January 13, 2008 - Biggest Loser vs Mohr Results -- a lesson for us all?

I have to admit, I am a closet Biggest Loser fan. I wasn’t always a fan. In fact when the show first came on I was skeptical of it and never watched it. How realistic is it to lock people away in a house for 3 months with access to a personal trainer and calorie controlled diet competing for $250,000?

That all changed one night last fall...

I was flipping through channels I landed on The Biggest Loser. I was about to change the channel when I saw one of the contestants dragging her trainer across the gym floor as part of her workout. I became intrigued. The workout consisted of burpees, medicine ball slams, sprints, and more—nothing different than we would recommend, but still the norm for folks trying to lose weight. This wasn’t your average weight loss workout consisting of miles of moderate intensity walking – this was HARD work! Soon I was hooked and watched the rest of the show (and have been watching it religiously ever since).

While I used to think that people would develop an unrealistic perception of weight loss and become discouraged to change their body, I discovered some pleasantly surprising things about The Biggest Loser.

• “To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done.” It’s a great quote in the Simple Truths book. 212° (www.simpletruths.com). To see great change, you need to stretch yourself. Test your limits and see what you are made of.
• People get a lot of satisfaction out of testing their limits. Sure, that sedentary office job and 4 BR, 2.5 bath house is nice and comfortable. But it’s not challenging. You don’t wake up every day with a fire underneath you to push yourself farther. So people end up with “Middle syndrome.” Middle age with a Paunchy Middle and a Middle of the Road Income. No wonder many have a Mid-Life Crisis.
• The body and our mind can handle A LOT. We adapt. We grow stronger. Our minds are tougher than we ever realize. Just because we tend to cry “Uncle” early on, doesn’t mean we have to.
• Hard work is inspirational. Cowardice is not.

Now, is the Biggest Loser program made for everyone? Absolutely not. And in fact, this type of weight loss program just doesn’t work for the person who doesn’t have 4 hours to work out a day with access to trainers and dietitians with the potential promise of big money. But it does show what hard work and determination can do to a body (and a person). So today ask yourself how you could stretch yourself in 2008, and then make consistent steps to follow through. Talk about Transformational!

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