Secrets from 'The Biggest Loser' with Jillian and Bob - Show Recap

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Biggest Loser, the NBC hit show, challenges contestants to lose the biggest percentage of weight and win the $250,000 prize. The contestants have to leave their homes and families behind to move into The Biggest Loser ranch where they are assisted by personal trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper as well as medical experts. The environment is very strict and some contestants struggle with the lack of communication with the outside world. For those who are able to stick to the plan, they walk away healthier and on the road to a longer life.

Oprah welcomed personal trainers Jillian and Bob to the show to talk about their weight loss secrets and meet a few past Biggest Loser contestants. Jillian and Bob have helped 114 contestants lose more than 10,000 pounds in the past seasons, and continue to work to help people change their lives. Bob expressed that he is excited to work with people from the beginning of their weight loss process and the start of a new life. He continued to say that when he first started the show he had to throw is plan out the window - contestants needed more of a personal connection and not just diet advice.

Jillian has a different take on the help she gives contestants. As a young woman, Jillian was 5'1" and 170 pounds and knows how the contestants feel both physically and emotionally. Due to her personal journey, Jillian does not sympathize with contestants, but does empathize with them and works to help them change their lives for the better.

Last season's winner and first female champion, Ali, was the first former contestant to hit the stage. Ali started The Biggest Loser at 234 pounds and 6 months after leaving the ranch she now weighs in at 125 pounds. Ali explained that she started gaining weight in her early 20s and used her weight as an excuse for why people left her. During the season Ali commented that she told herself she was left because she was fat, because why would anyone want to leave her, the person inside the body.

Ali has created a routine at home that helps her to maintain her weight loss - this includes diet and exercise.

Ali works out 5 days a week with a plan that includes 40-50 minutes of cardio on a stair machine and rowing machine as well as weight training. Ali showed a sample of her breakfast and lunch including protein waffles with sugar-free syrup and a turkey and vegetable pita. Weighing and measuring everything she eats, Ali described building a sandwich that makes her feel like she is eating more and fills her up at the same time.

When Ali first returned home from the ranch, she shared that she really didn't know what to do with herself and she went on a mini-binge, but was able to pull out and get back on track.

Oprah introduced contestants Curtis and Mallory, a couple who participated on the show who were busy raising 3 daughters. With Curtis weighing 381 pounds and Mallory at 217, they had to lose weight or risked losing their health insurance. The couple was eliminated after 2 weeks but walked on to the Oprah Show weighing in at 238 for Curtis and 152 for Mallory!

Roger participated in a previous season as well weighing 363 pounds to start. Eliminated 10 months ago, Roger now weighs 220 pounds! Roger lived on the ranch for 5 months and with his extra work at home has been able to get off of his diabetes medication.

When Roger entered the ranch he was eating 9,750 calories a day and had to make a drastic change in his eating habits. A table was displayed on the stage that represented what Roger used to eat in a day. It included: pancakes, bacon toast, an omelet and grits; 4 plates from a Chinese food buffet; an entire hamburger casserole made with cream and cookies, chips and candy bars throughout the day. Roger expressed still feeling hungry after eating that much food. He now eats oatmeal with yogurt and coffee, chips and hummus, lean meats with green veggies, apples and cheese, and whole grain bread with peanut butter.

Mark was the next contestant to make an appearance. During his season, Mark became more emotional the more weight he lost. Starting out at 285 pounds, Mark now weighs 189 pounds! Mark expressed how he was taught as a child to hide his emotions and this caused him to eat to comfort himself. The ranch helped Mark to become a different person physically, emotionally and mentally.

Not everyone that appears on The Biggest Loser is able to stay a success story, including 3 of the past season winners. Ryan, Erik and Matt, all winners, have each gained back between 50 and 100 pounds of their weight loss.

Matt appeared on the show and shared that he is still struggling; having put 50 pounds back on since the show. Making the mental change is what Matt expressed has been his biggest challenge. Feeling like a fat guy in a skinny body, Matt still works on himself and seeing himself differently. He has help from his wife Suzy, who was also a contestant on the show. Suzy started out at 227 and dropped to 132 while on the show, but has since had 2 babies in 15 months and is working to lose the added weight.

The Biggest Loser - Julie and Life Lists:

Julie, another former contestant, also appeared on the show. Julie started her journey at 218 pounds and dropped down to 128 pounds and has kept it off for a year. Using smaller plates, packing healthy snacks and working out with her kids at the playground 5 times a week are just a few of the things Julie does to maintain her weight loss.

Jillian shared that she advises people who want to lose weight to create a life list - a list of things you want for yourself, no matter how big or trivial they may seem. This list is meant to serve as a source of motivation during the weight loss process. Bob recommends starting today - not putting off the journey for the first of the year, a birthday, or next Monday. There is no better time than now to start making healthy lifestyle changes and beginning to believe that you are worth a healthy life.