Well, we know one thing for sure: Allen is NOT The Biggest Loser. At this point, it's no longer heartbreaking for someone to go home--after all, they were all going home the next day. It's about who's going to take home the big prize now! The final four are: Liz, Rudy, Danny & Amanda. Next week they'll probably do what they do every season--the bottom two contestants will be voted on for the finale & won't know until they are on live TV on December 8th. But who knows, we'll find out next Tuesday for sure!
This episode was like most 'last week on campus' episodes: very nostalgic. They lay it on a bit thick if you ask me. There were the heart to heart talks (Amanda & Bob's nonsexual love affair anyone?), the song written by and sung by a contestant (Danny), the crying (Liz), the talk of gratefulness/2nd chances/getting my life back & the fear of 'going back'. The proverbial challenge where they put all their weight back on and take it off a little at a time to mirror the season (this time with weighted footballs)...it was nice for Allen, he won the ProBowl tickets this year, so that's cool!
Suze Orman showed up and discussed the staggering statistics of how much money we, as a country, spend on obesity-related health care ($100's of billions every year!). Also, the fact that an obese employee is paid, on average, $7000 less than their fit counterpart. It appears Suze had individual sessions with each of the contestants, talking about the stresses of money leading to people overeating--really essentially acting as a life coach in this area for these contestants.
Here's the link to the weekly chart: Download Biggest loser8 wk11
After the show Allen appeared on the Jay Leno show & he looked great! He stated he now weights 200 lbs, he's wearing his wedding ring again (something he wasn't able to do for 8 years!). I didn't know this, but not only is Allen a firefighter, but also a caterer & a county coroner! He cooked a healthy pizza with Jay & fellow guest Charles Barkley (who needed some tutoring to slim down himself)! On the pizza--no salt marinara, peppers (red, green, yellow), mushrooms, onions, turkey pepperoni, toful italian sausage & lowfat mozzarela. I thought it looked delicious, but it was panned by Jay & Charles (who for a man who was supposedly running for governor a few months ago, had awful pronunciation--he said 'veg-a-tables' over and over again!).
Here's the link to the 'where are they now' video...I got a little teary-eyed when his wife discussed how they really weren't close before he got on the show, but that this had brought them closer & they had reconnected (oh, he also mentioned on Jay Leno that he & his wife were trying for another baby). Congrats Allen on your incredible weight loss!
I didn't think I would need to re-visit this...but, ahem...fitness instructor at the gym today really showed her ass (and I don't mean that in the figurative sense).
So, AGAIN, when you wear black workout pants they may seem to be opaque, but when you bend and stretch they become see-through. Yes. They all do. Even the thick ones.
Now you know when it's really bad? When the buxom fitness instructor is doing squats directly in front of you, and she bends and her butt is facing you and then you look and realize you can see everything (and I do mean everything!). I mean really, she's the instructor--EVERYONE is going to be looking at her butt just to see what they are suppose to be doing! And yep, commando folks!
And while we're on the subject, can we please stop wearing thongs under your workout gear unless you have like 8% body fat. It's like if you wear your Saturday night date bra to the gym--not quite the same support for the girls...so when you're wearing that thong, honey your cottontail is wagging all over the place. Keep the thong for everything else, but maybe stick to the boy shorts for gym...please.
What do you think??? What underwear is best for the gym???
So it's Thanksgiving week! So excited....but I know there are those of you shaking in fear because you know this is the time of year you can easily pack on 10-15 lbs. between this week & the 2nd week of January. Maybe it's time to change your story! Instead of same old-same old, make this the year you maintain, or better yet, lose weight this Holiday season! How? Simple: PLAN. You heard right, plan it out!
This week for instance I know that I have relatives coming and it's easy to miss a workout. Well, instead of waiting to plan until the day of, I know exactly what I'm doing this week. And everyone else will just plan around it or go on without me.
Another important thing to remember: take a daily walk after dinner. Make it a family event if you'd like. Catch up with your Great Aunt Sally over a 3 mile walk after Thanksgiving dinner. You don't need workout attire, but the simple act of moving around will keep your metabolism going and keep you from stuffing yourself to the breaking point!
Good luck--and don't forget the silly, but true old adage: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
Happy Thanksgiving week :-)
Local gym memberships can range from $20/month to well over $200/month. But if money is tight, does that mean you have to resign yourself to a life without fitness? No way sister! Here are some fitness tips to liven up your gym-free life!
First, make every attempt to lead an active lifestyle. Things like: parking as far away as possible, walking to the train, taking the stairs, doing your own yard work & gardening really add up.
For moms of young kids, do you ever find yourself in awe of their energy, their core strength (monkey bars anyone?) & that exercise is fun for them? Well, maybe it’s time to join the kids!
For the real fitness buffs out there who are looking for something with a bit more substance:
If you're anything like (the old) me, then you may have been sort of jealous of a confession of an anorexic that they ate only melba toast, carrots & black coffee for 4-6 months at a time. Hell, if you've ever been obese you know that the go through times when it's hard to eat less than 4000 calories a day! To have that kind of will power is admirable, right? Um, wrong-o.
Really, anorexia & morbid obesity are equally as bad...If you look at eating/health habits on a continuum, it may look something like this:
Eating to Live
No one wants to be in the fringe. Let's for a second think about the life of an anorexic--they have the same shame as those of us who overeat, they know they have bad eating habits, but different from us, they seemingly get lots of attention, 'good attention' told they look great, idolized by most mainstream magazines, and unless they become 'bony' most friends and family members will continue to give them positive attention for their body. On some levels I think it may be harder to change in that climate, whereas there are so many more resources and ways to get positive attention when you are losing weight.
Fundamentally, we all want the same thing...we want food to be something that sustains our bodies, and isn't tied to emotional issues. To have food be a non-issue in our lives is a huge goal for both anorexics and morbidly obese people. We are not enemies, but allies. We can learn from one another and support one another.
Alanis Morissette's recent interview with December's issue of Health Magazine (on newstands Nov. 24th) and CNN shows a confident, strong, self-actualized woman who has overcome her issues with food & can now concentrate on the things that are really important to her, 'integrating all the parts of me -- jock, musician, writer, poet, philosopher -- and becoming stronger as a result.'
I applaud Ms. Morissette for sharing her story and her journey & hope more people can come to experience the success she has, regardless of where they fall on the eating spectrum!
See the CNN article below:
(CNN) -- Alanis Morissette was the definition of "fierce" when she arrived on the American music scene with one of the big break-up songs of the '90s, "You Oughta Know." But behind that tough exterior were secrets of a difficult past.
"As a teen, I was both anorexic and bulimic," Alanis Morissette recently told Health magazine for its December issue. "I was a young woman in the public eye, on the receiving end of a lot of attention, and I was trying to protect myself from men who were using their power in ways I was too young to know how to handle."
By the time Morissette was 14, she had already starred in a popular Canadian children's show, started her own record label and had a publishing contract with MCA Canada, according to her Web site.
"Disappointment, sadness and pain hit me hard, and I tried to numb those feelings through my relationship with food. For four to six months at a time, I would barely eat. I lived on a diet of Melba toast, carrots, and black coffee," she said. "I began recovering at 18, when a sweet friend confronted me."
Now that she's older, Morissette, 35, said she's no longer starving herself and has begun to look at eating as "a sort of spiritual practice." Her healthier view of food and nutrition is thanks in no small part to a book she discovered a few years ago called "Eat to Live."
"It's become my bible, pushing me to completely reorient my thinking about what to put into my body. ... Now I concentrate on eating high-nutrient foods like fruit, nuts, collards, kale and spinach. I'm obsessed with them. I even put spinach in my smoothies," the Canadian musician admitted.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner has also sworn off dairy, on a tip from Woody Harrelson, no less. "Woody Harrelson [told] me I needed to get rid of the dairy in my fridge to clear up my skin," she said.
It's had a positive effect: Morissette said her skin "looks great now."
But all of that health consciousness doesn't mean Morissette has lost appreciation for the more delectable things in life. "Don't get me wrong," she said in the interview, "I still indulge in a glass of wine or chocolate -- treats are mandatory. Without deviating from the day-to-day healthy diet once in a while, it wouldn't be sustainable for me, and that's what I wanted: an approach to eating to last my entire life."
Resolving her issues with food and body image has helped Morissette to develop clarity in other areas of her life as well.
"I'm really clear about what my life mission is now. There's no more depression or lethargy, and I feel like I've returned to the athlete I once was. I'm integrating all the parts of me -- jock, musician, writer, poet, philosopher -- and becoming stronger as a result," she said.
"I hope my effort shows any woman battling an eating disorder or poor body image that she's not alone -- support is out there -- and inspires her to discover her inner athlete. It doesn't matter what your fitness-skill level is."
Health magazine's December issue hits newsstands November 24.
Made a delicious dinner last night of grilled tilapia (I love my George foreman grill) with a warm mango salsa & broiled zucchini & yellow squash- yum!
For the zucchini:
Cut up veggies, put in large bowl (that has a fitted lid), add fresh garlic, fresh Rosemary, ground pepper, 1/2 tbsp evoo, a pinch of sea salt. Place lid, shake it up--put on broiler pan & put under broiler for 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!
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