Exhausted and pre-occupied this past Wednesday night, I only watched half of the Biggest Loser special and the half I did watch, I only saw parts of. Thankfully, those of us with DVRs no longer have to miss anything on tv, ever, so yesterday I watched from start to finish. One thing that was clear right away, was how much heavier the contestants have gotten each season. It was interesting to see the before pictures of contestants during the first few seasons, as they really didn’t even seem that overweight. I found Dr. H’s words at the intro so real. Never before had an extreme, exercise intensive weight loss program been tried on regular Americans and shown on television. In his own words, the doc admits he had no idea how it would work and was pretty frightened that first season. With season one a success, they obviously decided to get a little more extreme each and every season after that, as this current season began with some of the heaviest contestants so far.
But where are those contestants from previous seasons, now? It was great to see so many doing well and maintaining their healthy weights and lifestyles. I loved seeing a group of them getting together to run and support one another in a half marathon! What a huge accomplishment. I am both jealous and inspired at the same time. I was particularly pleased to see dad Ron with son’s Mike and Maxwell all looking happy, healthy and terrific! My money was always on Mike and he is one hot college freshman. While I wasn’t as confident in Ron, I believe he is a loving dad who was pushed beyond his limits in order to help his son’s achieve what once seemed impossible. What a great role model he turned out to be. Former model, Tara, seemed to keep off all her weight, and twins Jim and Bill looked every bit as good as when their season ended. Neil, inspired by his desire to be healthier for his gorgeous, then girlfriend, looked fantastic in their wedding video. Suzy and Matt kept it real, sharing their struggles to keep the weight off after marrying and having 2 babies. Their love story is beautiful and I believe, together, they may have found some balance in their lives, despite having put back on some of the weight.
Sadly they did show trainer Bob paying a visit to season 3 winner, Erik Chopin, who has managed to gain back most of the over 200 pounds he lost on the show. This saddens me not only for Erik, but because it makes me realize Erik just represents the many that have gone this route and were NOT shown on this special. Food addiction is just that. As with all addictions, relapse is not just a reality, but a great probability.
With food, just as with other addictions, we must live life ONE DAY AT A TIME. Today is Friday November 27th. It is no longer Thanksgiving, or even the day after. There is a couple of weeks till Chanukah and almost a full month till Christmas. This is a great day to get refocused on YOU. If you have had a few extra carbs this week then you probably have some extra fuel in your tank so take advantage and do something that requires endurance. Depending on your size and how hard you work at it, an hour of skating, basketball playing, cycling, jogging or aerobic class will burn off around 500 calories. For even more caloric expenditure, try running or dusting off those old roller blades. Either of those activities, done with intensity for the full hour, will burn closer to 1000 calories.
Take a tip from the Biggest Losers who successfully kept their weight off, so that after the New Year you will be happy and proud of where YOU are. Wherever you are, whatever the weather, take at least one hour for yourself today and fill it with peaceandfitness.