Anyone else getting Biggest Loser fever? Or is that just the 100 degree temps and humidity? If you are in fact antsy for September to get here already – I have a few nuggets for you to chew on in the mean time.

Season Six

Host Alison Sweeney announced that she is pregnant. NBC has also made it know that this season will have teams of families competing to lose weight. While Biggest Loser continues to inspire people around the world to lose weight and start living healthier lives, maybe this will be the catalyst to get entire families on board. Jillian and Bob are back for more butt-kicking-in-the-gym fun. Kim Lyons from seasons one through four will not be rejoining. Chef Rocco will be making more appearances to help teach the cast how to cook nutritiously. And, the Biggest Loser Meal Plan is supposed to a bigger part of the cast’s eating.

“Biggest Loser: Families” will premiere Tuesday, September 16.

 Season Seven

Hurry! They are casting right now! You’ll need to visit NBC to get all of the application details, and download the application. They are casting for couples, so expect another “Biggest Loser: Couples” to premiere in January. You must be 18, a legal U.S. resident, submit a 10 minute video with you and your teammate and a photo of each. Good Luck!!

UPDATE 8/21/08: CASTING FOR SEASON 7 IS NOW CLOSED.

When Season Six Biggest Loser premiers in September, one member of the cast won’t be trying to lose any weight at all. Host Alison Sweeney told the Season Six cast (currently filming) just recently that she is expecting her second child (son Ben is 3 1/2). The baby is due January 20, 2009, just weeks after Season Six finale airs, and right after Season Seven begins. During her September 16, 2008 appearance on the Today Show, Alison announced that she is expecting a girl.

We wish Alison a healthy and safe pregnancy!

A major component to weight lose is cutting the amount of calories you take in and increasing the amount of calories you burn.  Watching portion sizes, eating a well-balanced diet, working out regularly, etc. are all essential to weight loss and weight maintenance.  A tricky thing to watch out for is foods that provide you with empty calories.  Simply put, empty calories are foods that have a high amount of calories and fat, but hold very little nutritional value.  These empty calorie foods lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which as we all know are essential components in our diet.  Empty calories are most commonly found in processed foods, a short list includes:
- Baked goods
- Fried foods
- Refined foods
- Candy
- Soda
- Chips
- Alcoholic beverages
- Juices (those that are not 100% juice)
- Butter and Margarine
- Sauces and Gravies

How do you avoid these empty calories?

Plan ahead.  Know what you will be eating during the course of the day.  Pack your lunch if you will not be home during the day.  This will help you avoid joining the rest of your co-workers going to the local fast food joint.  Pack fruit or cut up veggies for your day time snack, this can help you fight the after-lunch/before dinner hunger and will prevent you from wandering to the vending machines in search of empty calories… I mean a snack.

Avoid fried foods.  Switch your fried chicken for a grilled or baked skinless chicken breast.  Not only will this help to cut calories, but you may even notice you feel better (eating fried foods has a way of sitting heavy in the stomach and making you feel sluggish).

Drink water.  Making this switch from soda to water will help slim down your waist!

Limit your sweets.  Try to avoid eating sugary sweets and baked goods, replace them with fruit.  Most fruits are sweet and all will provide you with vitamins and minerals!

Cut down on sauces and gravies.  These can add some serious calories to your meal.  If you can’t do it cold turkey, put the normal amount of sauce/gravy you would use on the side.  Dip your food into it every other bite.  You’ll be amazed at how much will be left over (which equals fewer calories you consumed).

Because of my recent success on the “Biggest Loser” I have had many wonderful opportunities to share my story with others. It is my hope that sharing my journey will not only inspire others to lead healthier lives, but realize that anything is possible given a clear goal and hard work.  I have shared my journey with audiences across this great country from Los Angeles to New York.  I am honored that I am able to share my story with so many people, however I am quickly finding that the more I’m on the road the harder it is to maintain a workout and diet routine.

One of the things that I speak about when sharing my story is the importance of taking “ME” time, no matter how busy you find yourself. However, given my hectic schedule and the amount of traveling I have been doing lately, I am quickly finding out that setting aside “ME” time is easier said than done. Yesterday, for example, I found myself at a Children’s Health and Nutrition Expo in Philadelphia and although I managed to eat healthy by packing snacks and ordering smart, I wasn’t able to make it to a gym or go for a run.

At first, I was really disappointed then I realized that feeling guilty about missing a workout was something the “Old Bernie” would have done.  Instead of viewing my missed workout as a failure I am choosing to use it as an opportunity to share with everyone the fact that just like many of you I am still figuring this out as I go, and am in fact experiencing some speed bumps along the way. I’ve come to the conclusion that I alone define “ME” time and that the most important thing is that during these rough patches I take time to reflect on my successes and use them to fuel my journey and not allow the occasional bumps to slow me down.

Years ago, Alanis Morissette caught some flack for not understanding irony. If you need refreshing, her song Ironic was filled with lines that were put forth as irony, but were really just some bad luck.

It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take

Anyway, Alanis, if you’re reading this – here is irony:

Researchers from Stanford University in California think they may have found a treatment for cancer using tobacco. They are using tobacco plants for an antibody chemical specific to the cells which cause follicular B-cell lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The BBC explains more about this interesting development.