The Biggest Loser: Gaining Confidence to Lose Weight

It took hitting 646 pounds on the scale before Arthur, a contestant on The Biggest Loser, decided he would try to lose weight.

The 34-year-old Portland native made good strides on his own until he hit a plateau.

He entered the show at 507 pounds.

For the past several weeks, his teammates have watched him make poor food choices in the kitchen and give up too quickly in the gym. Instead of focusing on losing as much weight as he could through sweat and dieting, Arthur took every opportunity to manipulate the game and send other players home.

Finally, on this week’s episode, Arthur seemed to get it.

His personal trainers made him push a truck by himself so he would feel empowered and confident in his own abilities. It was a challenge he couldn’t do by himself at the beginning of the season without the help of other contestants.

But this time, he grit his teeth and grunted as he pushed the truck carrying his trainers.

When he got on the scale during the weigh-in at the end of the episode, his hard work paid off. He lost 20 pounds.

The real accomplishment was his change in attitude: “You don’t question whether or not you can do it,” he said after pushing the truck. “You know you have to do whatever it takes to get it done.”

Alice Warchol is a fitness instructor and freelance health writer.