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Saturday, July 05, 2008
Video Time: Sweeney Pregnant, Classic Lalanne, Food Matters, And Low-Carb For Health
With the rising popularity of YouTube and other online video capabilities, the information age has jumped to a whole new level. It really wasn't that long ago when the major sources of information were radio and newspapers. Now there's television, DVDs, and all sorts of places on the Internet where you can find just about anything you are looking for (and a whole lot you're NOT looking for!).
I enjoy surfing around YouTube every once in a while because you'll find some real gems if you look carefully. Especially some of the old television programs about health, it's amazing to see how much times have changed and how much they've pretty much stayed the same, too. You'll see that today with a classic clip from health guru Jack Lalanne. There's also BIG NEWS for "Biggest Loser" fans with the host, a new health documentary, and an awesome video espousing low-carb for health. ENJOY!
1. ALISON SWEENEY IS PREGNANT!
The brand new season of NBC-TV's hit weight loss reality show "The Biggest Loser" is already underway being filmed to begin airing in September featuring families in Season 6. Piggybacking on that theme at just the perfect time is this announcement made by host Alison Sweeney this week on the "Biggest Loser" ranch during one of the first weigh-ins of the season. NBC was so excited about the news that they released the video clip to the public.
I couldn't see any faces of contestants in this quick clip, but if you look behind Jillian at around :27, you'll see a surprisingly skinny woman in a midriff shirt/sports bra. I'm wondering if this new season featuring families will have some family members who don't have all that much weight to lose and they are there to support their loved ones who do. Who knows, but I can't wait to see it! CONGRATULATIONS to Alison Sweeney on her great news about having an addition to her family.
By the way, I requested a podcast interview with The Blue Team trainer Bob Harper (who I interviewed at my blog three years ago) and I heard back from his assistant this week that he would love to be on my show. WOO HOO! We're still hammering out the details since his schedule is so crazy, but I'm hoping to air that in early September. YEAH! :D
2. JACK LALANNE WARNS ABOUT SUGAR--50 YEARS AGO!
If you had to choose on iconic figure in the modern history of health who personifies what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, then I don't think many would disagree with the selection of Jack Lalanne for that role. This 90-something year old man is still going strong and he can oftentimes be seen on television these days promoting his juicer or other age-defying techniques for being the strong, happy, and healthy man that he is.
Man, I'd LOVE to interview him because this classic video of him talking about the addictive nature of sugar is precisely the message we need to hear in 2008. It's something people who support livin' la vida low-carb shout loudly from the mountaintops while it is almost ignored as a culprit in obesity and disease by much of the rest of the health establishment crowd who is too hung up on saturated fat to see the forest for the trees. Is it any wonder why 50 years after this video first aired we are STILL dealing with this same mess?
3. NEW HEALTH DOCUMENTARY FILM CALLED "FOOD MATTERS"
There have been quite a few diet and health documentaries in development over the past year or so, including Mary Bissell's My Big Fat Diet, Tom Naughton's Fat Head, CJ Hunt's In Search Of The Perfect Human Diet, and Steve Yu's INSPIRED: The Movie. I am excited about all of these contributions to the discussion about healthy living and now there's another one to add to the list: Food Matters.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing this one yet, but my understanding is it takes a closer examination of health in modern times and laments all the wasted resources that are spent on prescription drugs while chronic disease runs rampant. The filmmakers urge the viewers to get back to our roots when food was used as medicine rather than the next miracle pill from the pharmaceutical companies. AMEN to that!!! This documentary features many interviews with the REAL health experts around the world and seeks to expose the billions of dollars that are made scamming people into thinking they need to be drugged for made-up diseases.
Knowledge is power and Food Matters seeks to arm you with the information you need to take back control of your own health. I am working diligently to get a copy of this to review and share with you as well as an interview with the film's producers so they can talk more about why they decided to make this movie. Should be interesting!
4. OUTSTANDING 450-SECOND LOW-CARB FOR HEALTH VIDEO
Finally, I love finding videos like this one that just lays the pure unadulterated truth about livin' la vida low-carb out there for everyone to see--take it or leave it. Stephen, aka Stevo35972 does just that and in a very direct, concise, and compelling way. Add him to the increasing by leaps and bound list of low-carb YouTubers now and keep your eyes peeled for even more nuggets of truth from him in the future!
Got a video you think I might be interested in? Send the link to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I always love finding GREAT videos that continue the mission of educating, encouraging and inspiring others in their healthy low-carb lifestyle. THANKS for passing on the good ones you find.
Julie Hadden lost 97 pounds on "The Biggest Loser" 4
1. Yet another member of that dominating Black Team from Season 4 of the hit NBC-TV weight loss reality show "The Biggest Loser" is here with us today. It's Julie Hadden and boy does she have quite a story to tell.
Starting on the show that season as the "smallest" contestant at just 218 pounds, she ended up in the final four and came within just eight pounds of beating eventual winner Bill Germanakos for the $250,000 grand prize. But she still lost an incredible 44.5% of her weight for a total of 97 pounds which puts her in the top 4 all-time biggest female losers percentage-wise on the show.
Looking at Julie today you'd never know she had a weight problem. WELCOME to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, Julie! I have to say when you came out during the grand finale in December 2007 that the difference in you was absolutely stunning! At that point I looked over at my wife Christine and said to her, "This is gonna be close between her and Bill."
While I know you are proud of your amazing weight loss success, did you wonder about what you could have done to get down to 111 pounds to beat Bill? It had to be frustrating for you to work so hard and come up just 8 pounds short. Before Ali Vincent won Season 5, did you believe a woman would ever win "The Biggest Loser?"
First of all let me say thank you for inviting me to speak with you. I love reading your interviews with the other Biggest Loser contestants and you have quite a remarkable story yourself!
To answer your question about beating Bill, yes, I have thought about it many times. I don’t regret the way it turned out because things have happened in my life since then that wouldn’t have been possible if the outcome were different. But the competitor in me wanted to be the “ultimate underdog.” From the very beginning, I knew that no one really gave me a thought when it came to competition and I wanted to be a hook out of left field.
In regards to a female ever winning, I would have to say yes I thought it could happen. I always thought it could happen sooner than people think. It had to be the perfect candidate who has just the right amount of weight and just the right amount of time to lose it. Men lose so quickly. If I had just one more week I could have beaten Bill to become the first female Biggest Loser. He was underweight by the Finale, and had no where else to go, but I could have lost 8 more pounds. (Not that I would want to live my life that thin). Every season is different, different people, different personalities, and different situations. I was so excited on the day when Ali Vincent won the title of The Biggest Loser a couple of months ago, but I will have to be honest and say--I wish it had been me.
2. At the beginning of the season, I don't think anybody expected a contestant like you who didn't put up the "big numbers" to still be around at the end. Of course, that's a great misconception about "The Biggest Loser" that you need to lose double digits every week to stay above the yellow line.
Sure, if you started out weighing over 350 or 400 pounds, but not for someone like you who only needed to lose about half the weight of your larger competitors to lose the same percentage as they did. Do you think the show does a good enough job explaining this to the viewers or is the show looked at as merely a "very large person" game? How were you able to stave off elimination in those weeks when you could have been sent home early?
This issue really gets my goat. I would read comments like “the girls are so lazy, they need to work harder” or “they should be sent home, because they aren’t losing enough.” No matter what they say, the contestants read those message boards. And that perception simply is just not true. Just because you don’t lose massive amounts of weight doesn’t mean you don’t work hard.
Percentage is everything. Five pounds in a week for a 180-pound girl is a lot different then five pounds on a 350-pound male. I mean come on people! Do you really think that Jillian Michaels would let someone just sit around and twiddle their thumbs on the show? She would beat the living snot out of them if they did that!
Everyone on the show worked hard. Working out 4 to 6 hours a day is no joke. I do think the show could go more into detail about this subject because everyone gets so excited when someone loses double digits, but no one really rejoices when you see someone drop six pounds which percentage wise could equal the same thing.
As far as staving off elimination and not being sent home early, I did it two ways. My strategy from the beginning of the game was to simply make friends and work hard. Fortunately it worked well for me. I was blessed to have made life long friends and to top it off. It was a perfect combination of strategy and hard work that enabled me to stay until the end of the game. I couldn’t have made it without both.
3. Your motivation to be on "The Biggest Loser" as a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom was not necessarily to look good (although that certainly doesn't hurt!), but for the sake of your health. I tell people all the time that they need to pay attention to the way they eat and exercise first and the weight loss will naturally come from that.
It was a great moment at the beginning of the season when you shared so openly about the struggles you had getting pregnant because of your weight and I'm sure that touched the hearts of millions of moms just like you who totally understood the pain that you were expressing. Have you been back to see a reproductive endocrinologist about your chances of having another baby now that the weight is gone?
My wife and I have been trying to have our first child to start a family of our own and know the pain that comes from being unable to conceive naturally. We are now considering adoption as a possible option, so tell us a little about the experience you had over the past few months when you were able to adopt a baby.
I could go on and on about our adoption experience because it was truly a miracle the way it happened. I really believe that when giving a child up for adoption, that it’s the greatest gift anyone could ever give. It is an act of total selflessness and the greatest example of sacrificial love we see in today.
We haven’t ruled out the option of possibly trying to have a biological child eventually. But I do believe that the baby we adopted was absolutely meant to be ours! His birth mother carried him for us, but God intended for us to be his parents. At her request, I got to spend a good amount of time with her and we got to share our hearts with each other. She is a wonderful woman and I can never thank her enough for the precious gift she gave.
We named the baby Jaxon, which means “God has been gracious.” There’s just no doubt that he was meant to be ours. From the day we submitted our family profile and met with the social worker until the day we brought him home was only twelve days. Now THAT’S a miracle. And so is he. He brings us so much joy--I can’t even describe it.
Actually, the adoption was what I was referring to earlier when I said me winning the Biggest Loser wasn’t meant to be. Because had I been traveling and doing the same things that Bill ended up doing, I might not have been in the right place at the right time for Jaxon to become ours. I canceled some appearances and rescheduled some things. But I do not regret that one bit.
4. You declare on your web site at JulieHadden.com that "Jillian Michaels changed my life forever." As the leader of The Black Team, she whipped you guys into shape and delivered four of you--Isabeau, Hollie, Bill, and you--into the final four contestants as well as the $100,000 at-home winner Jim.
All of your fellow teammates who I have interviewed have nothing but very high praise for Jillian Michaels. The woman is incredibly inspiring and seems to know all the right buttons to push to bring out the best in the people she trains. What sets her apart from Bob Harper, Kim Lyons, or any other trainer out there? Why do you think she is the best at what she does?
I do love Jillian. And we continue to keep in touch to this day and I hope we will forever. I don’t think anyone who knows Jillian could be critical of her when they truly know her motives and intentions. I think the difference between Jillian and other trainers is that most trainers think you need to start from the inside out, but Jillian thinks from the outside in.
In my case, once she had taught me that I was strong and capable physically--it changed the inside problem--that brought me there in the first place. I have said that my “transformation” was a total transformation: body, mind and spirit. They are all interconnected. And I just think Jillian’s approach is incredible. All my life I thought I was weak. She helped me prove I was strong! And then once I believed that, then I could work on the inside changes that needed to take place. I think her perspective is unique and it’s what makes her the best.
Another thing I was shocked by is how much she truly cares about her team. These are real relationships she builds--it’s not just for good TV. I don’t know if people realized that Jillian struggled with weight issues herself so she “gets it.” I think the reason that she, in particular, is so amazing is that she never treated us as what we were, but rather what we could be. She didn’t see the Julie that I was but she saw the Julie that I could become (and would become) and helped me get there.
5. I just LOVED reading your blow-by-blow account of what was happening on the show at your entertaining blog. My favorite quote was when you responded to Neil from The Blue Team the week that he challenged the remaining contestants to "come and get me" in the elimination room. Here's what you wrote in your 7/24 entry: "Really Neil….Really????? And when I get you then what? I tell you what, when I do get you, I am gonna steal your money and take it all the way to the bank. I would however think about giving you a job.. As my driver, of my SUV that is, Mr. I never won a challenge!!!!"
Ooooo, Julie, feisty girl! Did you feel Neil's manipulation of the game during that week he gained 19 pounds tarnished the integrity of the competition and set a bad precedent for future contestants to try to alter the natural results of the game? Do you think the allure of big prize money has jaded what should be a fun-loving game about getting healthy for life?
I don’t know that I would put all of that on Neil’s shoulders. However, I do believe (and I say this from experience) that everybody starts the game wanting to change their lives. We were all desperate to reclaim our health and to gain control. By the end of the show, you’ve accomplished the health benefits and the prize money does begin to speak more loudly.
I don’t think Neil “tarnished” the integrity of the show. People still LOVE The Biggest Loser and I do believe it’s the only reality show on the air today that has truly pure motives to help people change their lives. But let’s not forget--it’s still a game.
I think the reason the prize money isn’t bigger (like so many shows that offer a million dollar prize) is that people really would do drastic, unsafe things for a chance at a million dollars. The show is still about all the right things.
I was so frustrated by the whole Neil situation because he really did outsmart us. I didn’t think anybody would really do something like that. Neil is a good guy and I love him as a person. But he’s also a chemical engineer so he’s brilliant! Ironically, Neil pulling that little stunt was the kiss of death for him because it made The Black Team more determined to finish strong. In other words, there were no tears when we voted him out. But I don’t think had he not shown us what he was capable of that we would have persevered in the same way to the finish line.
6. Another health subject near and dear to your heart is polycystic ovarian syndrome, aka PCOS. I've highlighted this condition at my blog and studies that have found consuming a lower-carb diet shows tremendous benefits. Since PCOS is a disease of insulin resistance, it's only natural that a diet lower in carbohydrate would be necessary to help bring it under control. Since high-carb diets cause blood sugar levels to go up and creates higher levels of insulin release, the PCOS gets worse under such a diet. Have you implemented a reduced-carb approach to treating your PCOS and how has it worked for you? What other strategies have you implemented to improve your PCOS condition?
I couldn’t believe after disclosing that I have PCOS in a quick little statement on the show how many woman have contacted me suffering from the same condition.
It’s a vicious cycle, because PCOS makes it so much easier to gain weight and so much harder to lose it. And yet every doctor I ever talked to said that losing the weight would improve my condition. It was so frustrating! The best solution I have found to combating my PCOS is living a healthy, balanced life which includes eating right and exercising.
My body reacts extremely poorly to carbs in general. And a low-carb diet is essentially important when dealing with this condition. But you do need some carbohydrates in your diet. So I deal with that by eating only holistic carbs; i.e. things that come from the ground such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, etc. In other words nothing processed or enriched (that term is such an oxymoron).
There are other ways to fight the symptoms of PCOS depending on what they are. But I’ll leave that to a health care professional to advise on. Since my Biggest Loser experience, my symptoms are much, much better. But they are still with me to some degree.
7. Let's turn to the subject of exercise. Jillian worked your butt off in the gym for hours a day and it got you where you are today. I've had people criticize "The Biggest Loser" because they say it is impossible and even unreasonable for people to invest hours upon hours a day to working out when you have a job, kids, and a family to take care of. How are you able to fit in a 90-minute workout five days a week and get everything done for your household? If someone who is overweight or obese can't invest hours a day to exercising, then what can that person do in terms of exercise that will make a genuine difference in their weight and health?
Well, let me be perfectly honest with you now. Since the baby has arrived, I am not able to spend 90-minutes a day exercising, five days a week. I have stated that before and I was able to do that right after the Finale. But being a mommy to a newborn does change that. And I don’t want to send an unrealistic message out there to any women. (I do still exercise several times a week. But not like I did. I run a lot and I got a baby jogger so I can exercise with the baby. I think it’s just important to keep moving and not give up and got back to bad habits.)
I also know that it’s human nature to put off the difficult tasks. I did for years and years. So my best advice to anyone is to start today. Take it slow, but get started. The only way you’ll see a difference is to move more and eat less. Don’t look at the big picture all at once; take it one day at a time. Set small, achievable goals at first and then celebrate them when you get there. But the most important thing you’ve GOT to do is believe you are worth the effort. Because you are!
I want to be genuine in what I say, because I know that a lot of people could look at all of us from The Biggest Loser and say “Yeah anybody could do it with those resources.” But it really is all about what lies inside of you. It may take someone longer but anything worth having is worth working for. And there is so much truth to that saying, “Nothing TASTES as good as being healthy FEELS!”
8. Julie, as a fellow believer in Jesus Christ, I was pleased to see you so willing to share about your faith on your JulieHadden.com web site. One of your favorite Christian music artists is Babbie Mason and I used to play her songs on the radio when I was a DJ for a station in Virginia Beach, VA in the 1990s (I've never forgotten "Each One Reach One" and "Standing In The Gap" with Helen Baylor and Cindy Morgan) and have met her at her worship concerts.
People don't believe me when I tell them it wasn't because of any strength or willpower of my own that I was able to lose weight. God was there all along the way giving me the strength I needed to lose that 180 pounds in 2004. Tell us what role God played in your weight loss success on "The Biggest Loser."
Well, first of all I believe that me being selected for The Biggest Loser in the first place was nothing less that “a God Thing.” I was so scared and I had no confidence in myself at the beginning of the process. But I stepped out on faith and stepped into the center of God’s will for my life. And that’s the best place to be.
The revolution for me was when I realized that God didn’t see me the way I saw myself. All my life I thought He was disappointed in me because I was fat. Instead of honoring God with my body, I felt like I was slapping Him in the face by my neglect of it. But through this process I realized that God loves me more than I can ever imagine. Fat or thin, He sees the Julie He created me to be. He sees “the real me.”
So I have to say that God played a huge role in my weight loss success. First by giving me the opportunity to be on the show to begin with. And then by giving me the strength to endure Jillian's “beatings, beatings, beatings.” It was also very difficult to be away from my family and friends for four months. The first couple of months there was no communication at all. My husband didn’t even know where I was. So I had to depend on God in a very real way.
Now looking back on where I was and where I have come, I really believe that having a clean body and a clean lifestyle is a way to honor God and I thank Him for all He’s done for me.
9. I haven't really asked any of the other contestants about the new "Biggest Loser" host Alison Sweeney in my previous interviews yet, but I think she adds so much more to the show since she struggled with her weight in a very public way as a teenager on a popular daytime soap opera and then overcame it. Her credibility for hosting a show like this along with a sincere love and concern for the contestants makes her the ideal person for the job. Talk about Ali from your perspective and share any memories of being around her during your stint on "The Biggest Loser."
I’ll have to admit that having been a big fan of “Days of Our Lives” I was a little starstruck when I met Allison Sweeney for the first time. But she was wonderful and so down-to-earth. She didn’t treat us like contestants, but instead like real people. When she came to see us she was just there to "hang out.”
It does mean a lot that Ali struggled with her weight at one time because it made her more than just a TV star. She was attainable, touchable. And because she’s struggled with her weight, she admits it’s a battle for her everyday like it was for us. We needed to know that.
Some of my fondest memories were the times she’d bring her husband and her son to see us and they’d even work out with us. I also think that Ali sets a great example for women in that she is very clear about her priorities in regard to balancing her family and career. She proves that women can have it all.
When my husband Mike came out to Los Angeles for the “Makeover Episode” he was so impressed because when Ali met him she called him by name and asked how our son Noah was by name. She’s an incredibly genuine person and it was a privilege to work with her while we were on the show and to call her my friend now.
10. What an incredible inspiration you are to so many of us who watched you change right before our very eyes, Julie! I cannot tell you how proud I am of you and all of your fellow Season 4 contestants for not just losing the weight, but now serving as an example for others to follow in your footsteps and do it, too. Make us proud for many years to come and keep doing what got you to the remarkable life you are living today. Would you like to share any final thoughts to encourage and inspire my readers today?
I am humbled when you say I serve as an example to others. It’s bizarre to me to think that only a little over a year ago I was totally out of control and desperately looking for a way to change my life. And I am amazed that I still continue to get messages everyday from people through my web site and through my MySpace page saying that they relate so much to me and are inspired by my story. I think the thing that made me appealing on the show is that I am nothing special. It sounds cliché but I mean it when I say if I can do it, anyone can.
If I could leave a legacy, then it wouldn’t be my weight loss while I was on the “The Biggest Loser”--it would be proving that it’s a lifelong change. It’s not the success you have while you are a part of a television show--it’s maintaining that success when “Reality TV” just becomes “Reality.” When you see me in ten years for a “Where Are They Now Reunion” I hope I can still promote the same “pride” you speak of now.
I guess the last thought I’ll leave for your readers today relates to my “slogan T-shirt” from the show. We all had to pick a phrase or a motto that best described WHY we were there. I selected “To finish what I’ve started, for once.” I've had so many people tell me they could relate to that slogan. But you know what? I have realized that I will never "finish what I've started." This will be an ongoing journey for me for the rest of my life.
So my new slogan is "To continue what I've started...forever."
I want to thank you again for letting me be a part of this process. It’s been fun thinking back on the past year and remembering so many special things about the experience. Thanks for all you do, Jimmy. Take care.
Be sure to visit JulieHadden.com and you can contact Julie Hadden to share your feedback for her about her amazing weight loss accomplishments. THANK YOU for inspiring us anew today, Julie! And congratulations on being a new mommy. :)
Don't forget to check out all my Biggest Loser links, including exclusive interviews with past contestants, featured critical commentary, and frequent news and updates about your favorite weight loss reality show.
Only two weeks removed from the confetti falling on Season 4 of the hit NBC television weight loss reality series "The Biggest Loser" where Bill Germanakos was declared the big winner, the show is coming back in a two-hour season premier tonight with Alison Sweeney, Bob Harper, and Jillian Michaels again ready to help another group of contestants just in time for New Year's resolutions. You'll watch them invest lots of blood, sweat, and tears for their chance to change their lives forever as they pursue that $250,000 prize and a healthier life! And this time America will join the contestants on this journey to shed the pounds and get healthy, too.
MSN Health & Fitness and "The Biggest Loser" are teaming up beginning today for what's being called "The Biggest Loser" Million Pound Match-Up. Starting January 1, 2008 and running through March 11, 2008, a public challenge has been put out to people who live all across the United States to cumulatively lose 1,000,000 pounds! You'll be paired up with a buddy, get updates on your fitness goals, receive messages from the trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, and become eligible for some really cool daily prizes.
This challenge is FREE and will allow anyone who uses Windows Live Spaces to document their weight loss, hook up with fellow contestants who are participating in your area to support each other in your journey, and have a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles, California for the grand finale of "The Biggest Loser Couples" in a few months! Additionally, the winning team will receive a luxury fitness trip for two as well as their very own personal trainer for one year. WHOA!
So don't just watch this new season of "The Biggest Loser" featuring couples wanting to shed the pounds--do it yourself too and the payoff will be so worth it! Don't forget to sign up at the official "Biggest Loser" Million Pound Match-Up web site for all the details. And if you live in or around the cities of Chicago, Houston, Miami, Wichita, Kansas, and Mesa, Arizona, then be looking for representatives from this challenge raising awareness about what they are doing to tackle obesity!
So who are these couples vying to compete against each other in the new and exciting season of "The Biggest Loser?" Let's meet them now:
PINK TEAM: BETTE SUE and ALI
Bette Sue joins her daughter Ali both from Mesa, Arizona to see if they can collective shed the pounds and get back into shape again. Ali was an world championship swimmer as a teenager representing the USA in competition, but she now hopes "to wear sleeveless shirts" again. Likewise, mom Bette Sue wants to let that big personality of hers be the only thing large about her as she pursues having "only one chin."
BROWN TEAM: CURTIS and MALLORY
Husband-wife team Curtis and Mallory from Los Angeles have three daughters and they both want to live long enough to see them grow up. Curtis lost his father to heart disease when he was only 52 years old, so he knows the pain that obesity can cause. He's been fat his entire life. Mallory picked up some of Curtis' bad fast food eating habits and is now ready to get back to living healthy again.
YELLOW TEAM: PAUL and KELLY
A Florida native and 43 years old, Paul is trying to break a trend in his family--his father died at 47, his grandfather at 49, and his great-grandfather at 51. Not wanting to face that inevitable fate is his major motivation for being on the show. He's teaming up with--GET THIS!--his EX-wife Kelly who is a nurse desperately wanting children. Could their experience together on "The Biggest Loser" rekindle the flames of love?
BLACK TEAM: JAY and MARK
Brothers Jay and Mark from New Bedford, Massachusetts will be ones to watch this season. Both are in their 30s and have a whole lotta weight to lose. But Jay already admits he HATES exercise (hoo boy, don't let Jillian or Bob hear him say that!) so this might be an uphill battle. Even still, The Big Boned Brothers as they like to be called might have enough to be this season's "Biggest Loser" champions.
GREEN TEAM: LYNN and JENNIFER
The father-daughter team of Lynn and Jenni from Ohio will be a fun one to watch. Like Jerry from Season 4, Lynn is 62 years old and ready to do this with his 31-year old daughter.
Father and daughter Lynn and Jenni will make up this season's green team. Lynn is the oldest competitor on the show this season, at 62 years old. He spends so much time taking care of others that he has forgotten about himself. His 31 year old daughter, Jenni, is hoping that this experience will ultimately define who she is. A former college wrestling champion, Lynn hopes to get back into shape for the twilight of his life. Meanwhile, Jenni hopes to fight her depression by melting the fat.
GRAY TEAM: ROGER and TRENT
A strong brotherhood is formed when you become college football teammates and that's exactly what happened to Roger and Trent. But that was nearly two decades ago and time has certainly packed on the pounds. These former athletes are ready to hit the weights again to get their weight and health back in order. I wouldn't count these guys out when it comes down to the final players this season.
PURPLE TEAM: MAGGIE and JENN
How'd you like to be a young 20-something weight loss camp counselor in New Jersey and suffer from obesity yourself? Well, that's precisely what both Maggie and Jenn are which is why they hope "The Biggest Loser" can whip them into shape so they can serve as an example for the people they talk to. Overcoming their emotional eating habits so they can attract boyfriends is a major motivating factor for them.
ORANGE TEAM: DAN and JACKIE
This Frankfort, Illinois mother-son duo Jackie and Dan expect this experience on "The Biggest Loser" be a family affair that they can take back into their regular lives later on. Helping needy kids through her non-profit organization, Jackie knows she has to change her lifestyle to continue the great work she is doing. As for Dan, he's an aspiring country/rock singer who could possibly get his big break if he loses the weight.
WHITE TEAM: NEILL and AMANDA
The husband-wife team of Neill and Amanda from Oklahoma City will test their marriage like nothing else they've ever done to become the mother and father for their 2-year old son they need to be. In fact, Amanda says her motivation for being on the show is "to get thin before my son realizes I was fat."
BLUE TEAM: BERNIE and BRITTANY
How'd you like to be teamed up with a complete stranger for the first-ever "Biggest Loser Couples" season? That's what they did with Bernie and Brittany. Bernie is a 27-year old teacher from Chicago who is scared of dying young. Brittany is the 22-year old "pretty girl" who now wants to become "steamy hot" (she reminds me of Hollie from Season 4).
There they are! Your contestants appearing on "The Biggest Loser Couples" are ready for you to get to know them a little better over the next few months. I'm sure this will be an exciting season to watch and I wouldn't be surprised if the producers of the show have a few tricks and twists to share along the way to make this well worth watching every single week. I know I will be! Will THIS be the season we finally see a woman crowned "The Biggest Loser?" We shall see!
By the way, I have been working very hard behind-the-scenes to put together a series of interviews with at least 10 of your favorite contestants from "The Biggest Loser" Season 4, including the big winner Bill as well as his brother Jim who won the at-home consolation prize of $100,000. I'm still working on sending questions to them, but I hope to begin running those interviews beginning very soon. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out all my "Biggest Loser" posts if you are a fan of the show! Don't miss a single episode if you want to see real people changing their lives forever. :)
Here are "The Biggest Loser" contestants for Season 4 in 2007!
If you are as much of a fan of the hit NBC weight loss reality show "The Biggest Loser" as I am, then you are no doubt excited about the return of the brand new season ready to hit on Tuesday nights this Fall!
As I've previously blogged about, Season Four has several pleasant surprises in store, including the debut of new host Alison Sweeney, the return of trainer Jillian Michaels after a one-year absence (who will be training an all-new Black team of contestants while Bob Harper and Kim Lyons train the Blue and Red teams respectively), and 18 absolutely incredible new contestants who will seek to become the next "Biggest Loser" champion. WOO HOO!
Before I introduce you to the Season Four "Biggest Loser" contestants, first I want to let you know NBC took my suggestion and will be featuring a special one-hour update on the past contestants on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 as a prelude to the new season called "The Biggest Loser: Did They Keep The Weight Off?" Be sure to tune in to see how YOUR favorite past contestants are doing to KEEP the weight off they lost on the show. One of the contestants who will be featured has already agreed to an interview at my blog, so stay tuned for that coming soon! :)
Wouldn't you like to know how those Season One, Season Two, and Season Three contestants are doing NOW that they've been off the show a while? I sure do because I KNOW how hard it is to be in weight maintenance mode after losing a large amount of weight. If they are still imploring the secret behind "The Biggest Loser" success, then there's no doubt the weight is staying off!
Okay, enough about the past, let's meet the present contestants in 2007. Here's an inspiring and motivating introductory video about the new season and the contestants who we'll be getting to know more about in the coming months as they take this weight loss journey:
WOW, I can't wait for Season Four to begin after seeing that! Now that I've teased you long enough, are you ready to meet these 18 brave men and women who are willing to put themselves out there on national television in all their obese glory for a chance not just to win a big pile of money, but to quite literally change their lives forever? If so, then your wait is now over.
Here they are starting with the guys:
RYAN RODRIGUEZ Age: 29 Hometown: Jackson Heights, New York
Ryan is married and just became a dad for the first time. He has a stressful occupation as a corporate litigations attorney and is looking to overcome the eating large patterns he learned from his childhood days living in the culture of Puerto Rico. He is committed to beating this one area of his life where success has eluded him.
PHIL HAWK Age: 27 Hometown: Powell, Ohio
Phil wants to be a fireman, but his weight has literally held him back. He's dedicated now more than ever to shed the pounds so he can reach this goal he has for himself. As a devoted husband and father, he has the support to make it happen!
NEIL TEJWANI Age: 25 Hometown: Marblehead, Massachusetts
Neil is as intelligent as anyone you'll ever meet as a chemical engineer. Articulate, street smart, and the "guy next door," he hopes to use those qualities to overcome his struggle with obesity his entire life.
JEZ LUCKETT Age: 24 Hometown: Garden, Kansas
Jez is one of those people you can't help but love because he has dedicated his life to helping mentally challenged and handicapped children overcome their illnesses. His dream is to open a daycare center to provide a friendly and inviting environment for underprivileged families. Winning "The Biggest Loser" would help with that, but he also desires to beat all odds by defeating a family history of weight problems.
JERRY LISENBY Age: 62 Hometown: Peoria, Illinois
Jerry makes television history in Season 4 as the oldest contestant ever to appear on "The Biggest Loser"--more than TWICE the age of most of the other contestants! He realizes the impact of being a senior citizen on the show because obesity runs rampant with health consequences for this age group. Even still, he wants to return to the active lifestyle of his past as a bodybuilder and boxer. He's been married to his wife longer than most of his fellow contestants have been alive (over 40 years and counting!) and has been active in the Peace Corps helping the impoverished and needy. He hopes to lick this weight issue for good!
DAVID GRIFFIN Age: 31 Hometown: Cedar Hill, Tennessee
David is the father of four beautiful children and desperately wants to be an active part of their lives as they grown older. He's a rancher who is willing to put in the hard work necessary to melt the fat and get into shape.
BRYAN WASHINGTON Age: 29 Hometown: Riverdale, Georgia
Bryan is a gifted musician who uses that talent to teach kids in his local public high school about appreciating music in their own life. Now he hopes to set the example for them regarding diet and health so they can learn that anytime is possible! He hopes to have the chance to become a professional artist someday and "The Biggest Loser" could start him down that path.
JIM GERMANAKOS Age: 40 Hometown: Long Island, New York
Jim is one-half of the first-ever set of twins on "The Biggest Loser." Along with his brother Bill, he has struggled with his weight since childhood. Married with kids, he is both a police officer and a volunteer firefighter. As a fan of Frank Sinatra, he's "High Hopes" that "The Best Is Yet To Come."
BILL GERMANAKOS Age: 40 Hometown:
Bill is the other half of the first-ever set of twins on "The Biggest Loser." Like his brother Jim, he is married and raising three kids as well. Employed in the image-conscious medical sales field, he realizes the time is now to lose the weight.
And here are the ladies:
AMBER WALKER Age: 30 Hometown: Houston, Texas
Amber is the kind of paramedic you hope to have if you need her because she's got that little something extra to calm you in the midst of your calamity. But she has trouble with her job sometimes because of the extra weight she's carrying around and is hoping "The Biggest Loser" will help her continue to help others in need. Plus, she's hoping Mr. Right will be attracted to her once she loses the weight so she can fulfill her desire to have a family.
AMY ZIMMER Age: 28 Hometown: Rochester, New York
Amy is happily married and the mother of two gorgeous kids. But she wants to prove to her family and herself that she can beat her obesity and become everything she has ever wanted. By doing so, both her kids as well as those little first-graders she teaches can see the power of a changed life in action.
HOLLIE SELF Age: 28 Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Hollie is another teacher in this season of "The Biggest Loser" who is also the cheerleading coach at her high school. She absolutely LOVES helping the cheerleaders perform their acrobatic stunts, but is ashamed of her own weight and health in front of these impressionable young people. She wants to be able to teach her kids the positive impact of exercise so they can be the best cheerleaders possible.
ISABEAU MILLER Age: 21 Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee
Isabeau is another talented musician this season who is hoping her work and exposure on "The Biggest Loser" will give her just the boost she needs to set her career into motion. Obesity has stood in the way long enough and now it's time for this star to shine for all the world to see!
JULIE HADDEN Age: 34 Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Julie has a natural beauty that has enabled her to enter pageants in the past, but she is positive her weight has been a hindrance in those competitions. As a wife and mother, she is hoping to bring another child into this world, but first wants to get her weight and health in order.
KAE WHANG Age: 27 Hometown: Clark, New Jersey
Kae knows the negative impact of being too heavy--she was honorably discharged from the armed forces because of it. Although she has found the love of her life and married him, she is hoping to take the same kind of perseverance she used in boot camp to kick this weight off for good. Her goal is to visit her grandmother in Korea with her new slim and trim body.
Lezlye has already gone through more heartache and pain than most of us will ever experience as a survivor of the tragic Hurricane Katrina disaster from 2005. She returned to the New Orleans area this year with her son and is hoping to restart her life again there as a representatives for a major pharmaceutical company. She says the time is now to slay this obesity monster once and for all.
Nicole knows how to have a good time and soaks in every moment of life she's been given. Her desire is to lose the weight so she can enjoy the good times that much more with all the spontaneity and zeal she possesses. She's employed as a receptionist, but is hoping to break into radio broadcasting in the future.
PATTY GONZALEZ Age: 34 Hometown: San Diego, California
Patty is in a prestigious position at a credit union serving as senior loan officer. She's quite competitive as you can imagine and wants to show her husband and three kids she has what it takes to take on her biggest challenge yet--losing weight! She suffers from a rare medical condition called N.A.S.H., a non-alcohol version of cirrhosis, and weight loss is the only way she will be able to save her liver from destruction.
Be sure to tune in on Tuesday nights at 8:00EST beginning September 4, 2007. Access all of my previous blog posts about "The Biggest Loser" by clicking here.
Season Four of "The Biggest Loser" begins September 11, 2007
Get ready America because your favorite weight loss reality show is coming back for its exciting fourth season. The hit NBC television series "The Biggest Loser" returns for a special two-hour season premier on September 11, 2007 with lots of new changes sure to satisfy existing fans while bringing in many new ones.
With the departure of Caroline Rhea as host of the show, the producers of "The Biggest Loser" have brought in a fresh new face with beautiful and talented soap opera star Alison Sweeney taking over for Rhea. The "Days Of Our Lives" star has battled her own obesity demons and is a perfect fit for the show.
Sweeney was excited about the opportunity to be a part of "The Biggest Loser" for the first time this summer, but she had no idea just how much the contestants would become like family to her through this new journey in their lives.
"I didn't realize how involved I would become in all of their lives," Sweeney stated. "People ask me all the time if I had a favorite. I couldn't root for any one person, because I cared about them all so much. To see them struggling with it and what they are accomplishing by doing it, it touches you so deeply. I never realized how emotionally connected to these people I would become."
It's a connection that millions of television viewers make which is why the show has become such a runaway hit not just in the United States, but around the world including Australia. There's something about the weight loss experience that has potential new weight loss shows popping up to mimic "The Biggest Loser."
Another change that's coming to the new season of "The Biggest Loser" that I'm sure is a welcomed one by viewers is the number of contestants. After featuring 50 contestants from each state in Season Three, they decided to revert back to the original format featuring 18 contestants who are ready to shed the pounds for good in a competition to win $250,000.
This was a smart move on the part of the producers of "The Biggest Loser." One of the reasons I wasn't very thrilled with last season was it was hard to connect with the contestants since there were 50 of them starting off. The allure of the show is in connecting with the small handful of contestants right away and cheering them on along the way. You had a hard time doing that in Season Three.
It was an interesting experiment that didn't work as well as expected. The idea was to have all of America rooting for their state's representative in the competition. It made logical sense on paper, but the execution of the concept was lacking. I'm personally happy they've returned to what worked in the first two seasons.
Something else I'm ecstatic about is the return of popular trainer Jillian Michaels. Last season, everyone wanted to know "where is Jillian Michaels?" She decided to take some time away to start up her own online weight loss business to continue helping people lose weight and get healthy like she did with "The Biggest Loser" contestants on television.
With the immediate success of that new venture, Jillian decided the time was right to rejoin fellow trainer Bob Harper for Season Two of "The Biggest Loser Australia" earlier this year which actually served as a precursor for her return to the U.S. version of the show coming this Fall. Everyone involved with the show is stoked about her return and believe it will bring back many of the fans who missed her presence on the show in Season Three.
Here's what Jillian herself had to say about her triumphant return.
"YES — it's true! I am returning to NBC's The Biggest Loser this summer. It's been a long time in the works. I gotta tell you — I'm super excited. My team is FABulous, and I know you will adore them just as much as I do. They are working their asses off...literally!"
Now THAT is the Jillian Michaels we all know and love! :)
One of the features you will notice on this season of "The Biggest Loser" is a quick update on some of the past contestants with their progress since leaving the show. It's one thing to lose a whole lot of weight in a short amount of time for a chance to win a bundle of money. It's another thing altogether to KEEP that weight off for good.
I have already secured at least one blog interview with a very popular former contestant on "The Biggest Loser" which I will be publishing here very soon and I'm working on doing many more throughout the season. If you have a favorite contestant you would like for me to contact about an interview, then please e-mail me your suggestion at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I'll do my best to see if they are available for either a blog or podcast interview.
You can see some of the updates I have written on the contestants from Season One and Season Two as well as Season Three winner Erik Chopin. Don't miss my full list of "The Biggest Loser" links for even more blog posts I have written about this remarkable show! And stay tuned for an introduction to the 18 new contestants featured in Season Four of "The Biggest Loser." Coming soon! :)
Caroline Rhea out, Alison Sweeney in as host of "The Biggest Loser"
After three seasons on the most popular weight loss television show in history, the original host has said she's had enough and wants "to pursue other interests."
Caroline Rhea, who has been the one and only host of NBC's hit reality show "The Biggest Loser" for the past three seasons, has decided to leave the show and continue her career elsewhere.
As a self-described BIG FAN of "The Biggest Loser," I've always wondered about the choice of Carolina Rhea as the host of that show. Why? Well, she ain't exactly skinny herself (that photo at the top of this post was from a few years back when she was thinner) and it seems like such a waste of talent for a comedian to play host of a show with a bunch of fat people on it. I kept waiting for Rhea to bust out with a crude joke at some point, but she was always so stoic (although the "it's time to cut the fat" line she used in the elimination room always made me cringe when I heard it).
But, she's leaving now and may feel the best days of "The Biggest Loser" have already passed. I'm not so sure about that, but she wanted to do other things. I don't think losing her is going to harm the show at all.
What about the replacement for Rhea as host of "The Biggest Loser?" Who's it gonna be? According to this St. Louis Today column, the answer to that question is daytime soap opera star Alison Sweeney. This 30-year old beauty has played Sami Brady on "Days Of Our Lives" since 1993 winning several Soap Opera Digest awards including best supporting actress in 2005. She has also appeared on such NBC prime time show as "Friends," "Las Vegas" and "Fear Factor."
"The Biggest Loser" executive producer Ben Silverman describes Sweeney as "an incredible talent" who he hopes will bring her "huge, loyal fan base" to the show.
Although she doesn't have a weight problem now, Sweeney revealed in her 2004 autobiographical book entitled All The Days Of My Life (So Far) that she has struggled with her weight.
I'm always suspicious of these Hollywood types that claim they understand a weight problem when they've never been more than 10 or 20 pounds overweight their entire life. But I sincerely hope Sweeney does understand the plight of carrying around extra weight and the physical as well as the emotional scars that come with it.
The contestants on "The Biggest Loser" could stand to feel a little empathy from the host of this show. I think Sweeney can bring that where Rhea fell short. However, I do see a challenge that Sweeney will need to somehow put to rest like Jillian Michaels and Kim Lyons have been able to master.
Because she is so beautiful, the guys may feel embarrassed to show their "man boobs" in front of this hottie while the women could be intimidated by her. Again, if she can parlay her history of dealing with being overweight and relax the contestants, then she could be a more effective host than Rhea was with an actual contribution to make.
Brand new episodes of "The Biggest Loser" Season 4 are coming up in a couple of months and are expected to air on NBC in the Fall. Sweeney will continue her role as Sami on "Days Of Our Lives" in addition to her new role as host of "The Biggest Loser."
One more suggestion for NBC: UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE on the past contestants. As the years pass by, people want to know if they have been able to keep the weight off for good. Even if it's just a quick blurb at the end of each show, I think we'd love to know how Ryan Benson, Big Mo, Matt & Suzy, and all the rest are doing in 2007. It's one thing to lose weight on national television for a pile of cash. But it's another to actually keep it off forever. How about it, NBC?!
that she has struggled with her weight.
