Biggest Loser Premiere

I've heard Michelle sing the praises of The Biggest Loser for quite some time, but for whatever reason I never watched it. But in honor of this blog and my new, healthier outlook on life, I tuned in to the season premiere tonight. Yes, tears came to my eyes on several occasions. You can't listen to the stories the contestants tell and not get emotional. At least I can't. You have parents realizing they have to lose weight or they won't get to see their children grow up. Young people who have struggled with their weight their entire lives realizing they won't get much older if they don't shed pounds. People who have eaten to try to keep sorrow and unhappiness at bay -- as so many of us have.

I also heard contestants say something that sounded familiar -- "How did I let myself get like this? I'm not sure how it happened."

I found this group of contestants -- the heaviest in the show's history -- inspiring from the beginning of the episode. The determination on their faces as they struggled to go that one mile was both awesome and heart-wrenching. I'm fortunate that I can walk a mile pretty easily. I couldn't run it. First, I loathe running. I could hike all day, but I've never enjoyed running. Not even when I was a slim high school student on the track team. Hey, I wanted to do hurdles, but it didn't work out. Instead, I was probably the worst 800m runner in my school's history. But these people were determined. My heart broke for Tracey, who just about did herself in and had to be helped across the finish line when her legs would no longer support her. I think she pushed too hard too soon, but I have to admire her drive. I hope when she comes back she's able to go far. They've inspired me to at least try running a little even though I don't like it. I'll have to see how it affects my breathing, if it makes me wheeze.

I cried right along with Shay when her initial weigh-in showed she was the heaviest contestant in the show's history, more than any of the men. I was so afraid that when she "quit" her workout, she was truly giving up before she'd really gotten started. And I feared that decision would end up costing her life. I was thrilled when she found the inner strength to turn around and go back inside and face a yelling Jillian. She is a contestant who has the potential to really make a monumental and dramatic change in her life and appearance.

I like Mo. He seems like a great guy. One of the older contestants and the only one who had to compete alone this week since his partner is Tracey and she was still in the hospital, he still pushed hard and dropped a good number of pounds to keep his team in the competition. All this after an initial hospital stay himself.

I thought Rebecca had a great attitude and was very complimentary of her partner, Amanda, despite the fact that Amanda had lost the least amount of weight during the weigh-in. She was quick to point out that Amanda worked hard during the week and was a good cheerleader for her own efforts. I see that as what we're doing here on the blog -- being cheerleaders for each others' efforts to lose weight and become more fit.

I know I'm not alone in the fact that it was Abby's story that broke my heart the most. I can't imagine the pain she's gone through in the aftermath of losing her husband and two children in a car accident. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Despite that horrendous loss, she is the most amazing, positive person. I want to see her stay on the show a long time. If she's not the eventual winner, I want her to be close.

During the first post-training weigh-in, it was amazing to see the number of pounds lost. Granted, we have to remember that these people are training all day every day -- something that isn't realistic for most of us. But if we can be inspired by these determined individuals and turn that inspiration into positive workouts, positive goals and positive attitudes, then we all benefit.

So, what did you all think? Who inspired you the most? Who are you rooting for? What did you take away from this premiere episode?

For more information on the show and the contestants, go to the NBC site for the show.
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Today's progress:

Calorie intake: 1,410 (I didn't quite cut yesterday's intake in half, but it's still 600 fewer calories than yesterday. I'm going in the right direction.)

Exercise: 1 1/2 hours cleaning house, 15 minutes aerobics, 5 minutes exercise band workout

Steps: 10,139 (Yes! Back up to my daily goal.)