This is the place to discuss weight issues as they pertain to the show. For example, if someone says she's 120 pounds heavier since having two babies, and you think that's not possible, discuss that here. Feel free to add your own input and experiences, but it shouldn't become a thread that's JUST about posters' weight experiences.

In other words, like every other place on this site (save the Meet Markets), it should relate to the show.

Hi all, new to the this thread, but not the show. I have seen every episode of BL and I think this season will be the best. I am stoked that Jillian is back. Can't stand Kim, love Bob.

I was once close to 300lbs myself. 5 years ago I had had enough and decided to finally stick to it and lose weight. I was 32 and miserable. I am married to a wonderful man that was my total support. Never once did he ever tell me I needed to lose weight. He was not(and never has been)heavy. I couldn't have done it without him. My motivation was going on a trip to Vegas where we would be doing a ton of walking. We had been going there for 6 years(anniversary)and the year before I was miserable walking. He was all excited because we could go again that summer. My heart sank and I told him I couldn't go unless I lost weight because of the pain a year before.

That night he took me to Sears to pick out my choice of exercise equipment. I chose the elliptical. I threw away every ounce of junk food in the house(which I was the primary eater of). I refused to use pills, have surgery, or go on Atkins or any other type of "diet". I didn't want to give up my favorite foods. If I want noodles damnit, I was going to have them! Junk food wasn't one of those types of food I had to have, so not eating that was fine with me and I didn't die not having it and after I lost a certain amount of wait, I did treat myself once in awhile to that junk food.

My "diet" was cutting back and exercise. I wasn't sure about weights, but my husband had bought a home weight gym for him and I took interest and he helped me. I am forever grateful for that because I would have had a ton of sagging skin. I started with 20 minutes a day on the elliptical. I thought I was going to die. Gradually it got easier and I was up to 40 minutes a day. It was about 2 months before I started doing the weights. Even though hubby didn't need to lose weight, he exercised with me and cut back as well.

As far as food, the biggest thing I did was not eat after dinner. Which I have now learned isn't that crucial. If it's calories that you haven't consumed during the day, it's fine to have a "snack" at night. We usually have popcorn. This isn't every night either. My calorie intake during the day now is much less then it was when I started to lose weight. I didn't eat out for dinner for the first 6 months. I worked very hard. When I noticed my clothes were getting big that was all I needed to keep going. I also kept a chart with upcoming events on it to motivate me as well.

Jumping ahead to our trip to Vegas, I had lost 17lbs at that time. I was extremely nervous to go. I wasn't sure about eating and not having my elliptical made me a little crazy. Well it turned out that I ended up losing weight while there with all the walking. I had shorts that I couldn't take with because they were too small and when I got back, they were too big. It went way better then I thought. I had noticed while there and walking so much that my thighs weren't rubbing together anymore. That was huge for me. I was so happy.

So not to ramble, I basically had to learn how to eat right. I didn't need 5 pieces of pizza, a half a bag of chips, and 4 cookies for dinner. I can eat pretty much anything I want within reason. I'm not about to go buy a bunch of pastries and gallons of ice cream(my weakness). I can stare at the stuff, but I have no need to buy it. To me that's just as good as eating it. Hubby and I will walk to DQ once in awhile and have a blizzard, but ice cream is rarely in my house. I don't miss those things and I found out even though I ate a ton of candy bars back in the day, I don't like chocolate...weird.

I'm happy to say that I have lost 150lbs. I maintained it quite well up until last winter. I gained 20lbs and although that might not seem like a lot to some, it killed me. I cried for days. My poor hubby, he didn't understand how I felt. I never ever want to be obese again and to gain that weight, I was scared I was going to. I didn't realize until around April that I had gained that weight. I had gained a few pounds when we would go on vacation, but always lost it right away. Never gained more then 5 pounds. I know we had ate out more because we were gone so much over the winter. I watch a 3 year old and I started taking walks with her every day. I told my husband how nice it was and he even got into it. He and I have walked every night(weather permitting)since July. I have lost the 20lbs and am so happy. I do a dvd 3 days a week for lunges and squats with weights and the walking and that's been plenty for me to keep off the weight. The only sagging I have is my upper thighs. I can't believe how that dvd has helped. My legs have never looked like this and soon they won't be sagging anymore.

To this day I have lost 120lbs. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I did it and stuck to it and am damn proud of myself. I was a size 30/32 when I started and now I am a 6/8. I don't think I was ever lower then a 10. I gave away 8 huge garbage bags of clothes to Goodwill. The one problem was that I did become obsessed with the lost weight and drove my hubby and myself crazy with it. I would get pissed just gaining a pound which would explain my hysterics with the 20 I gained. But about a month ago I just got a grip and totally fell in love with the way I feel and look. I'm still about 10 away from my goal weight, but if I don't get there, it's fine. I'm happy for the first time in a long time. The one thing that will always be, is that the obese girl I once was, will always be inside me somewhere.


I have said this to my husband many times about a show like this. Yes, it is the hardest. I would do this show in a heartbeat!

I have attached a before and after picture. The before picture is not my heaviest weight. That outfit didn't fit me at the time I started. That picture was about a year before. I can't find a picture of my whole self right before I started. The after picture is about 20 pounds more then what I weigh now and was 3 years ago.

Before and After

What an amazing story! Congratulations on your weight loss!! I "inherited" an elliptical from my sister who does the whole Callanetics thing now. I only work out twice a week. I'm at my set point weight and that's all I will commit to now. I LOVE the elliptical. Fun doing it while watching shows like this.

Thanks for sharing your story, wibadgers. Hearing about someone successfully losing weight in a sensible manner is more inspirational to me than the crazy stuff on TBL. Best of luck to you!

Thanks guys. I can understand where the contestants are coming from. If I was miserable after 20 minutes, I can't imagine how I would have done after a Jillian workout.

The thing with me is that I get bored doing the same thing over and over. I don't have the ellipitcal anymore. We did get another home gym and a really nice exercise bike. I used those for a good year. Unfortunetly, my back did not do well with those two. I used to be crazy about exercising and thinking I had to do it 7 days a week. When summer began, I decided I wasn't going to kill myself anymore. That's when I became happy with who I was. If I lost more weight, great, if not, I was fine with it. We really enjoy our walks. We change it up a couple times a week. We have 2 routes, a 30 minute and a 40 minute. We have a lot of restaurants in walking distance for us(usually 40 minutes to and 40 minutes back), so there isn't a lot of guilt about eating out. I don't guilt much about eating out because I learned at the beginning of this diet that leftovers are a wonderful thing. I rarely finish my meal.

It took 5 years to get to where I am, but finally being happy is all worth it...

DMW

I have been a person who has been skinny most of my life. Unless I was pregnant I never weighed more than 110 and I am small boned. Growing up my best friend was, for lack of a better word, fat. We used to be teased, you know, "fatty and skinny went to bed...."

Now, at 52 and having gone through and finished menopause, my metabolism has slowed considerably and as someone who could eat whatever I wanted, i found myself creeping up to my last weight at 140 - most of which ended up between my boobs and my knees. I found it difficult to bend and even get my legs close enough to clip my toenails with my extra tummy, I can't imagine what it's like for the people on BL. The show is inspiring to say the least and it shows that with diet and exercise a person can get themselves to a healthy weight. I find myself hoping that all of these people follow up their initial successes by keeping the weight off.


I found that by simply cutting my portions and walking more I was able to get down to, for me, a reasonable 120 lbs (and I do look and feel better too) and I can clean the cat box without gasping for air.

I know someone who has been successful by going to weight loss spas. One was in Hilton Head (can recall the name) and the other was Mountain Trek in British Columbia, where she was about a month ago and lost 20 lbs in two weeks.

On another note, I'm glad to see Jillian back on the show. She does seem to care about her charges. When she arrived on this first episode her smiles and hugs seemed truly genuine.

Wibadger....wow! You've just given me the inspiration to keep going in my weight loss efforts. Under the advice of my trainer, I'm supposed to do about 45 minutes of cardio every morning. I also do pilates twice a week. I'm starting to see a difference in my body but still have a long ways to go.

And to those who can't understand how you can gain so much weight.....sometimes you just get complacent...like I did. Then when I became determined to take it off...I realized I had put too much on and became insulin resistant. I was dieting to maintain! With the help of some medication and my personal trainer....it's finally coming off.

For some people (not all, but some), being fat is a symptom of a larger personality problem. Some of them were allowed to be whiners and give up alot as kids, and now they have no drive to succeed as adults. If you watch Honey, We're Killing the Kids, you can see where some of these people got their eating habits and personality traits. Again, not all of them by any means. But you can see that some of them aren't used to having to stick with something or push through pain or discomfort. Which is why other diets don't work, and why some people really do need Jillian to bully them into action. Isabeau in particular struck me as someone who is used to blaming everyone else for her problems. Her whining on the diary cam during the team selection was grating on my ears.

That is an amazing story and you are also giving me inspiration. So far I have lost 46.5 lbs and I have more to lose. (I am doing the 1st personal diet- for whatever reason, it is the only thing that has worked for me)

takinitoff, I never even thought I was that heavy even going and buying the big clothes. I didn't realize it until I had been dieting for 3 years and came across that picture I used for the before picture. My husband even said he can't believe that was me. He ended up losing 20 pounds himself.

Keep doing what your doing and those results will come sooner then you think! Keep up the good work!

PittsburghDiva, congrats on your weight loss as well! That's great! One can only do what works for them. The lady I work for has been on Atkins 3 times in the 3 years I've been watching her diet. As soon as she hits about the 20lb weight loss, she goes off it and gains that and then some back. Atkins would never work for me and like I said in my original post, I'm not giving up everything I like. Good Luck!

{snip}

Congratulations Wibadgers!

There is a book out called The Skinny: how to fit into your little black dress forever by Melissa Clark & Robin Aronson who actually advocates that approach in their book. She's a food critic who eats in restaurants almost ever day and Robin is the mother of twins. The book is light and funny and says that portion control is the answer (and exercise), not denying yourself the foods that give you pleasure.

Also, even though the book is called The Skinny, the authors advocate being a size you're comfortable with, not super model skinny.

My weight issues go the opposite way...for better or for worse. I was always pretty happy with my weight (5'9 1/2, 150 lbs and size 8). I started exercising while in college and did it a few days a week. I fluctuated a few pounds up or down, but 150 was my "set point" weight.

Anyway, I decided to go back to school and get another degree at age 27 and hated it. I got an internship after my second year, and it was like a food fest. I had never worked anywhere that had such a food-oriented culture- catered lunch meetings, dinners, drinks, cakes in the break room, etc etc. I have always loved food, and having so much around me made me shoot up to 175 pounds in 3 months. I couldn't seem to resist eating once the food was in front of me.

When I returned to school, I was determined to lose the weight and dieted with a vengance- counted every calorie, worked out like a fiend every day. I lost the weight, and kept going--and started with more severe behaviors-which ended up turning into an eating disorder. I graduated from school weighing less than 120 pounds and sometimes even the size 0 clothes were too big. Of course, there were other contributing issues that I wont go into right now.

Well, the body finds remarkable ways to cope, and it got to the point where I had to do more and more to try to keep losing weight. I was clinically depressed to the point of being suicidal. I finally decided to get help.

I've been recovering for a few years now, but the obsessive/disordered thoughts are still there. My weight fluctuates between 137-147 now. When I gain weight, I still freak out, and am happy when the scale goes down even a little bit. I weigh myself at least twice a day and work out 6 days a week. I still have my occasional binges, though not as big as before (yes, I've eaten a whole pizza and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream by myself in one sitting). I still have my crash diets too, especially before big events. I know these behaviors aren't healthy, but I'm trying to cope as best as possible.

I guess all of this to say that even those who look slim may be battling with some of the same issues as bigger people- depression, low self esteem, etc. When I look in the mirror, I only see the fat parts, even though people tell me how slim I am.

I'm pretty obsessed with weight, which is why I watch BL (among other weight loss shows). Sometimes it triggers me in bad ways, but I do enjoy seeing the people's transformations and like seeing the workouts. Jillian is indeed a monster and she scares me (loved the recap, though- I could picture her cutting off her leg then jump roping on her one good one). Bob's training style probably would work for me- the right balance of push with a dose of compassion.

I'm familiar with all of the quick weight loss tricks- I've used them! Wearing sweatsuits and working out really hard to cut weight, dehydrating myself, diuretics, you name it, I've probably done it. I wonder if shows like this have ever triggered any of the contestants down the path of disordered eating and weight obsession and really unhealthy behaviors to try to mantain the weight loss once they've left the compound?

Wibadgers, I agree with you 100% - Great Job! I've lost a little more than 100 lbs in much the same way. I realized that conventional dieting always would, and did result in failure. I like what I like, and trying to convince myself that I could live without them was just a matter of seeing how long I could hold out. I decided that I needed to make certain deals with myself, that would allow me to create a lifestyle that I could live with for the rest of my life. If I tell you some of the things that I've eaten and still managed to lose weight, I'd certainly be cast out of TBL campus. I'm so happy that I've found a balance and that I can really do this forever. One caveat though; the day the exercise stops, the deal's off and the weight creeps back on.

posted in the episode thread:

I think that's a rather harsh assessment of people without weight problems. I am somewhat overweight and I look to this show to provide me with some motivation to workout and eat a little more healthy. However, my brother, who never has had a weight problem and is now into building muscle, recently discovered the BL on cable and absolutely loves it. I'd say he also watches it for motivation to work out and to see the transformations at the end (he loved Eric). And since he's into weight lifting and all that before, since watching this show he now sees becoming a personal trainer as a potentially viable side career to his day job. Now, that's just an assessment of one person, but I would like to believe that most thin people have a general sense of goodwill about them. I'd imagine there's a lot less laughing going on than you think.

I'd also like to agree with some others who've expressed the sentiment that allowing the women to wear something besides the sportsbra/spandex combo would be a very good thing.

Interesting. So does that apply to all reality type programming where the viewer may not have a similar characteristic to the contestant? If I watch Extreme Home Makeover, and don't have the problems any of the people featured on it do, is it to laugh at them?

Yes, people love a train wreck. However, if you're watching a show for a meltdown, why would someone watch this one? One thing is for certain with this show - people are going to leave it thinner than they came in. So if I'm watching it to laugh at them, the joke is on me.

Besides, I get enough laughs at the famewhores on the other 3423 reality shows I watch.

I don't have a weight problem and I love the show. Not because I like laughing at "fat asses", but because I love watching the transformations. It's like a huge makeover show.

Plus, I work out a lot and watching gives me new ideas/motivation.

Right now I'm training for a 10 miler and recently have been stalling out on training runs. Watching the show is giving me the push I need to just get out on the pavement and get it done.

Also while I don't LIKE Kim I'm not sure if I get the feeling from her that she "hates" fat people. She seems hard to connect with as a character on the show because her perky demeanor seems like an act for the cameras to me. But then Jillian's "beating beatings beatings" "you wusses, no one wants you" seems just as over the top. Maybe my feelings will change as I get to see them more. (I've only ever seen the second half of last season.)

Bob is total love though. I wish he were my trainer!

While I have struggled with small weight-gain from hypothyroidism, you probably would never know it if you saw me on the street. The fact is, I love fitness and how it makes me feel strong, like I can take on the world and do anything. I tuned in to this episode (and will continue to watch this show) for inspiration and education. I feel compassion for the participants and while I admit to being taken aback by their sheer mass at the weigh-in, I want to learn about and understand their struggles. I want to see them succeed, because I want them to feel that same sense of power and confidence I feel when I exercise.

I can't speak for everyone, but this show does foster compassion in me, and it breaks my heart to think that, if I (at 5'9" and 145lbs) told someone I liked this show, they would assume it's because I'm an insensitive asshole. I guess my point is that we shouldn't make assumptions about others' intentions and perceptions without first understanding their background. And I think shows like this one help everyone (big and small alike) overcome that tendency.

I hope this isn't too off-topic - since this is the first full episode I've ever watched, I really am talking about my perceptions from this particular broadcast.

I don't watch the show to laugh at fat asses, but I do find myself annoyed with most of the contestants.

There are some that you can tell have deep rooted issues with food going back to childhood and they probably need counseling as much as they do a personal trainer, so those people I feel sorry for.

But for those who are just fat and say "I let myself go" I get a little angry at them (which is most of them). Mainly because it just shows laziness and reflects on that person as a whole, but also because I know that obesity and the illnesses it causes are the leading cause of rising health care costs in this country.

But overall I tune in to see the transformation and see the look in people's faces of how obvious the changes needed to be (eat less, work out) and see how they run with it when they return home. I get really pissed when I see people that return home and don’t do anything different. It’s just a waste to see that, someone else might have been able to use that opportunity.

I know my assessment may upset some, but that's what I feel.

I work out a great deal, like it's my job practically. Triathlons, swimming all week, running, lifting, soccer, surfing, etc etc.. and I've never had a weight problem. I'm not CRAZY cut like the trainers but I'm in pretty darn good shape. My reason for watching the show is seeing the light bulb go on for these people. Seeing them *get it*. Whether it's understanding HOW to lose weight, or understanding that they CAN do it, or understanding their motivations for eating too much (though, they don't show too much of all that, they do meet with counselors as well, right?) I like watching the process.

Like "What not to wear" I like seeing people transformed and feeling so GOOD about themselves. These people you can see the skinny person in them fighting to get out. My sympathy for them is a different thing. I am sorry they feel badly, and I'm sorry that they maybe had rough stuff happen that got them to that point. However, it's hard to completely feel sympathetic. It's a tough thing, the weight thing. So many countries don't have enough to eat, and we somehow manage to use food as a pain medication. I never like to see someone in pain, but at times I get so frustrated with people who complain about being overweight when they aren't making any positive steps to change it.

Every year they come out with a pill or a "magical" cream, but everyone knows you eat whole healthy foods in moderation and get active and that does it. Unfortunately it's not immediate. Heck, I know with BL at times I skip the middle stuff and just check out the weigh-ins. Instant gratification!

So yes, I love watching the show to see the people become happy, healthy and self-sustaining. However, it IS at times hard to feel badly about it. I have some friends that are overweight, and they get mad at me at times like "you're so lucky" or "shut up, you size __" but the thing is while I'm up at 4:45 am to work out, and I'm eating super healthy they're eating take-out Chinese (sooo delicious, I endulge now and again) and NOT working out, so it's not like I don't work at it..

Whatever helps you do it, I've ran half marathons and the 8-10 mile runs are the toughest to get over the hill for me too. Just keep at it, best of luck, and try changing music around to motivate you, as cheesy as it is, eye of the tiger makes me laugh yet get pumped as I think of the stupid Rocky scenes.

Exactly. One of the surest ways to set yourself up for a binge is to deny yourself something you really want. Just try to make it so that you include your fave as part of a balanced diet. And if you really know what you want, don't assume a substitute will do. If you KNOW that it is real chocolate you are craving, then have a small bit of it. Don't try to quell your craving with chocolate pudding, chocolate, milk, or such if you know it won't work. If you do that, you're liable to eat the pudding, drink the milk, and then eat the chocolate because it is what you really wanted in the first place.

That's one of the reasons I have enjoyed Weight Watchers instead of programs that tell me I can't have something. With WW, I know I can have it. I just have to learn that I have it in moderation, that I balance it throughout the day (or the week by using my flex points), or that I need to do more activity. Does it work? Well, I've dropped 113 lbs so far, and I am still having chocolate every week (having learned that 2 small dark squares are more satisfying to me than a huge chunk of milk chocolate), I have pizza (but load on the veggies instead of extra cheese and fatty meats), and if I want that piece of cake, I'm finding a way to work it in. If I wasn't able to do that, I would never have stuck with this as long as I have (almost two years).

Exactly. That's what Rock of Love is for. I love watching this show for the big reason mentioned - transformation. It is the makeover. ITA Irish Sean.

Is anyone planning to play along at home? I got sucked into the marathon last weekend and it really inspired me. I have big chunk of weight to lose and a co-worker and I have decided to be "Biggest Loser at-home" buddies, using the show as inspiration. They have a pretty comprehensive program on the BL site. I took the stairs at work today for the first time in ages and was shocked at how much it excited me just to take that small step. I'll be jumping on my treadmill tomorrow morning and shockingly, I'm really looking forward to it.

If you guys want to have a topic for the Biggest Loser Club/playing along at home thing, that would be fine by me, too.

Except that they're not really understanding HOW to lose weight. No one in real life is exercising intensely 6-8 hours a day, having someone else monitor and control their food 24 hours a day. More and more I find this show analogous to a wrestler trying to make weight; it's not about becoming healthy, it's about losing weight to make a number to put you ahead in a competition.

As someone who struggles with my own food & weight issues, it's hard enough to finally begin to realize & accept that self-esteem and happiness are not found or lost because a number on the scale goes down or up and that eating healthy and exercising are quite different from losing weight without being hit in the face by contestants who say, "I weigh XXX pounds, and I'm worthless unless I lose XX pounds." This show reinforces the stereotype that one cannot be happy unless one loses weight, but let's remember -- TBL isn't really a self-improvement show: it's a contest, and the prize is money. I would like it better if it really were about self-improvement, with the participants encouraging each other along the way, not plotting and forming alliances and voting people off.

And what's the big deal about the sports bras? The men are going shirtless and they've got big floppy manboobs. Let's face it, if a gal's 250+ pounds, she's gonna look big no matter what. Actually, one of the things I do like is that the fat people aren't hiding their fat in billowy shirts and oversize shorts. They're showing it all, and I admire their willingness to show America every fat bulge and crevice.

When I was in my 20's I once had a very overweight co-worker actually ask me, not how did I stay thin, but why I was so thin? Maybe she thought I was anorexic or something, but I would never even have thought of asking her why was she so fat.

Honestly, I was both overweight and underweight. I'm currently thin, but can relate to both parties. Here's my observation.

I was a heavy, awkward adolescent. Into high school. It was one of those things that nobody necessarily brought up with me, and I realized that things had to change after seeing a really hideous picture of myself. It was a complete eye opener. It was then that I started researching food, realizing what I was eating, and moderately exercising.

During college, I went through a depression spell based on family matters, and my weight reflected that. Also, I started eating a vegetarian diet, which I still do. So with these things put together, I lost a lot of weight.

Believe me. People were cruel. Even today, I can't go through a day where someone makes a snippy comment, tell me how I look unhealthy, or ask if I have an eating disorder. Everyone tries waving their stomachs in my face, and asks me to comment on "how fat they are", which of course I never do. When they see me eat something like a soft pretzel at a baseball game, they make sure to mention it loudly and ask questions like "So, is that your meal for the day?" despite the fact that I've never refused to eat in their presence. It really screws with your head.

None of these things were brought up when I was overweight. Nobody said one thing about what I ate or didn't eat. But being underweight, I feel like everyone feels free to make the hurtful comments that made me paranoid and self conscious about gains and losses. It really screws with your head. Don't even ask how things like "personality" and "work ethic" factor in, since unfortunately they take a backseat.

PittsburghDiva I checked out the 1st personal diet website and it scares me because I'm a picky eater. It sounds like they send you a meal plan without any regard to foods you dislike or flat out hate. Can you give a little more insight into this diet? I've never heard of it before.

Then I guess you were one of the lucky ones. I've had total strangers comment on food I've bought (in restaurants AND in grocery stores), not to mention having total strangers feel they can make comments about me (ie. shouting out car windows, as they leave the subway, things like that...very rarely do it so they stick around to get a reply). Have you ever had someone you don't know "moo" at you? I have...more than once. So you were fortunate that nothing like that was brought up when you were overweight because it does happen. I've been overweight since I was a little kid (ie. kindergarten), so I've endured such ignorant and rude remarks many times during my life. (As I've indicated, I've lost a lot of weight in the past 20 months, but I still have a ways to go to get to my goal.)

I am new to this show, so I am just forming my impressions. I have had weight issues all my life, so I do relate to the contestants. I don't know if I would have qualified, but at my highest I was over 200 lb., at just 5 feet tall. So I understand about feeling scary fat.

I do like that there is emphasis on balanced eating (protein, fat, carbs at each meal), but I want to bring up a subject I have not seen mentioned. I am sure some of those people can do well with that kind of standard approach (although there's nothing really standard about the intensity of their program), but surely some of them--and some of you out there--are like me: absolutely unable to handle sugar, flour, and refined carbs. I've done every "moderate" food plan, every which way I can think of, and I always get cravings come back to sink me. But since going on a plan that eliminates those foods (no sugar, flour, wheat, or other refined foods of any sort), I've lost my weight and freed my mind and spirit. I really do consider myself an addict. I know quite a number of people who've lost anywhere from 75 to 200 pounds, all within the model of addiction. Some have been involved for 10-20 years.

I could do o.k. in a contained environment for a while, but eventually the cravings would get to me and I'd revert to binging. So I wonder how many contestants are real binge eaters and how many are just people with terrible eating habits/nonexistence exercise programs. When they blindfolded the contestants and led them to those tables, I could relate to what was on the table in terms of binge eating (and believe me, 6 hot dogs at once is NOTHING!). But you can serve me a "normal" portion of pasta or toast and I'd be just as stuck as if you threw me at the table of donuts.

Anybody relate to this? I know I would go crazy with sugar free gum (artificial sweetener affects the body much like sugar) and what are likely many "normal" meals. Also - does anyone know how much food they are actually given? It seems that with the intensity of the exercise, they'd really need a fair amount of food. I realize that goes against the concept of losing a lot of weight and making weight loss dramatic, but doing all that exercise while half starving would be awful.

I do use alot of Splenda on my cereal in the morning instead of sugar.

I think they also are encouraged to do a lower calorie diet. I vaguely remember last year Bob given the calorie limits for his team and they were somewhere in the 1500 calorie per day range. I could have just dreamt this up but I kind of remember somewhere around that number.

I think my story is fairly similar to the ones here. I've been fat since birth (10 pounds!) and once topped 300 pounds, but I'm not sure by how much since I stopped getting on scales for a few years after seeing a horrifying "303" pop up in my mid-20s. Just prior to turning to 30, however, I woke up one day and thought, "Well, that's that." Nothing dramatic; it just seemed like it was time to do something. Put simply, I started watching what I ate and exercising--just a few minutes at first because that was all I could handle, but increasing more and more. It took more than two years of steady work, but I got down to 174 and plateaued there, healthy and happy. I've since done six triathlons, got my scuba certification, rock climbed, blah blah blah. My "set weight" landed at about 178, so I figure I lost 125 pounds but possibly more. Doesn't matter, really.

Then, almost three years ago, I finally met a great guy, got myself married and became a stepmom in the process. Ouch, as far as my weight is concerned. It was so easy to take it off as a singleton, because I completely controlled my day and diet. If I wanted to go off and exercise, skip meals, whatever, it was all up to me. Family life really is more complicated, at least for me, and now I'm working on taking off the 35 pounds that ballooned back on in three years. It certainly hasn't helped that my husband is 260 and makes noise about losing but doesn't stick with any plan. Every time I get excited about him doing something, or us doing something together, it fizzles within a week and I'm left frustrated and feeling like a nag when I ask him about plans that were his in the first place.

Interestingly, I think "The Biggest Loser" might actually motivate him. I was watching the premiere last week and he came home in the middle of it. He ignored it for a few minutes, but then sat down and watched the rest with me. He said it was really inspiring. The next day he started recording what he ate on Sparkpeople.com (I use it myself) and got some serious shocks about his assumptions. Then yesterday we were talking about a fellow for whom I do freelance work who is bed-bound and trying to recover from severe obesity (almost 600 pounds, at which point he almost died), and that it terrified me every time I saw him because "what if" and how complacency gets you so easily. You just get used to being fat. And then you get used to being a little fatter. And then... My husband admitted that he'd thought of himself as "250" for so long, he didn't really know how to think of himself another way. When I hear the contestants that have been fat for life, I know they're thinking the same thing. Maybe coming to terms with that will help my husband, I don't know. But I do know that I'm tired of waiting for him or feeling like I need to hold myself back so he doesn't feel bad. It's such a self-defeating "wifely" thing that I think a lot of women with overweight spouses do, but it's making me miserable. My goal is dump the extra weight and get back to where I was before I turn 40 next September. No more excuses. He can come along for the ride or pout, but it's not my problem.

And since some of you have wondered about past contestants and their success after the show, I know one of the show's directors and asked him that very question one day. He said less than half have kept it off. Sad but not surprising, I guess, since the conditions on the show are so unlike real life. But hey, that means, what, about 20 people have kept if off? That's pretty great!

Isn't it amazing what a difference keeping a food diary can make? It really does make you sit up and take notice of how much food you've actually been eating, whether your portions were too large or you were "forgetting" items you ate throughout the day. (Hey, it's sometimes easier to do than people think.)

Congratulations to you and your husband on making a decision to get fit and healthy together. That should make it a bit easier for you to have him along for the ride, and he will benefit as well.

For those of us who have been overweight all our lives, one of the hardest things to do is to actually try and picture ourselves at our goal weights. For me, that is a number that is in the high end of healthy weights for my height, but just the fact that it's a number I haven't seen since I was probably about 12 years old, it's hard to visualize it.

As for the half of the contestants who haven't kept the weight off, I hope that they have at least managed to keep part of it off. I know when they did the "have they kept it off" infomercial - I mean show - I was wishing that they would have showed one or two who didn't keep it off. Not very inspiring, I know (which is probably the reason they didn't do it as it doesn't make for good TV), but it's real life, so it would have been nice of them to own up to it...especially with one of their past winners (the guy from the first season, which I didn't watch). But then again, I don't think many of them who have regained everything would have been willing to come on TV and show that to the world. It would just be too embarrassing, sadly.

Wow..Anfa..your post hit a nerve w/me (in a good way!) I think it is so true..that when you live that way for so long (being overweight) it just becomes normal for you but it does not have to remain that way and you do not have to be "sucked" into that lifestyle by others close to you. Thanks for that~

I quit smoking in March. It was just one of those moments where I knew enough was enough. And I stopped.

A couple months later, I tried to walk with my fiance a couple miles and I was completely out of breath and my blood pressure was through the roof. At the age of 25, that really set off some whistles so I hit Weight Watchers with my mom and my sister. Now, my sister has dropped out but my mom and I are still going strong. I hope to hit my 30-pound mark this week, with forty to go. (Talk about an uphill battle. lol)

I've been heavy my whole life but I never realized the toll it's been taking on my body and when I finally did, it scared the $hit out of me. So, here's to hoping for a healthy weight.

Woot! So glad you're working on it now, because it really does get harder as you get older. I think Jerry (Jerry?), the older fellow, could be quite an inspiration in that context. What I wouldn't give now to have started 5 or more years earlier than I did. I'd still have knees today and all the active stuff that I do wouldn't hurt the next day. :-)

Good luck, Anfa! That was my motivating factor, too. I've been overweight all my life, but in my 30's it just got worse and worse until last July, when I said "OMG, I'm going to be 40 in December!" I decided that I'd been waiting so long for my life to start that waiting had become my life. The next day I joined Weight Watchers and as of today, I've lost 87 pounds. Still a lot to go, but I'm going to get to goal this time, and for me, BL is a great motivator.

gameon - I'm in the same boat as you. I was 75 lbs. overweight, and joined Weight Watchers in December 2006. As of today, I'm 45 lbs down, with 30 more to go. It's a great program, and it does work if you stick to it.

BradyB66 - Way to go! I'm pushing 40, too. It must be a magical number, or something.

I guess that's the thing that most amazes me about these contestants - they can still _do_ all of the joint-intensive workouts. At 5'6", I've never weighed more than 150lbs, but my knees have been shot since my early 20s; there's no way I'd be doing squat-lunges! I'm really impressed that they are, and can.

This is the system that worked for me as well, not trying to avoid completely the foods I love but having them in moderation. I have so far been able to lose 80lbs doing this. What I have found doing this as well is that when I give myself a little taste of something every now and then it tastes so much better then when I completely go whole hog on something.

As someone mentioned upthread I too have been insulted when I was near the top of my weight. What I found funny was that some of the people throwing insults were on the overweight side themselves. Its like thier definition of what was fat and what was a normal weight was messed up, whatever thier weight was normal but anyone bigger than them was a big fatty.

I second that! I'm thisclose to 100 lbs doing the same thing. People are looking for a magic pill but the pill isn't coming. If you know yourself and work with what knowledge, you've found the secret. I know that if I deny myself food that I love for a prolonged period of time, the floodgates will eventually break, and I'll eat everything for about two weeks.

I've heard the gamut of insults. Most were from kids while I was still in school, when, ironically, I wasn't nearly as big as I ended up being. The later years were more the looks, or the shifting whenever someone saw me coming down the aisle of an airplane. I can't blame them. I wouldn't have wanted to be squeezed near me either!

I think my lowest point, though, was when I was traveling on my own in Paris. I was so excited, walking up to the Louvre for the first time, when behind me I heard a French woman speak to her children, either not caring or assuming that I couldn't understand her. She told them, "Don't look at the fat American woman." That was...harsh. But at least I'll never suffer from that pinched-up face she had on, so there!

I'm going to make an assumption here: It must be easier for men than it is for women. As an adult, I've never been insulted to my face or even within earshot. As recently as January, I was over 360 lbs. I know the look of fear when people think they're going to have to compete with my big behind if I sit next to them, but never an insult.

And I'll bet no one has asked if you're pregnant. lol

That happened to me twice. I have no children.

No, but two teenage kids came up to me in the grocery store two years ago and told me "You're really big, did you know that?"

I channeled Winston Churchill and said "I know, and you're both ignorant, but I could lose weight."

Best and worst moment of my life, all rolled up in one.

That's really funny.

Like somebody said (or wrote), fat is the last acceptable prejudice.

Or something like that.

I understand the psychology of this -- it really helps to lose weight the more body-conscious a person is. I know it's easy to put on a flowy blouse and think I don't look too bad. Put on something tight, though, and I gain a new perspective. Billowy clothes make it easy to deny the reality. I suspect that's why they do it on this show, sort of a take-a-cold-hard-look strategy.

Plus it makes the body just what it is: a body. Skin and fat and bone and glands. There isn't this vanity thing. It's like yup, this is it. All of it. I think the part when they get over a mental block is when it all comes into place. The mental slows down the reality. Like when the one woman stopped and Jillian had her think about what happens when you stop? It's like.. what happens when you HIDE a body as it is and pretend it's something its not? Nothing changes. Just show all of it. It's not about ego and pride at this stage, it's about healthy and improving.

I think it makes it more... real. Like, put this food in here and don't do X and this happens. Instead of telling people how to hide areas that aren't up to a certain standard (I'll let What Not to Wear do that) I appreciate that this show looks at it scientifically and methodically. Once they don't fear their bodies, they won't mind moving them around and working to get them in shape, right? Like most of the people on BL always say "I always thought people at the gym would mock me.." once my roommate and I saw a woman running, and she was a bigger lady. Not quite up to BL, but not far off either. And it was Virginia. And it was hot. And she was steadily jogging that hill. And here we were, two chicks out of college, both thin and we turned to one another and said "She is EFFING AWESOME". We felt very inspired by her tenacity.