Thursday, April 30, 2009

Filipe Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser

Sione Fa and Filipe Fa with their trainer BobYou know it's a competitive climate on The Biggest Loser when you lose 10 pounds in a week and it's still not enough to keep you from falling below the yellow line!

This week it ended up being Ron and Filipe that fell below the yellow line.

At the weigh-in, each player outdid the person before. Ron lost 9 pounds. Filipe overtook him with a 10-pound loss. Helen overtook Filipe with a 7-pound loss. Mike lost 11 pounds and ended up pushing his father below the yellow line. Then Tara lost 8 pounds, pushing Filipe below the yellow line. As soon as Filipe fell below the yellow line, he knew he was going home.

The two votes that sent him packing was from Mike and Helen. Mike obviously wasn't going to send his dad home and Helen voted for Filipe because she recognized him as the biggest threat.

After being told he was not The Biggest Loser, Filipe said, “I’ve lost 130 lbs. in 17 weeks,” he said. “How can I be sad?” Well said!

Tuesday night's show began with the contestants watching their first workouts on video. Helen laughed at her frizzy hair; Filipe saw an unhappy person who has made a big change in attitude. Mike remarked, “17 weeks ago, I couldn't even run a 5K. Now, I've run a half marathon!”

In the challenge, contestants raced each other carrying their original weight across 16 sand hills. At the top of each hill, they removed the amount of weight the lost that week on the ranch until the end, where they could symbolically throw away all the “baggage.” Tara won the challenge, of course! She had a choice of either taking a 1-pound advantage at the weigh-in or taking a $10,000 cash prize. She opted for the 1-pound advantage which meant the $10,000 went to the second-place finisher - Mike.

It was fun watching the contestants 'Train the Trainer', where they got the chance to exact revenge on their taskmasters. Bob enjoyed the challenge while Jillian dreaded it. Pouring with sweat at the end, Bob admitted, “They wiped the floor with me.” Tara tried her best to get Jillian to cry but to no avail.

Filipe Fa's Before and After PicsFilipe Fa, a 26-year-old lube technician from Mesa, Arizona, arrived on the ranch weighing 364 pounds. He left the ranch weighing 234 pounds, for a total of 130 pounds lost.

While watching Filipe's "Where Are They Now?" video, Filipe was disappointed that he'd only lost 13 pounds since being home. He said once he got home, he struggled with finding the balance between family, work, and exercise.

Unfortunately, it took his dad experiencing a stroke to get Filipe back on track. He started a community exercise class in his back yard and is fulfilling his dream of leading the group as their fitness trainer. Now that both Filipe and his cousin, Sione are both home, they are competing for the $100,000 'at-home' prize.

The final four contestants, Tara, Helen, Mike, and Ron were all sent home for thirty days and will return to the ranch afterwards, for one final weigh-in prior to the finale, May 12th.

So, who do you think will win... Mike or Tara?

Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Posts:

Kristin Steede Is Not The Biggest Loser

Laura Denoux Is Not The Biggest Loser

Sione Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Monday, April 27, 2009

Just Truckin' Along...

Jack LaLanne's Power JuicerI did a 3-day juice fast (Thursday-Saturday) and lost 3 pounds! I've been eating low-carb since Sunday.

This Saturday, May 2nd, I will begin ER Fat Burn Detox. I'm really looking forward to it!

I've been told that this detox program is quite unique.

Thanks for reading!

Laura





© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Juice Fast - Day 1

Jack LaLanne's Power JuicerIf you've been keeping up with me, you know that I will soon start ER Fat Burn's Detox on May 2nd. I'm not 100% sure of what the Detox entails but I'm pretty sure it will be a diet consisting of non-starchy fruits and non-starchy veggies.

I decided last night that I didn't want to wait until May 2nd, so today I started a juice fast. Fasting always makes me feel good. I even went for a bike ride after work and it felt fantastic! I can tell I'm getting in better shape.

I have fasted many times in the past and this is the first time I can remember where I didn't struggle on the first day. I know it has everything to do with the fact that I stayed true to the ER Fat Burn program for 5 weeks straight without one bit of cheating. I can tell that something has changed inside me and I feel unbelievably strong. I really feel like I'm going to be able to reach my weight goal this time and keep it off for good!

Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Article:

Breaking the Chains of Food Addiction - Starting A Fast


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Kristin Steede Is Not The Biggest Loser

Kristin Steede and Cathy SkellOkay, I confess I was out bike riding when The Biggest Loser was on Tuesday night. I had the VCR (I know... I'm way behind the times) set to record so I was able to catch up on what I missed.

I've been so busy that I just now watched the first hour of the show. Turns out I didn't miss much.

Cage ChallengeThe only thing I enjoyed watching was the contestants participating in the Cage Challenge. Naturally, Tara won. But the fun part to me was when Filipe started shaking his cage which made everyone's cage move. See, they were inside a cage that was suspended by a crane, 45 feet in the air! So anyway, I started cracking up because Helen and Kristin were freaking out and yelling at Filipe. Helen threated to kick Filipe's backside. Kristin was stone-faced just struggling to stifle her fear and hang on for dear life.

Mike was the first to fall. He said he was afraid of heights so he wasted no time letting go of the rope. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell ya. They had to hold onto a rope that was supporting their own weight. The Ron Don was next to go as he was adjusting his hand and the rope slipped. Rowdy Filipe was bent over so it was obvious he was having trouble. He was doing all the yelling and shaking to try and make others slip because he knew he was about to go down. Sure enough, he was next to fall. Three guys on the ground, three gals in the air. Girl Power!!! Kristin was next to fall, then Helen and of course, Tara won.

What did she win, you ask? Only $10,000 smackers! She was told she could either take the money -- or -- trade it in on a one pound advantage at the weigh in. I'll save you the suspense and tell you, she took the money. Turns out, she didn't need the one pound advantage either. But honestly, who is really surprised at this point? The girl is a MACHINE!

The rest of the show was pretty boring, in my opinion. Helen and Kristin fell below the yellow line at the weigh-in. Helen lost a pound, which wasn't surprising as she had lost a whopping 7 pounds the previous week. Kristin, on the other hand, gained a pound! Eeeeks! That's a killer every time. Sure enough, Kristin was voted to go home. It ended up being a tie vote. Ron and Filipe voted for Helen to leave while Tara and Mike voted for Kristin to go home. Since Kristin had the least body weight loss percentage, she had to go.

I found it humorous, when Kristin said she felt sad for Mike because he took the coward's way out and eliminated his competition instead of going head to head with her. What part of the word "game" does Kristin not understand? Mike made a smart move and that's all there is to it. I mean, there's a quarter of a million dollars going to the winner of this thing!

I did think it was cold however, for Ron to play Kristin the way he did. He was all like, "I promised your mother I would keep you in the game... Blah Blah Blah Blah." And then, behind her back he tells Mike, "You know, Kristin's your biggest competition." Then he gives Kristin a shocked look when he sees that his son voted for Kristin to go home. Give me a break, Don Ron! That's just wrong anyway you look at it. Shoot straight or shut up!

Kristin Steede's before and after picsKristin Steede, a 29-year-old business owner from Greenville, Wisconsin, was the heaviest woman ever to compete on The Biggest Loser. She arrived on the ranch weighing 360 pounds and she weighed 244 pounds when she was voted off the show. In her "Where Are They Now?" video, she announced that she weighs 215 pounds for a total weight loss of 145 pounds! Kristin's goal is to eventually get down to 180 pounds and I have no doubt that she will reach her goal.

Kristin is excited that she now has the opportunity to 'pay it forward' by sharing what she's learned with others. Kristin's "Where Are They Now?" video made me cry it is so inspirational. Check it out here.

I can hardly wait to see how everyone looks at the finale, May 12th!

Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Posts:

Laura Denoux Is Not The Biggest Loser

Sione Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser

Nicole Brewer Is Not The Biggest Loser...Again


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Laura Denoux Is Not The Biggest Loser

Laura Denoux and Tara CostaWhew, what an emotional night! I shed some tears - some happy, some sad.

Last night was the big Tim Gunn make-over show and it was fun to watch. I thought everybody looked great but Tara looked amazing!

The Biggest Loser Makeover ResultsIt was sad to see Mike's brother, Max, fall apart when he saw how good his dad and brother looked after their makeovers. Max felt like the odd-man-out, being 'the big one' in the family. Mike told his brother that he and his dad would help him lose the weight too.

Another sad event was learning that Laura had suffered a stress fracture to her hip. Dr. H. told Laura she couldn't do any weight-bearing exercise until her hip bone healed, which would take at least 3 months. Adding insult to injury, Laura gained 3 pounds at the weigh-in. Ugh!

Weigh-In

Mike won the all-time record for the most pounds lost while on the ranch (145 pounds in 15 weeks - WOW!). And Helen lost an amazing 7 pounds! Due to Laura's hip fracture, she had to be carried to the scale by Filipe and Mike.

Mike: 248 lbs-5=243 lbs
Ron: 308 lbs-6=302 lbs
Tara: 186 lbs-4=182 lbs
Filipe: 252 lbs-5=247 lbs
Helen: 169 lbs-7=162 lbs
Kristin: 245 lbs-2=243 lbs
Laura: 205 lbs+3=208 lbs

Laura sent Sione home last week so it was interesting that Felipe's vote is what sent Laura home this week. In my opinion, the group made a bad game move. They should've sent Kristin home. since she is by far the bigger threat.

Laura Denoux before and after picsLaura Denoux is a 24 year-old Sales Director (and former plus-size model) from Miami, Florida. Laura weighed 285 pounds when she arrived on The Biggest Loser ranch. At the time of her "Where Are They Now?" video, Laura weighed 208 pounds, for a total weight loss of 77 pounds!

She is tickled that despite her hip injury, she's been able to workout regularly and maintain her weight loss. Laura's goal is to continue losing weight and hopes to reach her goal of losing 100 pounds by the finale.

Here's a quote from Laura's "Where Are They Now?" video:

"I love my new life. I can't believe how much losing 77 pounds can do for somebody. The Biggest Loser has definitely changed my life forever."

Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Posts:

Sione Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser

Nicole Brewer Is Not The Biggest Loser...Again

Aubrey Cheney Is Not The Biggest Loser


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Keester - I Mean Easter!



© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Sione Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser

Sione Fa and Filipe Fa with their trainer BobLast night's show was my favorite so far this season of The Biggest Loser.

It all started out with...

The Wrath of 'The Don' Ron

When Ron got back after the elimination vote, he thanked those who voted to save him. Then he said, "Those who didn't, may you get struck down and die." DIE? Is this guy for real? I mean, didn't Ron vote for Filipe to go home the week before? Earth to Ron: This is a game, you ding dong. There's a whopping quarter million dollars on the line! What an idiot. But now on to my favorite part of the show...

The Silver Platter Surprise

The contestants walked into the gym and saw Alison Sweeney standing among 100 silver platters. Alison informed the players that this would be a temptation challenge and that they would all be competing for the biggest prize in Biggest Loser history. Most trays contained high-calorie foods, a few contained Extra sugar-free gum along with a cash prize, but only one tray contained a golden ticket which would empower the person who finds it to have the one and only vote at this week's elimination. Alison told the contestants that they could choose not to play but if they wanted to win a prize, they had to eat whatever they found inside the silver platter.

They all hesitated when Alison said 'GO!' but eventually they started meandering among the silver platters. Laura opened up her tray and found a 100 calorie Coke she had to drink; Tara had to eat a 520 calorie cupcake; Kristin had to eat a 338 calorie pretzel; Every time someone ate or drank, Alison would shout out the calorie content of the things they were eating or drinking. Ron's first two platters contained cash prizes - the first one for $500 and the second one for $1000. After they had blown through over 50 silver platters, Laura finally found the golden ticket. She hooped - she hollered - she went plum crazy! Oh yeah, before she found the golden ticket, Laura also found a tray containing $5000 dollars. Now, that - I would have went crazy over.

I cracked up when Helen said, "That pretzel is going to stick right to my ass. That's what's going to happen." HA! The way she said it was hilarious.

Here's the breakdown of what the contestants ate in calories:

Laura - 1125 calories
Tara - 4600 calories
Kristin - 886 calories
Sione - 2105 calories
Filipe - no info given
Helen - 1600 calories
Mike - 1500 calories
Ron - 1506 calories

Tara ate 4600 calories worth of junk food! She said she wasn't going to let anything - and I mean ANYTHING - get in her way of finding that ticket. Lucky for her, Tara's teammate, Laura, found the golden ticket. Tara was ecstatic! Kristin decided to stop eating after a couple of high-calorie silver trays. She decided it wasn't worth eating all those empty calories and risk falling below the yellow line.

After the challenge was over, Bob and Jillian walked into the gym to find the contestants picking up the silver platters strewn all over the floor. They all got a good chewing out from the trainers about how pitiful they were to participate in such a challenge and then suffered through the 'Trainer's Revenge' workout.

Later, Bob asked his team how the elimination vote went down. Ron told Bob that Filipe, Sione, and Helen voted to send him home. I thought it was funny when Bob said he would never want to be on Ron’s bad side. What amazes me is that everyone on the ranch is scared of him. They have two nicknames for him: The Godfather and Hatchet Man. Tara said, "I'd be afraid if I were Sione and Filipe. They might find a horse's head in their beds." Hehehehe! That cracked me up. In the background you could hear Godfather music playing.

The Rose Bowl Challenge

The contestants met Alison at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. The players were told they would have to run the stairs - boys against girls. The first two to get their colored flag to the 50-yard line would have a face-off by doing the drill again. The winner of the challenge would win a four-person two-week trip to the Fitness Ridge Resort and Spa in Ivins, Utah. The face-off ended up being between Tara (who else?) and Sione and as expected, Tara won the challenge. GIRL POWER!

Weigh-In

What an awesome week for Laura. She won the golden ticket plus $5000 dollars, was served breakfast in bed by Kristen, and then to top it off, she lost the most body weight percentage! Weigh (I mean way) to go!

Laura, -8 pounds, 214 lbs to 206 lbs, 3.76%
Ron, -9 pounds, 317 lbs to 308 lbs, 2.84%
Filipe, -7 pounds, 259 lbs to 252 lbs, 2.70%
Kristin, -6 pounds, 251 lbs to 245 lbs, 2.39%
Mike, -5 pounds, 253 lbs to 248 lbs, 1.98%
Tara, -3 pounds, 189 lbs to 186 lbs, 1.59%
Sione, -4 pounds, 260 lbs to 256 lbs, 1.54%
Helen, -2 pounds, 171 lbs to 169 lbs, 1.17%

Laura's Got The Power

Laura took Helen and Sione to the side and asked them why they should be the one to stay on the ranch. Sione told her if she kept him, he would help her stay on the ranch. Helen told Laura she didn't want to leave because she didn't feel she was ready to continue on at home.

Sione told Filipe that should he be the one to leave that he has to win for him. Filipe told him that he loved him and then they did a traditional Tongan dance in their room.

Sione Fa before and after picsLaura told Helen and Sione that shewas doing what is best for her right now. Since Helen has been there for her every step of the way in the game, she decided to send Sione home.

Sione Fa, a 28-year-old landscape owner from Mesa, Arizona, is in the process of becoming a personal trainer and will soon be certified. Sione's "Where Are They Now?" video shows him training members of his family.

Sione weighed 372 pounds when he arrived on The Biggest Loser campus and now weighs 235 pounds for a total of 137 pounds lost!

Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Posts:

Nicole Brewer Is Not The Biggest Loser...Again

Aubrey Cheney Is Not The Biggest Loser

Cathy Skell Is Not The Biggest Loser


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Nicole Brewer Is Not The Biggest Loser...Again

Nicole Brewer before and after picsCheck out that picture! Doesn't she look awesome? In her 'before' picture, she is wearing a size 24 wedding dress. In her 'after' picture, she is wearing a size 12! Her goal is to actually get married wearing a size 8 wedding dress.

Nicole Brewer, a 37-year-old wardrobe stylist from Brooklyn, New York, is engaged to Damien Gurganious. Nicole was sent home at the end of the first week of The Biggest Loser. You can watch Nicole and Damien's first "Where Are They Now?" video here. At that time, Nicole had lost a total of 76 pounds. Nicole's second "Where Are They Now?" video shows how she looks after losing a total of 105 pounds!

Ali Vincent, season 5 winner, guest-hosted the show since Alison Sweeney recently gave birth. Ali won the title after being sent home for five weeks, so she was the perfect choice to introduce Estella, David, and Nicole, who were sent home at the end of the first week of competition and never returned because their partners had been eliminated.

It was easy to see which one would win the scale-war and you could tell the other contestants were scared stiff. Since arriving on the ranch, Nicole has lost a mind-numbing 87 pounds, amounting to a 32.34% percentage loss - second only to Tara. As a result of the weigh-in, Nicole was also given immunity at the next weigh-in. Immunity? Well, how did she get voted off then, you ask? She gained 5 pounds! I know, I couldn't believe it either. I didn't know immunity was contingent upon how much a player weighs.

Highlights of the show:
  • Ron was rushed to the hospital, after experiencing chest pains. Luckily, the problem was not his heart but rather a bleeding ulcer. He was treated and then sent back to the ranch.

  • Tara had a partial breakdown during a talk with Jillian where she lamented that she was terribly scared of going home and gaining all the weight back. She said she wants to stay on the ranch long enough to discover why she gained over a hundred pounds in a year and a half.

  • At the weigh-in... Tara became the second woman in TBL history to lose over 100 pounds while on the ranch (the first woman was Kristin last week); Laura gained a pound and started to tear-up; Ron gained 3 pounds, due in part to all the fluids he was given at the hospital. But the shocker of all shockers was finding out that Nicole had gained 5 pounds! I still can't believe it. Not surprisingly, Ron and Nicole fell below the yellow line. It ended up with 3 votes for Ron and 3 votes for Nicole. Kristin gave the tie-breaking vote and sent Nicole packing. I was sad for Nicole because I think it was time for Ron to go home, but hey - what do I know?
Thanks for reading!

Laura




Related Posts:

Aubrey Cheney Is Not The Biggest Loser

Cathy Skell Is Not The Biggest Loser

Mandi Kramer Is Not The Biggest Loser


© 2008 Thanks for taking the time to read A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle. Please feel free to peruse my blog for more great content. PurpleGreenPops.com

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...