The Biggest Loser, the show we all want to watch but don’t want to be (in). It’s like watching an accident but you can’t switch off or look away. You look at them and you promise yourself that you will never ever let it come that far. All this while eating Thai food (or Pizza like I did) from your favorite “take-a-way friend” on the corner.

The first couple of weeks you watch the show and you can’t believe how much they are losing and how the “not playing the game” game plan is unfolding.

After a few weeks you have picked a favorite team or player and you hope they win the big prize. All this while you are still eating away and they are losing heaps of weight. You are still keeping your promise never ever to let it get that far.

A few weeks in they are in the same weight category as you are currently in, although we don’t like to admit this, but we look a the  ”losers” and how they are changing. We see the before and after pictures and it is truly amazing. I could not believe how great Sam (Australian Biggest Loser, Season 3) looked when he came back on the show to train with the team for a week.

Sam before and after

Sam Biggest loser

This season we see a great deal of crying (like every season really). And no matter what team, or how much they weigh every contenstant has their own personal demon to conquer.

Their Own Mental State

Now I don’t want to be too much of a Dr Phil, but it seems with whatever you are doing or want to achieve you have to be there (already) in your head. The temptations on The Biggest Loser are one big mental mind game. No matter if you can win immunity, you have to think one week ahead. At what price are you taking the temptation bullet?

In my comfortable opinion, temptation is never a good idea. You don’t have to be number 1, just have to be above the yellow line…

Wow Ralph, we now know you watch a lot of TV (I do) and watch The Biggest Loser (got me there) but where are you getting at?

Like I have mentioned in different posts, how you can do better with running or in other motivational posts like about the movie MyRun. It is always a mental game. You have to be there, up there, to get ahead but also to keep you pushing further, harder and longer every time. There are a few secrets or secret weapons really,  which help the contestants to achieve their goal weight.

Biggest Loser Secret Weapon Amory

  1. Most of their meals are cooked by others
  2. They learn everything about calories, what to eat and when
  3. They work out 7 days a week with a personal trainer or have a schedule to do for that day
  4. A medical staff is available to help them with everything
  5. They have each other to fall back on
  6. They have each other to push over…. rivalry works like a charm..

All these are some things that a lot of us can’t afford. We can’t take 4 months off work and just kick back in the gym 7 days a week. At least the most us. What the Biggest loser Trainers first do is break them down, fast. They make them run, jiggle, jog, sprint, push, pull and vomit the first session they have. It shows character (not the vomit part) on how they deal with getting pushed and pushed.

Usually they start crying on why they became the way they are. It comes down to years and years of emotional baggage. Not feeling appreciated, not being seen by their parents or just didn’t have a break on their eating desires. I am the first to admit that my “diet” is not drafted, or even in use. But with exercise I feel that I can balance my intake.

The Biggest Loser trainers focus on a few key items;

  • Teamwork / Family
  • Self Respect /  Pride and Self esteem
  • Tools to get you ahead in life
  • Mental focus and goal

For some it takes a few weeks, for others a few months but it makes a world of difference when their head is in the “game” or when it is not.

This post is not written to be condescending in any way. The results of The Biggest Loser participants are just amazing. You see what healthy lifestyle can do, and what a bad one can do to you and your family if you don’t take action. The physical difference alone from when they start and when they finish is awesome to see. You can see how they are a different person, how they have tackled their demons and have turned their life around.

And if they see themselves, before they went on their Biggest Loser journey, they can see how sad / lonely etc. that person really was but just didn’t know how to get out.

Some Things I Would Like You to Take From This Post;

  • Live your life, there is so much out there if you can actually do it.
  • Worry about one person, YOU. If you are not happy, you need to change something.
  • You and only you are the key to the solution. Set your mind to it and you can achieve anything.
  • Do not limit your life because you don’t know what others will say or think.

Do I know everything or do I do these things myself? No not at all, some are hard choices and sometimes you can’t have or win it all. But I try.

If you totally disagree, please let me know via the below comments. If you have something nice to say you are also more than welcome :)

Happy Running

Ralph

 

Image from: macarthuradvertiser.com.au