Most everyone has seen the show, The Biggest Loser, at least once. A small number of participants are chosen from a large group of overweight individuals to live at a ranch and compete for cash based on who can lose the most weight. I was skeptical about a competition about something so personal and life altering, but the show has taken off and spawned a diet plan that people all over the country are now following.
If you’ve ever watched the show, you know that the participants have a lot of weight to lose. Through supervised eating and exercise plans they lose an incredible amount of weight during the course of the show. The exercise segments are rigorous but that is a part of the show’s popularity - the exercise challenges.
The Biggest Loser Club may have started from a reality show but the basis is sound. All of the participants on the show are on a supervised eating plan and their exercise routine is followed by a professional trainer. If you choose to follow this diet plan, you won’t have a personal trainer but you do have access to professional advice on the Biggest Loser Club’s website.
To begin, members of the club set their goals by providing diet and weight information. The eating plan is tailored to the individual’s unique needs. Information is provided on how to manage their eating plan, including portion control, tips for eating out, cooking and much more.
Emphasis is placed on preparing your own meals just like on the show. Frozen meals have preservatives and unwanted sugar and sodium. Using fresh foods and the oils of your choice in place of boxed meals ensures that you know exactly what is in the dishes that you are preparing to eat.
Eating snacks is encouraged but the snacks are different than the usual. Snacks and desserts are prepared using healthy ingredients that taste good. Some of the foods may be new to members but it sure doesn’t hurt to try them out and they have to be better than the chips and cookies most people grab for snacks.
Members can have their favorite foods with a twist. Instead of using ground beef, opt for ground turkey when preparing spaghetti. Use whole wheat noodles instead of those made with white flour. A bit of revamping can keep you eating foods you like without all the excess calories and fat your body is used to.
Exercise is so important to the biggest loser. Without physical activity, the weight won’t budge. Most of the participants haven’t exercised in years mostly due to the weight that they have gained. The program starts off with heavy exercise sessions prescribed by the trainers.
Since you don’t have a trainer available, the website offers suggestions for activities. The main point is to be consistent with the exercise and to choose an exercise that suits you. Before starting any exercise plan consult a doctor. He or she can suggest exercises that won’t send you into cardiac arrest or the doctor with torn or pulled muscles.
By the time you lose the weight, you will have gained all of the tools needed to maintain that weight loss. Family involvement and support helps to keep the weight loss permanent. Working out with a friend and preparing meals with the family equal success on the Biggest Loser Club plan.
