FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Biggest Loser Families Recap: NYC Makeovers

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 -0800

The competition on the Biggest Loser Families should be heating up, but last night's show was surprisingly free of drama. Well, not quite. There was Vicky's moment of paralyzing fear, verging on a tantrum, during the physical challenge, but even that little episode struck me as placid. Maybe because everyone involved, blue teammates included, seemed "over" Vicky's antics.

This week all the contestants were treated to a makeover in NYC. Their trip to the Big Apple included new hair fancy and flattering styles. The highlights from the salon: Vicky dyed her hair red and Ed got some highlights himself. Then all five contestants were treated to a shopping trip at Macy's lightly supervised by season-four winner of Project Runway Christian Siriano (didn't he often comment on how he loved the super-skinny models?). This was followed by a "live" reveal on The Tyra Banks Show, complete with a reunion with a friend, spouse, sibling, or parent. The reunions, full of lots of emotion, were pretty sweet watch.

Upon returning back to the ranch, the five remaining players competed in a physical challenge with a two-week spa vacation as the prize. The contestants had to wedge themselves in bottomless boxes suspended 12 to 15 feet above a pool of water. Vicky was first to call uncle, but refused to drop into the water. Heba, Ed, and Renee eventually followed dropping easily and gleefully into the water below. Michelle won the prize and was a disappointed to have her victory celebration marred by Vicky's attention-stealing freak-out.

To see who was eliminated and how they look today

Biggest Loser Families Recap: NFL and Thanksgiving Week

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Nothing screams November like football and turkey with stuffing. It was NFL and Thanksgiving week on The Biggest Loser Families last night. Celebrity visits spiced up an otherwise drama-free show. Former 49ers Jerry Rice and Steve Young (go Niners!) came onto campus to train the contestants football style, and Rocco DiSpirito taught the contestants how to lighten up traditional Thanksgiving dishes. The spirit of "friendship" at the T-day table felt a little forced to me.

Once again the two-hour format and repetitive editing almost killed the show for me. After watching another tip involving Extra gum I feel I should buy some stock in it because that gum is what America will be chewing. But back to the actual details. Vicky won both physical challenges, as she continues to fly under the radar. Michelle and Renee are onto her game and the mother-daughter team complained openly that they wished Amy used her swing vote in the previous week to vote Vicky off the show. The saddest part of the episode was Amy's naivety, for she truly believed that Vicky was on her side.

To see if Vicky had Amy's back and who was eliminated last night,

Are You on a Diet?

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:30:00 -0800

During the extremely food-centered holiday season, many people give up on their diets. I just read a statistic recently in Health magazine that illustrates with numbers how we women eat, diet, and lose weight. Here it is: The average woman tries 104 diets between the ages of 18 and 70. Each diet typically lasts five weeks. If you do the math, the average woman is on a diet for 10 years of her life! I think this equation reveals much about the problems with how we diet. Many fad diets out there are not sustainable. Losing weight and keeping it off is really about making lifestyle changes and food choices you can handle for the long haul, or in concrete numbers, the other 42 years of your life.So, what I want to know is . . .Source

Are You on a Diet?

Yes. I am on a diet.

No. I am not on a diet and am not trying to lose weight.

I am focusing on eating healthy and watching my calories.

Other — tell me more in the comments section below.

Biggest Loser Families Recap: '80s Week

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Life on the Biggest Loser ranch was a little tense at the beginning of the week, since Amy voted Brady off the show. To lighten the mood, someone decided to celebrate the '80s, complete with teased hair, leg warmers, and lots of blush. Bob and Jillian treated their teams to '80s-style workouts. Jillian's group did some "break dancing"(I put that in quotes since the only thing they did resembling break dancing was a group wave) and Bob, wearing short shorts, led his team in a step aerobics class.

The physical challenge was an '80s health and fitness trivia quiz, performed with the contestants holding 50 percent of their weight in large water buckets placed over their heads. If they answered a question wrong water was added to their bucket, and when the contestants let go, they were doused with water reminiscent of the famous scene in Flash Dance. The prize, won by Michele after bribing her mom to let go by offering her a designer purse, was either $5,000 or giving another contestant a one-pound penalty at the weigh in.

The show heated up as we edged closer to the weigh in, to see who was sent home and how they look now, just

Biggest Loser Recap: High Drama and Single Play

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Last night, The Biggest Loser brought the drama. Watching the show last night, I was nearly as tense as I was last Tuesday during the national elections. Now that the show is down to the final seven, it is heating up. The two-hour format didn't seem to drag as in episodes past because the tension and taunting were high. The junior high antics of the blue team began early in the show as Vicky and Heba could not control their delight at Phillip being voted off the black team. Although Michelle, Coleen, and Renee, of the black team, were not surprised by Vicky and Heba's antics, they were still hurt by the blatant rudeness.

After the vote, Ali came to the ranch to tell the contestants that team play was over and that the game was now every player for him or herself. This announcement was followed by an even bigger twist. All the players returned (but Coleen's father — he had to work) for one last chance to return to the ranch. Most of the contestants are looking great and have lost a considerable amount of weight. We were treated to some of Vicky's very public taunting of Phillip. The prize of the physical challenge, open only to returning players, was not only to return to the game, but also to have immunity at the weigh in. The returning player to step 1,000 onto a classic aerobic step first would win.

To see who won the challenge and who lost at the weigh in, just

You Asked: Muscle vs. Fat?

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:30:00 -0800

Dear Fit Sugar,
I'm on a mission to lose that last 10 pounds, which has been so difficult, and I'm training for a half-marathon as well. I eat well and exercise a lot — cardio almost every day and strength training five days a week. I've always heard that muscle weighs more than fat, but after I reached a plateau, I've found that I've been gaining weight. Not much, just a pound or two, but still gaining weight. How do we know when weight gained is added muscle mass, and when it means we need to reevaluate the calories we consume? I'm frustrated that all the hard work only turned into a weight gain.
—Confused and Frustrated

This is a common source of frustration and confusion, but I think I can help clear up a few questions. To see what I have to say about muscles and fat, just

Can You Debunk Diet Myths?

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Losing weight is hard, especially when misinformation about dieting is frighteningly easy to find. Many diet myths persist so I am wondering if you can separate truth from fiction. Take my true or false quiz to find out.

Question 1

1 of 6

T/F: It is possible, with diet and exercise, to turn fat into muscle.

Source

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Tears and Even More Tears

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

After watching a politically charged reality show, aka the second presidential debate, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Biggest Loser Families would run 60 minutes instead of two hours. After watching Jillian make almost every member on her team cry in the course of the hour, I was sorely disappointed to learn that the weigh-in will take place during a second "special" episode that airs tonight. The show is really mixing things up — keeping us on our toes or rather our couches, and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

In this episode a couple of teams "cashed" in their prizes from the hill-climb challenge from the first episode. The red team, Amy and Philip, flew to South Carolina for a 24-hour visit with their three children. It was a heartwarming and tearful reunion. The entire family went on a hike to reinforce the lessons these parents have learned on the ranch.

Amy and Shellay, the mother-daughter purple team, decided to use their prize of 24 hours with their trainer Jillian. Instead of pampering the contestants, Jillian took the purple team to the gym for a workout, and was more than disappointed with mother Shellay's attitude and laziness. Their strength-training session ended in tears.

To hear details on the challenge, just

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Road Trip

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

The latest season of The Biggest Loser is rolling along, and what better way to celebrate, or tempt, the contestants than with a road trip. The families were treated to a trip to the glories of the Grand Canyon.

Possibly daunted by the sheer beauty of their surroundings, the contestants were unable to figure out how to work out without a gym, even though Ali left workout gear for them — medicine balls, resistance bands, and pads. They all took a few long walks around their campsite, although they stayed in one of the seven wonders of the natural world, which is covered with hiking trails. Many contestants complained that they just "don't lift boulders."

The episode included a "Temptation" where contestants were asked to guess the caloric content of some convenient store staples. The catch being that if they guessed incorrectly, they had to eat the snack. The prize for guessing correctly was a night in a luxury RV, and the orange team, husband and wife Heda and Ed, won the temptation. The orange team also won the kayak challenge and the prize of an RV to take home, an odd gift in these gas-expensive times. Speaking of presents — Coleen of the yellow team turned 24 and all the contestants celebrated with kind and encouraging words as well as a small cake.

To see how the teams fared once they headed back to the ranch and who was eliminated, just

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Plateau

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

The ongoing theme of the second episode of Biggest Loser Families was the dreaded plateau. After seven days of shocking the system with hours of working out and a sudden change of diet, the body goes into a kind of diet shock. Contestants on average only lose 2 percent of their body weight, compared to double-digit percentages from the previous week. Jillian and Bob repeatedly commented that some competitors even gain weight in the second week, and this season was unfortunately no exception.

Almost as if to counteract the depressing weight-loss plateau, this episode was full of contests and challenges. There was betting/auction game, where the team to bid auction style for highest percentage of weight loss had the chance to win $10,000 prize if they lost the percentage of weight they bid. But, if the team who bid to lose the highest percentage didn't meet their goal, they would automatically fall below the yellow line. Much to Jillian's dismay, the yellow team, made up of father Jerry and daughter Coleen, bet that they could lose 2.4 percent of weight totaling 14 pounds. This contest was followed by a Slip-n-Slide hillside challenge, with the prize of calling home. Then guest chef, Rocco DiSpirito, gave a lesson on shopping and healthy cooking. This turned out to be a contest as well, and the cook of the tastiest meal won a year's worth of groceries as the prize.

One of the most striking elements of the second episode was these contestants are serious competitors. The game is already "on" with faked or exaggerated injuries used as subterfuge, and hopeful alliances created out of favors granted to competing teams. This element of the competition seems to have arrived on campus early this season, but these contestants are savvy having watched the show for five seasons.

To see who gained weight and which team was eliminated, just

Six Salty Snacks for Under 200 Calories

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

I've been known to have a sweet tooth, but my salty cravings are just as powerful. In case you are an unhealthy snacker looking to change your ways, I have come up with six salty snacks ideas, all 200 calories or less.

Speak Up: How Much Weight Are You Trying to Lose?

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0700

When you decide you need to lose weight, it can be a daunting task so it's best to have a weight-loss goal in mind before you begin. I'm talking about a specific goal, as in a number of pounds you're trying to lose. You can come up with this number on your own or with the help of your doctor or dietitian. When you do come up with a number, sometimes it helps to share it with people, to make your goal more concrete. So tell me, how much weight are you trying to lose? Five pounds? 15 pounds? 30 pounds? More than that? Or are you completely satisfied with your weight?

Share your dieting goals in the comments section below.

FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Biggest Loser Families Recap: NYC Makeovers

Biggest Loser Families Recap: NFL and Thanksgiving Week

Are You on a Diet?

Biggest Loser Families Recap: '80s Week

Biggest Loser Recap: High Drama and Single Play

You Asked: Muscle vs. Fat?

Can You Debunk Diet Myths?

Question 1

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Tears and Even More Tears

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Road Trip

Biggest Loser Families Recap: Plateau

Six Salty Snacks for Under 200 Calories

Speak Up: How Much Weight Are You Trying to Lose?

Seven Questions For Weight Loss

Biggest Loser Families Recap: The Premiere

Biggest Loser Families Starts Tonight

What Is Your Usual Rationale?

5 Pieces of Weight Loss Advice

Diet Tip: Don't Skimp on Vitamin C

Back on Track: Pack Your Lunch Now

Holy Guacamole: Tips for Eating Mexican

DrSugar Answers: Cutting Too Many Calories Too Fast?

Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Diet Neck and Neck

Move Past the Plateau

Don't Let the Weekend Slow You Down

Does It or Doesn't It Boost Your Metabolism

Food Journaling Works

Berries For Weight Control?

Flaxseeds: More Than Omega-3s

Tips on How to Keep It Off

Part Two: Moving Past the Weight Loss Plateau – Food

Dieting Concept: The 10% Plan

Diet Tip: Keep the Formula Simple

How Do You Monitor Your Weight?

CalorieKing Goes Mobile

Weekend Reading: Ten Years Thinner

Shopping List for a Diet

Healthy Eating Tip: Hara Hachi Bu

Whole Grains Better For a Smaller Belly

Are You Dieting?

How Often Do You Weigh Yourself?

Speak Up: What's the Most Ridiculous Diet You've Tried?

Healthy Eating Tip: Skip the Dip

You Asked: Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Diet Tip: Cycle Calories

Words That Move You . . .

Speak Up: Is Weight Watchers a Diet?

Green Tea Keeps Mice Skinny

Bad Foods Can Be Good For You, Part II

Bad Foods Can Be Good For You, Part I

Go Go Grapefruit?