If you aren't already hooked on The Biggest Loser, the reality TV show which just aired this season's finale, then I'm not sure what you've been doing on Tuesday nights. I LOVE this show! Of course, the weight loss theme is right up my alley. And I always pick up new methods of torture to incorporate into my classes and bootcamps by watching Bob Harper put those poor contestants through a workout. Bob has recently completed his Crossfit Certification Level 1 and lots of familiar and excruciating exercises have been showing up on the show. But the thing I love the most is the transformations. To watch a beautiful, strong, confident person emerge from a cocoon of bodyfat is miraculous and awe-inspiring every single time. To see the joy which exudes from every cell, the smiles stretching from ear to ear, the sense of accomplishment that these contestants have finally achieved after long months of hard work is deeply satisfying. And they do all this with NO drugs, NO surgery, NO magic. Just diet and exercise. Pure and simple.
The show would be perfect if the diet part of the equation were spelled out more succinctly. I guess the producers must think that emphasizing diet would be too boring and off-putting to an audience. Minus the occasional product placement segment where one of the contestants talks about Jenni-O turkey or Cheerios, and of course the weekly forays to Subway (a major sponsor) for lunch, there is very little discussion of diet. Sometimes challenges revolve around knowing the calorie count of particular foods or meals, but as we all know, calories can be deceptive. Not all low calorie foods are actually good for you!
Of course, if you have been selected to be on the show and live on the ranch for months on end, it is a forgone conclusion that you will lose weight. You will devote every waking hour to this endeavor. You will have the support of medical doctors, nutritionists, top-notch trainers, and a full staff. You will have no distractions, no job, no family to care for, no school work, nothing but preparing your meals with healthy food that is provided and a gym that is open to you 24/7.
But what if you want to lose weight at home? What lessons can you take away from this "reality" show?
One important lesson is to clean up your environment. At the Biggest Loser Ranch, all the food is selected based on its nutritional value. Is this how you are selecting the food in your house? It is much more difficult to eat a dozen cupcakes if you do not possess a dozen cupcakes in your pantry! If your home is filled with fresh fruit to snack on, a 5 pound bag of baby carrots in your fridge, lots of fresh and frozen veggies, and plenty of lean protein sources, then these are the foods you will (hopefully) choose from to compose your meals and snacks. If you have children or teenagers living in your house (as I do) you will find this task even more challenging. Nonetheless, it is still vital that you clean out your pantry and remove those worthless junk foods that provide calories but nothing more. If you are wondering now what you will be snacking on, please refer to my two blogs which discuss snacks!
And lesson number two is make losing weight a priority in your life. Maybe you can't put aside all the needs of your family, but you can certainly carve out an hour each day in which to do some kind of workout. You can use your hour at the gym, in Zumba class or on the treadmill, you can walk around your neighborhood, or you can pop an exercise DVD in at home and workout in your livingroom. If your health and happiness is at stake, my guess is that your family will get on board and support you in this commitment. At my daughter's elementary school, they used to have an hour after lunch which was called DEAR time. It stood for "DROP EVERYTHING AND READ!" I suggest having a DEAWO time each day where you DROP EVERYTHING AND WORK OUT! Make it a habit, get your family and friends involved, and soon no one will even remember those sad days of sitting around. You will all be too busy admiring your sexy new ab's!
The Biggest Loser offers cash prizes and all sorts of incentives to help their contestants stay motivated to lose the weight and get healthy. But the biggest prize of all is the amazing new bodies and mindsets these winners end up sporting. And the knowledge that they can do absolutely ANYTHING they put their mind and energy toward. You can, too!
The show would be perfect if the diet part of the equation were spelled out more succinctly. I guess the producers must think that emphasizing diet would be too boring and off-putting to an audience. Minus the occasional product placement segment where one of the contestants talks about Jenni-O turkey or Cheerios, and of course the weekly forays to Subway (a major sponsor) for lunch, there is very little discussion of diet. Sometimes challenges revolve around knowing the calorie count of particular foods or meals, but as we all know, calories can be deceptive. Not all low calorie foods are actually good for you!
Of course, if you have been selected to be on the show and live on the ranch for months on end, it is a forgone conclusion that you will lose weight. You will devote every waking hour to this endeavor. You will have the support of medical doctors, nutritionists, top-notch trainers, and a full staff. You will have no distractions, no job, no family to care for, no school work, nothing but preparing your meals with healthy food that is provided and a gym that is open to you 24/7.
But what if you want to lose weight at home? What lessons can you take away from this "reality" show?
One important lesson is to clean up your environment. At the Biggest Loser Ranch, all the food is selected based on its nutritional value. Is this how you are selecting the food in your house? It is much more difficult to eat a dozen cupcakes if you do not possess a dozen cupcakes in your pantry! If your home is filled with fresh fruit to snack on, a 5 pound bag of baby carrots in your fridge, lots of fresh and frozen veggies, and plenty of lean protein sources, then these are the foods you will (hopefully) choose from to compose your meals and snacks. If you have children or teenagers living in your house (as I do) you will find this task even more challenging. Nonetheless, it is still vital that you clean out your pantry and remove those worthless junk foods that provide calories but nothing more. If you are wondering now what you will be snacking on, please refer to my two blogs which discuss snacks!
And lesson number two is make losing weight a priority in your life. Maybe you can't put aside all the needs of your family, but you can certainly carve out an hour each day in which to do some kind of workout. You can use your hour at the gym, in Zumba class or on the treadmill, you can walk around your neighborhood, or you can pop an exercise DVD in at home and workout in your livingroom. If your health and happiness is at stake, my guess is that your family will get on board and support you in this commitment. At my daughter's elementary school, they used to have an hour after lunch which was called DEAR time. It stood for "DROP EVERYTHING AND READ!" I suggest having a DEAWO time each day where you DROP EVERYTHING AND WORK OUT! Make it a habit, get your family and friends involved, and soon no one will even remember those sad days of sitting around. You will all be too busy admiring your sexy new ab's!
The Biggest Loser offers cash prizes and all sorts of incentives to help their contestants stay motivated to lose the weight and get healthy. But the biggest prize of all is the amazing new bodies and mindsets these winners end up sporting. And the knowledge that they can do absolutely ANYTHING they put their mind and energy toward. You can, too!
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