Fitness, Biggest Loser Style

Categories: Cookbooks , Entertainment , Health & Nutrition

It's almost time for The Biggest Loser again; the competition is set to air on NBC starting September 16, this time Biggest Loser Families.

At first this concept put me off. I thought is seemed sensationalistic and gratuitous to showcase people who were willing to debase themselves on national television to win a prize. Then I actually watched the show.

There is more than a little bit of "if he can do it, I can do it" inspiration; but, dramatic interpersonal issues aside, this is a terrific learning laboratory. There isn't time on the show to get into details about how the fitness plans are supervised or how the diets and food are decided. All I can say is, these people literally work their butts off.

The Library has Biggest Loser books adapted from the NBC TV show in the collection, all quality guides to health and fitness:

• Biggest Loser Success Secrets: The Wisdom, Motivation, and Inspiration to Lose Weight and Keep It Off (2008)
• Biggest Loser Fitness Program: Fast, Safe, and Effective Workouts to Target and Tone Your Trouble Spots (2007)
• Biggest Loser Cookbook: More Than 125 Healthy Delicious Recipes  (2006)
• Biggest Loser: Weight Loss Program to Transform Your Body, Health, and Life (2005)

The focus here is health and fitness. Yes, the contestants are trying to be the "biggest loser" by taking off more weight (percentage-wise) than their competition. Yes, we get to eavesdrop on personal struggles and watch them as they work through interpersonal power plays. Yes, there is a lot of drama and separation anxiety from families. But watch out: while we are working through issues with someone's attitude ("I'm just playing the game!"), we are becoming more nutrition savvy and educated on exercise.

For example, who knew that using soy sauce as a marinade could interfere with weight loss because its saltiness causes water retention? Or that six little meals rather than 3 moderate ones are better for keeping up energy and discouraging overeating? There are lots of diet and exercise tips, but never is it preachy or self-important. The main point here is to make people think "healthy".

The trainers are wonderful. Each one has a different style, and we can observe how certain methods work with some people that don't work with others.

Probably the strictest as far as physical exercise is Jillian Michaels, author of Winning by Losing (2005) and Making the Cut (2007). She believes in pushing yourself as much as you possibly can physically, but also is very concerned with keeping mind and spirit healthy. Her mother is a psychotherapist and has influenced Jillian in her approach to mental fitness.

Bob Harper seems to motivate people by making them want to please him, more like a best friend who cares. He has been a professional trainer for a long time, and has written Are You Ready? Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get In Shape, and Change Your Life Forever! (2008). He seems to be very good at helping people set attainable goals and motivating them to reach them.

In past seasons, Kim Lyons was also a trainer and has contributed to the books. She is wonderful at building self-esteem, but her style is businesslike: set goals and work like the dickens to achieve them. She has written Your Body, Your Life: The 12-Week Program to Optimum Physical, Mental, and Emotional Fitness (2007).

But, whatever their style, all three trainers have unshakeable confidence and unending patience in helping people work toward their goals.