 13. Daris actually gained 2 pounds, and I believe that was due to his emotional side wrecking all the working out he was doing. So at the end of the weigh-in, we know that Ashley and Michael are definitely in the running for the title of Biggest Loser, and America's votes will determine if the third person is Koli or Daris. Anyone want to guess who America will vote for? I'm off to vote online now.

And may I just say that I'm thrilled that for the second year in a row, a woman from Tennessee is in the final four. You go, Ashley!

Continue Reading...

Final Four

The finish line for the latest season of The Biggest Loser is growing ever closer with last night's episode revealing the final four contestants. And all through the episode, there was a feeling of pressure, tenseness, nervousness and a bit more competitiveness. Koli, who was pretty laid back in the beginning, was even cocky. I'm all for believing in yourself, but I have to say I wasn't a fan of the cockiness. But again, editing has everything to do with perception in this show.

The contestants got visits from two previous Biggest Loser winners -- Helen from season 7 and Erik from season 3. They gave them advice and listened to their concerns, and Erik talked about how easily one can slip back into old habits and see the wait come back as he did. His advice was to watch how you give yourself passes, things like "Oh, it's only a weight gain of 10 pounds. I'll get to the gym and knock that off in a week or two." That's dangerous thinking, and before you know it you've gained more weight than you realize.

Michael had a very emotional week, still struggling with the fact that he's about to go home still a big guy and still having to shop in big clothing stores. But when the contestants watched retrospective videos of their journeys on the ranch, his was especially moving -- and just what he needed to see to refocus him on what he's accomplished versus how long of a road he still has ahead of him.

The challenge this week involved racing over a series of sand hills carrying the weight they'd all lost during their time on the ranch. At the top of each hill, which represented a week on the ranch, they got to drop however much they lost that week. Ashley and Michael, especially, had a hard time even getting their weights up the hills, and this made them wonder how they ever carried that weight on their bodies. Daris, still upset with himself for dropping out of last week's challenge, was determined to win the challenge and did so. By doing so, he won $10,000, which he ended up trading for a 1-lb. advantage, which he didn't end up needing.

Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys went shopping for active wear and then hiking with the contestants, and Dr. Huizenga met with Michael to show him how much his life expectancy had improved because of the weight he's lost. The last time he saw this score, his body was that of a 54-year-old. When the score came down this time, he was down to 38, within sight of his actual age of 31. This score, more than anything else, helped him realize just how much he's accomplished.

This week, there was no yellow line at the weigh in, just a red line. This meant that whoever lost the lowest percentage of weight was automatically eliminated. Still, in week 17, there were some impressive numbers. Michael lost 12 pounds, Koli 13, Daris 10, and Ashley 7. Sunshine only lost 2, which put her below the red line. But she looks great and was one of the smallest people left on the ranch. Prior to the weigh in, I thought it might be Daris who would fall below, but Sunshine was a possibility too just because they're both so much closer to their goal weights than Michael and Ashley, who still have a way to go.

We've only got one more episode before the finale, and I have to say I'm rooting for Ashley and Michael. What about you all? Any favorites to win? What did you take away from this week's episode?

Continue Reading...

Don't underestimate the pink ninja

It was makeover week on The Biggest Loser last night. Woot! I love makeover week, when the contestants get fab makeovers and we get to see them wearing something besides their Biggest Loser T-shirts and copious amounts of sweat. The six remaining contestants had lost an amazing total of 805 pounds. That's four whole grown men!

I got tickled by Sam's reaction, saying he loved clothes and fashion. But Daris' story of buying his pants at the farm and ranch store, right next to the tarps, made me want to cry. And you could feel the hurt Michael felt at having to still shop alone at the big and tall store. It was such a change in attitude from where he's been at the past few weeks, on that high of having lost so much. I hope he's able to rebound next week and refocus on what he's accomplished so far.

As for the makeovers, I thought Sunshine looked absolutely beautiful, living up to her name. Sam is one heck of a hottie now. Daris looks totally different with his curls cropped back. Even the haircut made him look smaller. Michael also looks totally different. I kept thinking that Diane might be watching at home and fanning herself. :) It was so touching and heartbreaking when his sister, who is also overweight, started crying and asked him to help her.

After getting a private concert with Ashanti, the contestants were off to a challenge in which they had to climb that awful Jacob's Ladder suspended 10 feet above a pool. The first one to fall off got a 1-pound disadvantage at the weigh in. The winner got a 1-pound advantage. Ashley fell off 3 minutes in and got the disadvantage. Michael fell off a couple of minutes later. This made sense since they're the two biggest people left on the ranch. The rest of the contestants went for considerably more time. Koli and Daris were the last up there when Daris finally just gave up and jumped in the pool after 2 1/2 hours had elapsed. Later, he was mad at himself for quitting because he felt he could have physically kept going, and Bob put him through a grueling last-chance workout to get him back in the right frame of mind. Bob pointed out his quote on the gym wall: "Stand up and finish what you started."

Good advice for all of us, my backsliding self included.

The popular number at this week's weigh in proved to be 9, with Michael, Daris and Sunshine all losing this amount. Ashley kept herself in the game with 10, and became the record holder for most weight lost by any female contestant in Biggest Loser history with 136 pounds lost. Her accomplishment prompted my favorite quote of the night when she said, "Don't underestimate the pink ninja." Love it!

Koli lost an amazing 15 pounds even though he had the advantage this week. Sam, who was already at his goal weight (the only Biggest Loser contestant ever to reach his goal weight while on the ranch), lost only 2 pounds, putting him and Michael in the bottom two. Even though Michael is clearly the one who needed to stay on the ranch, the vote ended in a tie. Because of the tie, the person with the lowest percentage of weight loss this week went home -- and that was Sam. But don't feel sorry for him. He is one happy dude now, living at his goal weight and enjoying his new life in L.A. with his girlfriend, Stephanie from this season. He's now helping her reach her goal weight. I love these Biggest Loser love connections. :)

Whose makeover impressed you most? Now that we're down to the final five, any guesses on who is going to win?

Continue Reading...

Everything's Bigger in Texas

This week, the contestants on The Biggest Loser went on another of their special trips to inspire people just like us. This time, they headed to Texas, famous for everything being bigger than everywhere else. But Texas could benefit from being a bit smaller in one statistic -- five of the 10 fattest cities in the country are in Texas. So the contestants took their stories to radio stations and invited people to come run a 5K with them at the Cotton Bowl. Before the 5K, Alison shared some more startling statistics:

* Soon, 75% of Texans will be overweight or obese.
* Texans pay out $10 billion a year to treat obesity-related health issues. Just think of what good that $10 billion could do elsewhere if everyone was a healthy weight.

One of the things Ashley said while on the radio is a motto I think we should live by and share anytime we can: "You have to start somewhere."

I found the 5K inspiring. There was the 35-year-old gal sharing her family's history of diabetes with O'Neal. Koli talking to the man who'd been inspired by the show to start losing weight on his own. Koli and Sam going back to finish the race with CJ, the woman with the two bad knees -- it took her more than 2 hours to finish, but she was so determined. I think what she said when she finished will resonate with a lot of Americans: "I can't even walk through Walmart. I have to take a cart. And I just walked a 5K!" Michael telling his white team that the high of losing weight is addictive and that "it's the littlest things that make the biggest difference."

During these weeks when they're not at the ranch, the contestants have to find time and unique ways of getting in exercise. Ashley, Daris and Michael -- the three contestants who don't have team members left to push them -- walked many, many flights of stairs in their hotel. It honestly made me wish I had a high-rise hotel next door so I could go see how many flights I could walk. :)

I got a lot of good laughs out of the immunity challenge in which the contestants had to herd calves into their shoots. I was betting on Daris because I think he's from Oklahoma and seemed like maybe he'd been around ranches more than anyone. He came close, but with other teams working together, he came in a little short. Had to crack up at Sam's and Michael's reactions -- such city boys. LOL! With Sam's help, Koli won immunity (which he really needed since he only lost one pound this week).

Abby from last season invited Jillian to speak at a high school, and I worried that the open Q&A forum wasn't going to go over well. After all, this is high school and teens typically don't want to do anything that makes them stand out as different in an uncool way. But one overweight girl was brave enough to stand up in front of her peers and admit she wasn't happy and had always been told she couldn't accomplish things like weight loss and feeling good about herself. My heart broke for her. Jillian took her aside afterward and spoke to her, gave her a bit of inspiration from someone who'd been there. Hard to believe Jillian was ever anything but incredibly fit, but evidently she was. Jillian shared with the students a truly scary fact -- today's teens are the first generation in history to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.

We saw fairly low numbers at the weigh-in this week (1, 4, 5, 5, 6) with the exception of Michael's 15-pound loss. He thanked Daris for making him walk the stairs and said, "I love going on vacation." Not only has Michael lost a lot of weight, uncovering the guy he is physically underneath, but he's finding more and more of his happy, funny guy each week. As the weigh-in came to a close, a lot of tears were shed since both members of the yellow team, O'Neal and Sunshine, fell below the yellow line. As expected, O'Neal asked everyone to vote for him, and as far as we saw everyone respected that wish. I loved the transformation moment for O'Neal. He's lost a total of 139 pounds and is looking great, can do so many things he couldn't before going on The Biggest Loser. He's really a neat guy, and I'm happy for him and his family and all the people he's going to touch with his story.

Next week is makeover week. I love makeover week!

What did you like/not like about this week's episode? And are you a fan of makeover week?

Oh, and I read a spoiler a couple of weeks ago. I know which two of the contestants are dating, but I won't spoil it here.

Continue Reading...

Ups and Downs on The Biggest Loser

Things got off to a bang on this week's The Biggest Loser when the contestants found out they would have to endure an all-day temptation in the form of a room filled with food where they would have to eat all their meals. They could choose to try to eat the most calories and thus win the ability to cast the only vote during the elimination, or they could stick with their healthy eating habits and just hope to stay above the yellow line. Most everyone stuck to the healthy eating, a few gave in a little, but Koli purposely ate as much as he could (making himself feel sick in the process) to get that vote for fear Sam would need saving if he fell below the yellow line this week. He did, indeed, "win" the challenge by consuming 4,164 calories. Of course, then he had to work them off, and Sam, being a very appreciative cousin, put him through an extra, sweat-inducing workout.

Dr. Huizenga made a return appearance and talked to the contestants about how they were progressing. Michael has added 12 years back to his life, and Ashley no longer has diabetes. It just shows how huge the advantages can be when we take our eating and fitness firmly in hand.

At the final challenge, the contestants had to use blocks to build a platform up to a tower, which they then had to climb to reach a flag. The winner won a 1-pound advantage at the weigh-in, and the person who came in last would have a 1-pounds disadvantage. Daris won, and because O'Neal took a nasty fall and had to be carted away in the ambulance he automatically got the disadvantage because he couldn't finish the challenge. And as if that wasn't bad enough, after he returned to the ranch, he got a call that his brother had died from cancer. Understandably, he was very distraught because he wasn't there to say goodbye to his big brother. He channeled his anger and pain into his workouts, but he finally broke down and Jillian held him as he cried. I had fat tears in my own eyes at this point.

The contestants got a surprise trip to the beach, where they got to work out with professional volleyball player Gabrielle Reese -- and have a little fun in the surf.

The weigh-in brought smaller numbers this week with only Koli posting a double-digit loss with 10. And in a very nice moment, O'Neal lost 8 pounds. Sunshine and Victoria both lost only 1 pound and fell below the yellow line. I hate how the editing always makes me doubt what I think is going to happen, but in the end what my gut told me came true -- Koli voted out Victoria. I don't think I could go back to that house and face O'Neal, someone Koli admittedly admires a great deal, if he'd voted out Sunshine. I was nervous for Michael and Ashley, who both had much lower than normal numbers this week, but thankfully they were safely above the yellow line.

Victoria got a bit of extra spark after Koli told her that she needed to pick it up. Well, she did. She and her mom, Cherita, who never got to spend a single night on the ranch, re-did the bike marathon that sent them home on Day 1, and this time they finished it together. Cherita has lost 77 pounds, all at home. Victoria has gone from a size 26 jeans to size 12. That boggled my mind a bit because I weigh less than she does and still can't fit into my size 12 pants. Some of the size 14 pants are still snug. I guess my weight loss isn't coming in the hip and lower abdomen areas, something I need to work on.

What did you think of this week's episode?

Continue Reading...

The votes, they're getting harder on The Biggest Loser

When I turned on my TV to watch last night's The Biggest Loser, I discovered that it wasn't recording on my TiVo. After a little investigation, I realized that since Deadliest Catch's new season premiered last night and it's higher in my season pass queue, TBL got bumped until its second showing on Saturday nights. So, I'll be having to watch it live from now until the end of the season. But for this week, I missed the first 50 minutes of the episode. I turned it on right as O'Neal was screaming about winning a car for Sunshine. I'm not sure what he (and I later found out, Drea) did to win cars, but they seemed excited.

Evidently earlier in the show, Victoria had had a bit of a meltdown too because Jillian was suddenly forcing her to do a lot of sprints and confronting her about why she got to the weight she is. That's the question for all of us, isn't it? How and why did we get to the point where we realized we were overweight? I'm still digging for the deepest, truest answer to that.

In probably one of the funniest moments I've ever seen on The Biggest Loser, several of the contestants dumped Bob and Jillian in the mud and got them absolutely filthy. Watching Jillian try to outrun the group was hysterical. They all paid for it during the last chance workout, but I think it was worth it. Plus, is it just me, or does it seem like this group is particularly close with the trainers? Granted, this is only the second season I've seen, so maybe other seasons' contestants have been as well.

And how about Michael with the running on the treadmill? Hard to believe he's the same guy who came to the ranch weighing more than 500 pounds. Now he's running five miles on a treadmill. I can't do that. I can't even run one.

Last night's weigh-in was super emotional, particularly for Sunshine, who had to weigh in first, see a loss of only 3 pounds and then have to wait until the very end to realize she'd squeaked by just above the yellow line. Drea and Sam weren't as lucky, posting 3- and 0-pound losses respectively. Once again, Sam's ability to keep others motivated in their workouts kept him on the ranch and Drea was voted out. I felt so bad for her. Her body seems to work against her, allowing her to lose only small amounts despite very hard workouts. In fact, losses were down across the board this week. No one got in the double digits. Michael was the closest with 9, followed by Daris with 7.

Continue Reading...

Big Week for the Yellow Team

This week's The Biggest Loser started off with the revelation that whoever lost 2 percent of their body weight first would get immunity. The catch was that you had to time it right before you hit the big button that sounded the siren that you were going to way in. Do it too early and you might not have hit the goal. Wait too long and someone else might beat you to it. I got a chuckle early on when Daris commented on the noise the siren made. "In Oklahoma, you hear a siren like that, it's time to grab a mattress and jump in the bathtub because a tornado's coming." Okay, so maybe I didn't need to hear that since we're officially in tornado season now.

Dr. Huizenga also paid a visit to the house to tell the contestants to be smart about their weight loss so that they were losing fat and not muscle, bone or water.

Victoria, hoping to ensure herself another week and still a bit gun shy about getting sent home, hit the button too early on Day 2. She'd only lost 3 of the needed 6 pounds.

On Day 3, there was a swimming challenge where the contestants had to swim 100 pounds, 2 pounds at a time, to their bin. When they finished, they were allowed to help other contestants if they wanted. Sam and Sunshine were neck and neck, but it was Sunshine, a good swimmer, who was victorious and won a two-week trip for two to Fitness Ridge. She, then Sam started helping O'Neal, who was sitting in last place. As others finished, they started helping Michael. The only person who didn't get any help was Melissa, who came in last and thus was saddled with the 1-pound penalty at the weigh in. This sent a clear message about how everyone felt about her being back in the game.

Early in Day 4, Sam pushed the button and stepped onto the scale. As the pounds slowly ticked up, everyone held their breath. He needed to have lost 6, but when the scale paused on 5, I got a little worried. But then it ticked up to 6...and kept going! In only three days, he'd lost 10 pounds, winning immunity. This was a big deal considering he was below the yellow line last week.

I really liked the trainer tips they did before commercials this week. Bob's was to eat bigger meals earlier in the day and downsize them as the day goes along. Jillian's was to give your body mixed signals by being strict on your calories two days a week, moderate three days a week and to relax a little on the weekends. This keeps your body from going into that survival, hold onto the fat mode.

Okay, on to the weigh in. The big numbers went to Victoria with 11 pounds (she seems so genuinely happy to be given the opportunity to be there), Michael with 9 (and hamming it up a bit), and O'Neal with 8. It was a big night on the scales for the yellow team (or I guess they're a former team now that we're into individual mode). O'Neal's loss pushed him past the 100 pounds lost mark, and Sunshine's 7-pound loss got her below 200 pounds. She's looking great. Personally, I think she and Sam would make a cute couple. Hey, what can I say? I write romance. :)

Falling below the yellow line this week, despite really hard workouts, were Drea with a 2-pound loss and Melissa with 3. Somehow I missed that Melissa was a lawyer, but it all makes sense now. She's trained to make arguments to get people to come to her way of thinking, and she tried it again tonight. But the rest of the contestants weren't having it, sticking to their "no game play" ideals, and voted her out. Now, honestly, I think game play will have to come into the picture at some point. I think they just didn't like how overt she was about it.

Even so, I think Melissa has benefited greatly from being on The Biggest Loser. She and Lance both say that their marriage has improved, and that's a huge deal. I liked seeing them running the half marathon together in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It was also nice to hear her say that when she came to the Biggest Loser ranch, she was lost, sad, etc. -- and that she's not that girl anymore. That's so much more important than winning a big money prize. What good is money if you're unhealthy and hating life?

What were your favorite moments of the episode? What messages really hit home for you?

Continue Reading...

The Biggest Loser

It looks like I'm doing the Biggest Loser summary again. Again, this won't be as good of a job as Trish does. I saw more than half of it, but my sister called, and it was on mute for a good period of time.

The former contestants who had been voted off returned, and two were allowed to stay at the ranch. It was sad to see how large some of the former contestants still are. The Brown team was particularly striking in that area.

To determine the first person who could stay, the contestants still on the ranch voted for who they wanted to remain. In a very touching move, three of them voted for Victoria to stay. You may remember Victoria was the daughter on a mother/daughter team (blue team) who lost the bike marathon race on the first show and was not allowed to stay on the ranch. The blue team competed at home with the yellow team (Sunshine/Oneal), who also were not allowed to stay on the ranch, to see who could lose the most weight at home. The yellow team won that contest. Basically, this is the first time Victoria will be able to stay at the ranch, and it was very sweet and moving to see everyone's reaction to that.

There was a 1,000-step challenge to determine the second contestant who would return to the ranch. It was a contest between 4 people, but red team's Melissa was the fasted to do those 1,000 steps and she beat Miggy, her husband and the pink team's mom to be able to return. She will make everything more dramatic. There were some mixed reactions among the contestants still on the ranch about how they felt about Melissa and Victoria returning.

Koli was trying to convince Ashley (daughter on the pink team - may have it wrong) that her roommate Stephanie threw her weight the week that Ashley's mom was on the chopping block. While I had the show on mute, there was much, much, much boo-hooing as the younger members on the ranch confronted and talked to each other.

Then, the big weigh in started. It seemed like the results were a little smaller than normal this week for The Biggest Loser, but they were still much larger numbers than that 1-2 pound healthy rate of loss that folks can expect at home. (And, I'm much closer to the 1/2 pound a week rate of loss.) The two folks who fell below the yellow line and faced elimination were Sam and Stephanie. They voted off Stephanie. It was still on mute, so I'm not sure of all the reasons why.

The where are they now moment at the end of the show for Stephanie was just beautiful. She went with a bunch of her friends to buy a beautiful dress for her 30th birthday party at the white/black market. She is now in a size 12 and looks very lovely. We saw her triumphant entry to her 30th b-day party, and she got to make a little speech about all the great changes in her life since she went to The Biggest Loser - she lost nearly 100 pounds, she's now a size 12, she fell in love (not sure with whom), lots of personal growth. Anyway, I found it all lovely and moving. I would have loved to shop for a size 12 dress for my 30th b-day. She hopes to be a size 8 by the finale of the show.

This was not the end though. A fan of the Biggest Loser was inspired by the show to try to lose some weight. He was morbidly obese and started at 674 pounds. He weighed in live and came in around 248. Yes, he lost more than 400 pounds. He seemed like a very unassuming, sweet man, and it was very lovely and inspiring to see how much he has accomplished.

Did you watch The Biggest Loser last night? What did I miss? Do you have a favorite contestant for whom you are rooting?

Continue Reading...

Headed for Home on The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser contestants experienced a week at home during this week's episode. It's always interesting to see how their families and friends react to the changes in the contestants and how the contestants fare weight-wise after a week back in the real world. But what would The Biggest Loser be without a twist? After arriving home, each contestant learned a large wooden crate had been delivered ahead of them. And when they opened them, they found stationary bikes and a video from Alison telling them they would be riding the marathon again, this time in front of the same family and friends in front of whom they'd done their initial weigh in. And the prize was $10,000. To complicate matters, the contestants also had cupcakes they could eat in order to add time to their competitors finish times.

Poor Sam got the most cupcakes against him -- enough that even though he won the race, he ended up in 8th place. Lance was the contestant who ate the most cupcakes at 17. At 100 calories per cupcake, that's an extra 1,700 calories he had to work off. Koli came in second place, and since no one had eaten a cupcake against him, he won the prize.

A heart-warming moment was when the cameras following Daris showed him out on a date with a girl who'd previously been just been a friend. Considering his pre-ranch video in which he said he'd never been on a date and never kissed a girl, I was so happy to see this change in his life.

The weigh-in saw some significant and powerful moments. O'Neal went below 300 pounds. Daris went over 100 pounds in weight loss. Stephanie lost 9 pounds, huge compared to her recent loss numbers, and left the 200s behind by hitting 199 pounds. Michael lost 8 pounds despite having to go home another time when he got the call that his grandmother was possibly nearing the end of her life. He was proud of his weight loss because he feared the stress would cause him to not lose or even gain. His mom, Maria, told him that he had to focus on his health because his grandmother's weight was what had led to her severe health problems.

The night's biggest losses were Sam with 14 (this guy is a machine!), Ashley and Koli with 10, Stephanie with 9, and 8 each for Sunshine, Lance and Michael. The black team, led by Sam and Ashley, finally won a weigh-in by posting a combined loss of 3.86 percent, which bested the blue team's 2.58 percent. Thus, blue had to vote someone out, and it ended up being Lance to go home despite Daris having the lowest loss with 4 pounds lost this week.

What were your favorite moments from this week?

Continue Reading...

The Biggest Loser

Trish is traveling, so I'm taking care of The Biggest Loser post this week. I have to admit I was dancing around Clarendon last night trying on 10s and getting some kick-butt sports bras, so I did not start watching the show until the second hour when the contestants were already facing the scale. That is such a brave thing to do on national television.

The smaller black team (the team of shorter women and one guy) had a five-pound advantage going into the weigh in, but the stacked, bigger black team (mostly big guys) still won the weigh in by posting some amazing, weekly weight loss numbers. (Again, please remember that they are devoting 24/7 to their attempt to lose weight, and these are not results we should expect to be able to achieve ourselves.) The black team once again had to vote a person off. Through lots of tears, they did vote off Mama Sherry. In the "where are they now" moment at the end, we got to see a triumphant Sherry weighing 138 pounds. I love the inner and outer transformations these contestants undergo and find it so inspiring to watch.

What did I miss in the first hour? What were your favorite moments of the biggest loser last night?

Continue Reading...

Biggest Loser Cheerleaders

When you try to lose weight, it's important to have people supporting you, keeping you pumped up -- cheerleaders, if you will. This week on The Biggest Loser, we got to witness team cheerleaders in action.

O'Neal, as soon as he saw Sunshine was still on the blue team after last week's vote, launched into a big inspirational speech to his new teammates. And during the reward challenge, when both teams had to pull a semi truck while one member of each team picked up puzzle pieces, he inspired them once again when he struggled past them despite his bum knee, helping them toward winning the free year of groceries.

On the black team, Sam, the only guy on the team, continued his efforts to keep his team believing they could win challenges and weigh-ins. And Sherry and Cheryl, who have become very close, continued to inspire each other. Their friendship was very heartwarming to see.

The contestants got a taste of what things will be like when they return home with Work Week. Everyone had to get up really early, work out, then ride the bus into L.A., where they worked a full week of 8-hour days at the L.A. Regional Food Bank. The limited gym time and the preparation it took to get healthful lunches ready to take with them really brought home the challenges of continuing healthy habits while living real life filled with jobs and family commitments. But, as we would see at the weigh-in, it is possible.

I liked how Steve, the food bank employee, came to talk to the contestants, and they shared their weight-loss tips with him. I really hope he's able to start on his own journey to a healthier lifestyle.

This week's weigh-in only saw two people, Koli and Lance, pull a double-digit loss with 10 pounds each. Lance was able to break through the 300-pound barrier and bid it adieu for the last time. The next highest weight losses were 9 pounds for Michael and Daris, 8 for Ashley, and 7 for Sunshine and Drea. Sam (4) and Stephanie (3) put up the smallest numbers, and Sam wasn't happy. But Jillian was quick to point out that Sam has lost so much fat weight that now his pound losses are going to decrease because he's building muscle. In the end, the black team lost the weigh-in and it was Cheryl who was sent home. Her dear friend, Sherry, was immune from the vote since she had the highest percentage weight loss this week.

While watching reactions to the weigh-in, a part of me worried that the early weeks of big numbers sets up unrealistic expectations of losing big numbers all throughout the show even though anyone who has watched the show knows the numbers decrease as the weeks left on the show decrease. I think we have to realize that in the real world, any week with a weight loss (whether it's 1 pound or 10) is a good week.

What did you think of last night's episode? Any predictions for the weeks to come?

Continue Reading...

The Biggest Loser Returns

With the Olympic flame extinguished, we got back to episodes of The Biggest Loser this week. The show started off where we left off, in the midst of the challenge between Cheryl and Darrell. In the end, Darrell lost and went home.

The contestants, including Darrell's daughter, Drea, didn't have much time to think about it though as they were faced with a temptation challenge that would yield control of the game for the winner. Drea and Michael were the only two contestants who volunteered to take part in the challenge that was a big game of memory. But each wrong guess meant having to consume calorie-laden foods like chocolate chip cookies, doughnuts and bagels with cream cheese. Though Drea's memory helped her make several matches, forcing Michael to end up consuming 2,310 calories, Michael ended up matching up the two golden tickets for the win. By winning, he was able to pick who would be on the new blue and black teams and who would have immunity this week.

As is typical, he made choices that made his fellow contestants angry. Right off the bat, he split up Sam and Koli. And Daris and Cheryl. He did give O'Neal the immunity, but he stacked the blue team with the contestants who typically lose more weight. The black team was made up mostly of women, many of them the smaller ones. Their only guy was Sam, but I had to smile when Sam painted his fingernails black just like all his female teammates.

When Bob and Jillian acted surprised at the choices Michael made, ones that clearly were for his own benefit, I had to think to myself, "Seriously?" Sometimes I think the surprise they exhibit is manufactured. While it might not be "fair" the way Michael split up the teams, he had it right when he challenged Bob and Jillian. He shot back that they were always telling him to think about himself. When he did that, they had to admit he had a point.

In a reward challenge, the teams had to lift their team's banner up a several-story hotel. The blue team, with more guys, won and were rewarded with letters from home.

Dr. Huizenga was back to check up with the contestants, to give them updates on how their work was paying off. Ashley had regained an amazing 8 years of her life for 7 weeks of work. And Sam's workouts, plus giving up smoking and drinking, lowered his real age from 51 to 46. Dr. Huizenga said that would improve even more if Sam stayed away from the alcohol and cigarettes for a year.

I am the first to admit I love an underdog story and tend to root for the underdog. And this week, the black team was the underdog and they knew it. And they worked so incredibly hard, determined to show Michael that they weren't going to be the automatic losers at the weigh-in, that Jillian was even impressed. And it paid off. They did, indeed, win the challenge, sending the blue team to the elimination room where Miggy was voted off. It was a close race though. The blue team lost 2.7% of their team's weight, while the black edged them with 2.82%.

This week's big losers at the weigh-in were Michael (15 pounds), Ashley and Koli (10 each), and Sam and Stephanie (8 each). Even O'Neal, who was immune, lost 9 pounds. He never slacks off even when he has immunity. That's someone who is serious about weight loss.

We got to check in with both Darrell and Miggy at the end of the show. Darrell is down to 293 pounds from his starting weight of 413 and can now fit into the jacket he wore 27 years ago when he met his wife. Miggy, who admitted that she was a very stressed person when she came to the ranch, has embraced meditation, which has helped her to lose weight. She's down to 179 from 240.

What were your thoughts about this week's episode? And do you think there will be any romances to come out of this season? I started thinking about that tonight when I saw that several of the younger, single people are still on the ranch.

Continue Reading...

Red Line, Yellow Line

Things got changed up quite a bit on The Biggest Loser this week. Allison first gave the contestants the good news that they'd be headed to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to train with Olympic athletes. Throughout the show, several Olympic and Paralympic athletes worked out with and gave tips to the contestants. Nutritionists at the center talked about the different types of meals and caloric intakes athletes had to consume depending on their sports.

On the not-so-good news side, the contestants were informed that two people would be going home. That darn red line was back as well as the yellow one. Whoever fell below the red line would go home immediately.

Koli struggled a bit emotionally this week. Not only was he already struggling with his own self-confidence and self-worth, but he was shaken by John's departure last week. He had it in his head that John deserved to be on the ranch more than he did. It took a talk with Bob to put him back on the right path to believing he deserved to be on the ranch just as much as anyone else.

Speed skater J.R. Celski was on hand for the slide board challenge (which mimicked the movements a speed skater makes as he races) in which the contestants raced to see who could get to 500 slides first. It was a heated race to the finish between Sam and Melissa, but Sam edged her out in the end. The advantages that Sam, Melissa and Sunshine won in the challenge by coming in in the gold, silver and bronze spots were for naught as they just aimed their extra shots in the biathlon immunity challenge at each other. For the immunity challenge, the normal skiing of biathlon was replaced with running, and the shooting was aimed at taking fellow contestants out of the running by shooting at targets by their names. It came down to a race between perhaps the two people least able to run -- Darrell and O'Neal. In the end, O'Neal barely finished ahead Darrell and won immunity.

The last chance workout included both a normal gym workout and a boot camp at 24-hour fitness with Olympic figure skater Rockne Brubaker.

At the weigh-in, Michael didn't quite make the 100-pound record, missing Rudy's record from last season by 6 pounds. Still, very impressive weight loss with 11 pounds. The only other person in double digits was Sam, with 12. Daris lost 9, and Allison announced that he is the person with the biggest percentage of weight loss on campus so far. Miggy reached a milestone as she lost 7 pounds to go below 200 pounds. When everyone had weighed, it was Melissa's one-pound gain that sealed her place below the red line and automatic elimination. Cheryl and Darrell were below the yellow, but in another twist Allison announced that in the spirit of the Olympics their fate wouldn't be decided by votes but rather a head-to-head challenge. Everyone filed outside, and Cheryl and Darrell had to balance supports on their heads that were holding up their Olympic-style torches. I didn't see this coming, but the end of the challenge won't be shown until next week.

What moments did you enjoy this week? What surprised you? Is anyone like me in thinking that Melissa seems very genuine in her frustration about the inconsistency of how she loses and gains weight? She couldn't have meant to gain a pound this week, I don't think. Who do you think will win the challenge -- Cheryl of Darrell? And how adorable are Sunshine and O'Neal? They are just the cutest father-daughter team.

And in a total side note, anyone else really annoyed by the obvious product placements for products like Extra Sugar-Free Gum? I want to scream every time I see one. It's not that I don't think the products have value, but the obviousness of the in-show commercial just annoys me.

Continue Reading...

One Tough Cookie

This week's The Biggest Loser saw the return of the blue and yellow teams from their month-long stays at home, back on the ranch for a head-to-head weigh in to determine which team got to stay on the ranch. Even though Cherita and Victoria of the blue team lost a combined 63 pounds, they fell short of the yellow team's 76-pound combined loss. Sunshine lost 25, and O'Neal lost an eye-popping 51 pounds at home. I knew as soon as I saw him that he'd lost a good deal; it was that noticeable. By winning, they got immunity and would cast the only vote at the final weigh in of the episode, if one was needed (if a team with one player remaining fell below the yellow line, no vote would be needed).

In honor of Super Bowl week, the immunity challenge saw one player from each team hitting football tackling dummies. The first person to hit it 1,000 times won. It was a close race between Lance (red team), Sam (gray) and Michael (white), but Michael came out victorious by only 3 or 4 touches. Sam wasn't happy, but he directed the displeasure at himself, not Michael, admitting he wasn't a very good loser. He and Koli are very competitive, and I like that competitiveness in them. The pink team came in last, which meant they would each have a 1-pound disadvantage at the weigh in.

It was a tough week for Miggy, having to go back to the Biggest Loser house without her daughter and teammate, Migdalia. As if that wasn't bad enough, she had to be rushed to the hospital and into surgery to remove her appendix, a cyst and a mass. This is where the tough cookie part comes in. One day after the surgery, she came back to the ranch and walked 13 miles. The next day? 18 miles. Then 14 the next. Wow, is she tough and determined. Even after Dr. Huizenga told her that she had 8 or 9 extra pounds of water in her body from the surgery, she still managed to lose 5 pounds and keep herself safe.

The numbers were lower this week, with only three people hitting double digits -- Daris with 12, Michael with 13, and Sam with 10. Melissa of the red team hit a milestone when she lost 5 pounds to dip below the 200-pound mark. But with Lance only losing 4 pounds (the lowest of any of the guys), it looked for most of the weigh in that one of the red team's members would be going home. That was until John (the sole remaining member of the brown team) stepped on the scales and only posted a loss of 6 pounds. He needed 7 to be safe. His departure was hard for him, the trainers and the other contestants. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy, and one who made a lot of friends on the ranch. It was nice to see that he has now lost more than 100 pounds, and is working out with his twin brother, James, who was voted out in Week 1.

What did you think of Miggy's determination and toughness this week? Have you ever pushed through pain to do something you or others didn't think you could do? How do you feel about John's departure?

Continue Reading...

Another Drama Filled Episode of The Biggest Loser

Trish is traveling, so I am taking care of this week's post. Another drama filled episode! Here's what I'm thinking about:

What happened to the green team? I really liked them in week one and still have a soft spot for them, but they do seem to have a chip on their shoulders. They also seemed to have more of a competitive spirit earlier in the show. I was sad to see Migdalia voted off but am so glad that they do show you where the voted off contestant is now. Good to see that she is still losing weight.

I can't stand Melissa. I was going to ask did she lie, but I really don't care. I just don't like her. At all. There usually is one contestant per season I do not like, and she's it for this one.

How do they lose so much weight so quickly? OK, I'm still struggling with my impatience and jealousy, and the numbers they pull just kill me. They've all lost more in weeks than I have in a whole year.

What do you think of Bob and Jillian's approach to the contestants? I do like how this show contrasts their two styles. Jillian's contestants lose more weight, and I agree with her emphasis on emotions, but there were times tonight when I thought Bob was much smarter in his approach.

How do the contestants' journey relate to folks trying to lose weight at home? I came up with ten lessons I've learned from watching this show, but I'm taking another look at this question. I think their emotional journeys can be relevant, but I wonder if I need to continue watching this show. The amount of weight they are able to lose in a short period of time is just not achievable for me. Yes, it could be a metaphor, but still... If you watch it, what do you get out of it?

Who are you rooting for? I don't really have a favorite yet. Pulling for someone always makes it more interesting and fun.

If you watched the latest episode of The Biggest Loser, what are you thinking about? The consensus on Twitter is definitely anti-red team and anti-beard (brown team). If you are on Twitter, you can follow me at: http://twitter.com/healthywrtr I'm having too much fun with it since I signed up Sunday.

If you want a proper recap of last night's episode, you may want to go to nbc.com.

Continue Reading...

Conflict Galore on The Biggest Loser

This week's Biggest Loser was rife with emotion and conflict. First, there was Migdalia not responding well to Jillian pushing her to open up emotionally, resulting in Migdalia walking out of the gym and saying she wanted to go home. It took Bob talking to her, then Miggy (her mother and teammate) helping her realize that she doesn't know how to express the feelings of unhappiness built up inside her to convince her to stay. I hope that she can dig deep to figure out why she feels the way she does and find a way to fix whatever the root cause of her unhappiness is.

Part of Migdalia's anger seemed to stem from the first challenge, which Sherry of the pink team won. All Sherry had to do was eat two chocolate candies (I think they were M&Ms) to win the ability to decide who would be the teachers (team members who would get to work with Bob and Jillian all week, then have to teach their teammates what they'd learned and run their workouts) and the students (those who didn't get to work out with the trainers, and who would be the teammates whose weight would count at the weigh-in).

We got to see how the two teams at home (blue and yellow) were doing halfway through their 30 days away from the ranch, though they didn't tell us how much they'd lost. I'm sure they're saving that for the big reveal in a couple of weeks. It was interesting to see O'Neal's determination in the gym. I also liked his quote about not looking back anymore: "You can't go forward looking in the rear-view mirror."

Curtis Stone gave the contestants an eye-opening lesson on healthy eating and cooking. And it was cute how Stephanie (purple team) thought he was good looking. Hey, she's not wrong. Maybe if I become a fabulously wealthy author, I'll hire Curtis Stone as our personal chef. I'm sure the hubby wouldn't mind at all. LOL!

The immunity challenge had the contestants stringing 1,000 feet of ribbon through a playground, making it as challenging as possible for whoever was going to have to untangle it. But in this show there's always a twist, and their own teammates had to untangle the ribbons -- blindfolded! The winners (the gray team of Sam and Koli) got immunity and also got to choose one of the other teams to switch who would weigh in. They ended up choosing the white team because they didn't feel Michael had been giving his all in the gym. It proved to be a well-played strategic decision because Michael only lost 10 pounds, putting him and his mother, Maria, below the yellow line and resulting in Maria being sent home.

Even though the gray team had immunity, they didn't slack off on their workouts and the posted 11-pound (Sam) and 13-pound (Koli) losses. I admire them for not using their immunity to take it easy.

More conflict erupted -- this time between Bob & Jillian and Melissa of the red team, who only lost one pound. The trainers felt she threw the weigh-in again because Lance was the one whose weight counted. She adamantly denied it, and a yelling match ensued until Bob said that the weigh-in wasn't the place to get into it. It'll be interesting to see what happens between the trainers and the red team next week.

The biggest losses of the night were posted by John (14 pounds), Koli (13), and Darrell, Lance and Ashley (all with 12).

In addition to the revelation of how much weight Maria had lost since arriving at the ranch (51 pounds), the transformation moment also showed how she's conquered her fear of water. As someone who suffers from the same affliction, it brought tears to my eyes. As soon as I meet my March deadline, I'm going to inquire about adult swim classes at the local YMCA.

What were your favorite moments from last night's show? Do you think Melissa threw the weigh-in, or was she telling the truth? Do you think Michael will step it up next week? Will Migdalia be able to have the emotional breakthrough she needs?

Continue Reading...

Biggest Loser Contestants Face Reality

Last night was the second episode of Biggest Loser Couples, and it had the contestants facing facts, facing fears and just facing reality. Early on, we found out that John feels like his family is cursed because they've had so much tragedy. Within a year, he lost his father, grandmother and older sister. He said he doesn't want to be another death in that family, another tragedy. He has a 1-year-old son to live for -- perhaps one of the cutest kids I've ever seen. Just adorable.

It was what I like to call the seasonal Dr. Huizenga show, where he talked to the contestants about the health problems they were facing because of their obesity. For instance, Michael had to watch as trainer Bob was loaded down with more than 300 pounds of weights -- the extra body weight that Michael is carrying around. Bob was stunned that Michael could even move. The purple team had to watch a video from home where family members talked about how Patti's and Stephanie's obesity affected them. They came away from the viewing determined to make changes. Dr. Huizenga said, "We'll show you the road. You'll have to walk it."

The red team of Lance and Melissa got a visual of how much their obesity is going to cost them over the rest of their lives in lost wages and health care costs when an armored truck pulled up holding $3 million! Lance, who used to make good money as a commercial diver, can't do it anymore because he can't pass the dive physical. Jillian faced the orange team of Cheryl and Daris and had to eat a meal they would have eaten before coming to the Biggest Loser campus. Jillian tried, but she couldn't do it. She was seriously grossed out. Ashley of the pink team got the devastating news that though she's only 27, she's diabetic and her inner age is 57.

The challenge this week had the contestants carrying beach balls down a balance beam over a pool. The first team to get 10 balls across won immunity, and the last team had a 2-pound disadvantage at the weigh in. The red team won, and the white team came in last after Maria's severe fear of the water (to which I can relate) kept her off the balance beam. In fact, she freaked so much that she fell and cracked her nose on the concrete side of the pool, necessitating a trip to the hospital. I felt so sorry for her as she realized her fear had cost them the challenge, making them vulnerable to elimination. Jillian did get her in the pool later, helping her to face her fear.

At the weigh in, the green team of Miggy and Migdalia won the percentage lost even though Migdalia only lost 4 pounds this week. The biggest numbers were put up by John of the brown team (10 pounds lost), Michael and Maria of the white team (11 and 10, respectively), and Darrell of the black team (10). Melissa of the red team actually gained a pound, but it was strategy on her part. By not trying so hard this week since she had immunity, she's hoping that next week she can put up big numbers. In the end, the purple team fell below the yellow line and Patti asked to be sent home since she had a support system there and her daughter, Stephanie, didn't. So Patti was the second person voted off this season. In the Transformation Moment at the end, we saw that Patti has lost 43 pounds, is sporting a great new haircut, ran a 5K with her husband, is taking dancing lessons with him, and works out at the gym with her other daughter every day.

What were your favorite or most eye-opening moments of this week's episode?

Continue Reading...

Biggest Loser Kicks Off Another Season

It was a night of big numbers on the first episode of the new season of The Biggest Loser. For instance, one season after Shay was the biggest contestant in show history, that non-enviable title has been handed off to Michael, who tipped the scales at the initial weigh-in (held in each contestant's hometown in front of friends, family and community members) at 526 pounds. Twins John and James' combined weight was just a few pounds shy of half a ton. Collectively, this is the heaviest group of contestants of any season so far. And as Jillian said, "That's not a good thing."

But big numbers weren't just part of the negative side of things. More on that later.

The Biggest Loser is big on surprises, and the contestants got a big one as soon as they walked onto the Biggest Loser ranch. On day one, barely out of the cars that brought them there, Allison told them that they would be taking part in their first challenge -- riding a bike the equivalent of a marathon, 26.2 miles. The twist? Only the first nine teams to finish would be staying on the ranch. The last two teams would be sent home immediately. I had a very negative reaction to this, as did my husband. He said, "That's just so wrong!" I agree. I know it's shock value, but I just think that everyone is so happy to be there at that point, thinking they're going to have this awesome chance to train at the ranch, at least for a week, that it's cruel to snuff out that joy so quickly. Especially for someone who is there to make what very well might be a life-saving change.

During the challenge, the green team, made up of the mother-daughter pair of Miggy and Migdalia, just smoked it! I don't think they slowed down the entire time and as a result finished first, in less than an hour. I'm tired just thinking about it. Not far behind them was the gray team, cousins Sam and Koli. The last two teams were the blue team (mother and daughter Cherita and Victoria) and the yellow team (the father-daughter team of O'Neal and Sunshine). The blue team had a hard time because the medical staff that was on hand made Cherita quit because she was in such pain. I was really sad to see the yellow team have to leave because I really liked their interview early in the show, and Sunshine's words about not being happy and wanting to find love nearly broke my heart.

As the two eliminated teams were leaving the ranch, their cars were stopped by Bob and Jillian, who told them that they would be competing at home and that they would come back in 30 days. Whichever team has lost the most will be back in the game.

Something that struck me when we were getting to know the contestants was that three teams mentioned how their culture contributed to their weight problems because those cultures revolved so much around food. These were Italian for Michael and Maria, Tongan for Koli and Sam, and Puerto Rican for Miggy and Migdalia.

Now, back to the big numbers. When it came to the weigh-in at the end of Week 1, some impressive losses were posted. Chief among these was a 34-pound loss for Michael, a record for the most weight lost in week one. Patti of the purple team lost 23 pounds for the biggest percentage loss of a woman ever. Several guys besides Michael shed lots of pounds: Koli, 29; Daris of the orange team, 29; and Darrell of the black team, 30. And in true twin fashion, James and John each lost 23 pounds. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep them safe because of the percentages. The rest of the contestants had to face a heartbreaking decision -- which twin to send home. In the end, James was sent home. But in the transformation moment, he revealed that he's down 100 pounds. He still has a long way to go, but that's a huge start.

While exploring the Biggest Loser site now that it's been updated with the new contestants' information, I discovered that Abby from last season has a blog on there now. I read the blog she posted last night about finding our inner warriors, inspired by Jillian challenging Cheryl of the orange team to move away from her meek self and find her inner warrior, and found myself nodding. Check out Abby's blog here.

So, what were your impressions of the first episode? Did you connect with anyone in particular?

Continue Reading...

And the Biggest Loser is...

Danny. I had a feeling after last week's episode that Danny was on track to win the crown tonight, but I had no idea how close it was going to be between him and Rudy. Both men lost more than 50 percent of their body weight and more than 230 pounds each. That's amazing! There was only a five-pound difference in how much they lost, and I think Danny had a bit of an edge because he's shorter and started at a lesser weight (430 to Rudy's 442). That's not taking anything away from Danny; he has done a phenomenal job in just seven short months. Both men looked great and seemed really happy.

America voted last week on who to send to the final three with Rudy and Danny, and Amanda won that vote. She is also looking great and very happy. She's lost 87 pounds and currently weighs what I do. Liz didn't make the cut to be in the final running for the Biggest Loser title, but she looked wonderful tonight, glowing and very stylish. It was great to see how she's looking now because I interviewed her a couple of weeks ago via phone for the magazine I used to work at full time and for which I still do contract work. (If you're in Tennessee and get your electricity from an rural electric co-op, watch for the January issue of The Tennessee Magazine in your mailbox for the story about Liz's experience.)

The at-home prize for the contestant with the biggest percentage weight loss went to Rebecca who started out at 279 and now weighs 140. And she's blond. I liked her dark hair better, but hey, it's not my hair. :) Now she's slim, rocking a new 'do and $100,000 richer.

Another moment in Biggest Loser romance history was made tonight when Antoine proposed (on one knee, no less) to Alexandra. Many tears and smiles, and I loved the happy hugs between who I assume were their mothers. Very sweet.

Shay inspired many people this season, and though she acknowledges that her journey isn't over she nevertheless looked so much better, healthier, happier. In recognition of her continuing journey, Subway issued her a challenge tonight. She's coming back to the next season finale in May to weigh in again. For every pound she loses between now and then, Subway will give her $1,000. She immediately said she'd be down 100 pounds. More good news for Shay came from Biggest Loser physician Dr. Huizenga. According to the latest tests, the weight she's lost has added 13 years to her life. And Daniel has added approximately 23 years to his life estimate for his two seasons of work.

Among the other contestants who showed off impressive losses were Antoine (152 pounds lost), Julio (180 lost; he looked like a different man); Sean (155 lost); Abby (100 lost; she looked absolutely fabulous); and Tracey (118 lost, though I have to admit I worried maybe it was too much -- something about how the loss presented itself on her face; had the same feeling about Rebecca, though all may be perfectly fine and it's just dramatic losses).

If you're a Biggest Loser fan, you don't have to wait long for more inspiration each Tuesday night. The next season starts Jan. 5.

Continue Reading...