The Biggest Loser: Finding Your Potential

One of the reasons people love watching The Biggest Loser is to witness the extremes. Where else but on a television show can someone lose 100 pounds in a handful of weeks. Or stick to a clean, healthy diet for eight weeks with no cheating after years of bingeing on junk food. So much of this popular show is hard to achieve at home.

But there are moments during the personal training sessions on the show which apply readily to anybody trying to lose weight. Scenes like that give the show its credibility.

This week, contestants plowed away on their treadmills for hours to burn as many calories as they could. The stakes were high. Two people were going to be sent home from one of the show’s two teams.

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels pushed her team members to sprint at 12 miles per hour. That’s not an easy feat for people at a normal weight, let alone someone who has more than 100 pounds to lose. Just weeks before, these same contestants were barely able to sprint at 8 miles per hour. It was a surprising revelation for several of them. They couldn’t believe what they were able to do.

And here’s what Michaels had to say: What else in your life are you doing half way?

Think about it. If you’re trying to get into shape, are you really doing everything you can? Are you exercising as many days as you could? Or are you skipping workouts because you did it the day before or plan to do it tomorrow?

How about your meals? Are you eating yogurt but it’s loaded with sugar? Are you buying oatmeal that features maple syrup? Will you reach your goal?

Maybe half of it.

Learn About Healthy Eating with a Nutritional Analysis

Alice Warchol is a fitness instructor and freelance health writer.