On the current season of The Biggest Loser, trainers Dolvett Quince, Jillian Michaels, and Bob Harper continue to push contestants toward their goal of a healthy life. And even though season 14 isn't over, it's already offered plenty of tears and triumphs as the trainers help their respective teams break past mental, physical, and emotional boundaries. Even if you're not a contestant, there are still a lot of valuable lessons to be learned from the tough group of trainers.
Fans of NBC's The Biggest Loser are in for a surprise when the show kicks off its 14th season this Sunday, Jan. 6. For the first time in its eight-year history, the weight-loss competition will tackle the topic of childhood obesity, featuring a teen contestant between the ages of 13 and 17 on each of its three teams. While the kids will not be eligible for elimination as the rest of the show's participants are, their weight-loss progress will be documented on the show, casting a very public eye on their personal journeys.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17 percent (12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese, with the epidemic nearly tripling since 1980. The Biggest Loser's celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels has a personal connection to the plight of overweight kids: "As a former overweight teen, I know firsthand how dramatically weight issues can affect every aspect of a child's life. Having recently become a mother of two, I am more passionate than ever about helping empower children and families with the information and resources they need to live a healthier life."
What do you think? Is casting a public eye on the teen contestants' struggles with their weight a positive move in the fight against childhood obesity, or is putting the still-developing kids on the show too aggressive of an approach?
If you watch The Biggest Loser, then you already know that trainer Bob Harper gets results. We caught up with Bob, who explained how anyone can apply the same techniques he uses on The Biggest Loser to everyday life. Learn what Bob's perfect 30-minute workout looks like and his secret to losing weight when you only have 15 minutes to spare.
We know that Michelle Obama is big into fitness, and it looks like she's a big fan of The Biggest Loser, too — she appeared on the show last week when the contestants stormed the White House. We caught up with the show's trainer Bob Harper, still high from the experience, and asked him what working with the first lady was really like. Does she complain about squats? How's her form when it comes to push-ups? Learn the answers and more when you watch the video.
We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!
When Cheryl Forberg — registered dietitian, James Beard award-winning chef, and creator of The Biggest Loser meal plan — signed onto the show for its first season, she was shocked at the contestants' states of health. "Most of what I did was not on camera; at the beginning of every season, the applicant pool was huge. Season five alone had 220,000 applicants. Once we weeded applicants out down to about 75, we could start doing physical tests while I met with them to talk about eating habits and their weight loss and weight gain tendencies," she said. "The first season was shocking to hear their eating habits, but after a few seasons, I realized I was hearing the same thing over and over again."
Read below as Forberg shares her experiences with The Biggest Loser, the nutrition factors she used to make the meal plan, and a healthy spread you can make easily at home.
What were you most surprised to discover about with the diets of the past contestants on The Biggest Loser?
I found all the contestants had things in common, like the belief that skipping meals promotes weight loss, drinking too many calories, having too much processed fast food, not eating very many fruits and vegetables, little to no water consumption, not eating enough whole grains, and forgetting to plan ahead. Everybody had a different combination of one these things, but what they all had in common was prioritizing their family, work, or something else over themselves. They needed to put their head in the game and get healthy so that they could be around to take care of the people and things they loved. They needed to start taking care of themselves.
It's been dubbed the season of "No Excuses" — and in a new twist, Season 13 of The Biggest Loser will be the first season to do away with the buddy system. In tonight's premiere, airing at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST, teams of two will arrive at the ranch expecting to work together. Instead, the contestants will be divided into two new groups trained by Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince.
No excuses, no partners, and since Anna Kournikova will not be returning as a trainer, this also marks the first season with no female trainer. We're interested to see how these changes affect the contestants — and the ratings. What do you think?
Photo courtesy of NBC
With The Biggest Loser finale just hours away, New York Magazine has confirmed that tennis star Anna Kournikova will be joining the cast next season. Biggest Loser producer Todd Lubin told the mag that Anna isn't a replacement for Jillian as much as she is the right person to move the show in its new direction. Instead of having such a straight focus on a "tape measure," Lubin says the plan is to make it more about general health and wellness. This isn't Anna's first time on The Biggest Loser; fans of the show will remember Anna from an appearance she made during season 10. It was then that Lubin realized the motivation and drive that Anna is able to impart on contestants.
While there is no word on how Anna will fit in with the newest trainers, Brett and Cara, there are rumors that the two won't be back for another season. As of now, Lubin is remaining tight-lipped, but based on finale previews, we do know that there will be a "big announcement" revealed on tonight's episode. But, Lubin did tell New York Magazine that viewers can expect to see a different-looking show next season with the same core fundamentals: "Loser is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The idea of the show is that you watch these contestants and realize, 'Holy sh*t, I can do anything.'"
She's tough and feisty, but after speaking with Cara Castronuova we learned how easily she's moved to tears by the contestants. Watch and see how she's changed and her training has evolved since joining the cast of The Biggest Loser. Be sure to catch up with her co-trainer, Brett Hoebel, too.
After all our speculation about the identities of the newest trainers on The Biggest Loser, we finally got to meet Brett Hoebel . . . at The Biggest Loser ranch! Brett gave us the inside scoop of life on the BL set, how many workouts the contestants do daily, and how his experience as an overweight kid helps him motivate his team. Watch and learn!
