Watching John Rhode take home the title of Season 12 The Biggest Loser, I was inspired once again by the transformation that these contestants experience.
John promised his wife that he would take his Biggest Loser journey at the ranch very seriously. And he did. ”I didn’t waste one single, solitary moment,” he said. ”I feel blessed,” he told The Biggest Loser Club about the outcome of his journey. ”It feels neat to have done your very best.”
Of course, the producers of the show don’t share as much as we would like as to what the “secret sauce” of their tremendous weight loss is, but year after year, its apparent that with hard work, dedication, discipline and drive, its possible to lose almost 50% of your body weight, changing your life for the better!
John Rhodes takes home a $250,000 payday and the title of the Season 12 winner of “The Biggest Loser.” He started at 445 pounds, and now weighs 225 pounds. He lost 220 pounds, or 49.44% of his body weight, but it seems that he is taking home much more than that. He now understands what it means to treat his body with love and respect. He has turned his life around, reversing the onset of diabetes and ensuring his chances of heart disease and other auto immune disorders is diminished.
I mention this as a reminder of what’s possible when we believe in ourselves, set a goal, work daily towards that goal and remind ourselves of why we want to reach it. There will be times when you want to grab a muffin, doughnut, slice of pizza, a bowl of ice cream, or any indulgence you’re used to giving yourself at a whim. You’ve probably grown used to telling yourself that its ok to eat that candy bar because you had such a crappy day, so you deserve it. That life is short, and it wont kill you to eat just one… That you’ll start your new way of eating tomorrow. That there’s just too much going on right now. Life is too stressful. You can’t afford it. You cant figure out how to prepare your meals ahead of time. There’s just no time to be healthy…. But the truth is, there isn’t time NOT to be healthy. Living the life of indulging in processed foods, allergens and overloading on carbs and sweets is a sure path to auto immune disorders, poor quality of life, weight gain, and overall decreased health. Your activity levels will decrease, your energy will diminish, you’ll find yourself popping pharmaceutical pills like candy and your overall passion for life will falter. I know from experience.
So today I challenge you to pick just one item that you have grown addicted to; soda, candy, chocolate, carbs… the idea is to start off slowly and eliminate it for a month. To be honest, I don’t expect to see much change in your weight or health with this small step, but what I do hope is that you will learn that you are capable of living without something you once though you just didn’t have the energy, drive, time or money (yes, most of us associate living healthy with costing too much money) to do without. My hope is you will continue to eliminate other foods which you are attached to, and before long, you will begin to add in small daily doses of movement which will help motivate you to continue to change your food choices.
The contestants on the Biggest Loser have the luxury of a personal trainer and chef; most of us don’t have that, so it’s up to you to make your path on your own. But remember, you’re surrounded by a community of people facing the same challenges, working through it with you, and will be there to motivate and encourage along the way.
Your path is fully in your hands; it’s up to you to realize you’re not too old, too heavy, too sick or too sad. These are all side effects of the poor nutritional values we’ve been taught to date, and with desire comes the drive to make the changes needed to turn your life around.
I can’t wait to hear of your progress!
In good health,
Jen
