Don’t think that the confetti falls on the Biggest Loser finale and the contestants walk away with a clean bill of health and a pass to settle in to their new reality. No, for many, there can still be much work to do on their weight, continued learning on fitness and nutrition, and the effort to instill new healthy habits. That is the case for season nine finalist Ashley Johnston and season nine at-home winner Koli Palu.
The two spent the past week at the Biggest Loser Resort, where Ashley says she’s still working to trim away an additional 15 pounds to reach her goal. She says she’s not in any hurry though, and happy to lose it at a slow, healthy rate of about two pounds per week. Joining her is Koli, who transversely is working to gain weight. He says his finale weight of 188 pounds “would be impossible” to maintain, and he’s working to reach the 220-230 range, a weight he thinks is healthy and sustainable.
Ashley and Koli aren’t just good friends spending a week at the Resort, though. It broke last week that the two are now a couple, a relationship they say was founded in becoming the best of friends at the ranch, and that they decided to push to the next level during their recent trip to the San Francisco Triathlon. When asked why Biggest Loser turns out so many lasting relationships, as opposed to the many failures by Bachelor and Bachelorette, he says “this is experience is totally real” and bashes the idea of meeting someone and falling in love in a brief four-week period.
Watch now to hear the happy duo talk more about their weight loss, what they love about the Biggest Loser Ranch, and to hear about their blossoming romance.
Everyone thinks that those who are fortunate enough to be cast on NBC’s Biggest Loser have all the luck in the world and that weight loss comes easier for them than the rest of us. Not entirely true. They might lose the weight quickly in a fairy tale-like setting, but at some point, they each return home to reality. The majority of these TV weight loss stars keep the weight off, but it’s not without a lot of effort. Heba Salama is one such star.
Heba was the at-home winner of Biggest Loser’s season six, becoming the first woman to hold the title. She lost 138 pounds that season, and has worked every day since to maintain her healthy new lifestyle. These days Heba says she “focuses more on the size of my clothes now,” an ideal indicator that can sometimes be more telling than scale weight.
Heba spent the past two weeks at the Biggest Loser Resort, in Ivins, Utah and talked to us about her journey post-Loser. She also told us about her time at the Resort, how she loves the hiking and see the fellow guests’ success. Watch the video below to hear Heba catch us up on her experience at the Resort and what life is like at home with Ed Brantley, her husband and Biggest Loser teammate. (more…)
UPDATE: Max lost a total of 47 pounds during his five-week stay at the Biggest Loser Resort in July 2024.
We first met Max Morelli in the fall of 2024 almost by accident. It was Biggest Loser season seven, and his father and brother, Ron and Mike Morelli, were competing as the brown team. The show often briefly introduces us to contestants’ families, but they are usually a distant sub story to what’s really going on at the ranch. But Max was different, and the moment he was introduced to America, we all fell in love with him.
While Mike and Ron were sweating it out on the show, Max, at 16-years old, was at home weighing about 425 pounds. He says he never realized he was that big until he saw their transformations during makeover week, and it became his wake-up call. We saw raw emotion from Max as he sobbed in his older brother’s arms, making it clear that he wanted to experience the same success.
“I felt awkward and didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he says about his accidental appearance on the show and subsequent popularity. “I was just being myself. My emotions were real, the conversations were real, it was me being me.”
Watch our interview with Max in its entirety. The once painfully shy young teen is clearly a more confident, happier and even more mature young man.
During the nearly ten-season history of the wildly popular NBC program “The Biggest Loser,” millions of Americans have sought the same guidance for creating a similar lifestyle for themselves. While an estimated quarter-million applicants vie for a limited 20-or-so spots each season, show executives recognize a need for more access. Without actually earning a spot on the coveted ranch, Biggest Loser products like Wii games, online weight loss programs and workout DVDs offer more accessibility. For the ultimate in life-like Biggest Loser experiences, a trip to The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge is in order.
It was announced this week that in addition to the Ivins, Utah location, Biggest Loser Resort is expanding to include a Malibu Hills, California location, scheduled to open fall 2024. The resort, which partnered with Biggest Loser last year, has seen tremendous growth and interest from a global clientele, which sparked the need for a second location. (more…)
The other day I was running the path through Snow Canyon State Park – it’s an eight mile round trip run, which is a definite challenge for me – and I noticed during the first mile that I kept checking my watch to see how much time had passed. I don’t mean I was checking my watch every mile, I mean I was checking my watch every minute!
I have been thinking about salt lately, and the negative health effects of having too much sodium in the diet. A high intake of sodium can raise blood pressure and increase the risk for heart disease and strokes. On the whole, Americans get too much sodium, ingesting an average of 3,500 mg per day instead of the recommended 2,300 mg per day. Interestingly, the majority of our sodium comes not from salt added at the table, but from processed and pre-packaged foods.
I am excited to see that there have been some recent developments relating to cutting sodium intake in the US. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its plans to decrease salt in the American diet. They are looking to limit the amount of sodium in restaurant meals and prepared/processed foods, starting with voluntary cutbacks by restaurants and food manufacturers. So far, 16 companies have signed on to start reducing sodium in their products. Companies like Starbucks, Subway, and Boar’s Head have said they will cut sodium by 25 percent in five years. Heinz has said they will decrease the sodium in their ketchup by 15%. And others are following suit. (more…)
If you have visited the spa, you know that we don’t serve cow’s milk. Instead, we use alternatives such as rice milk, almond milk and soy milk. I get a lot of questions about the difference between these milks such as protein and sugar content, the benefits of each and which would be the best choice. They are all very different, with their own pros and cons. The key is to find which is best for YOU. (more…)
So you want to lose weight. But, where do you start? While the following recommendations may be simplistic, if done consistently, they will bring about noticeable changes.
1. Eat Breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It will jump-start your metabolism and improve performance. You will notice less cravings and preoccupation with food, and higher energy levels. Studies show that people who start their day with a big healthy breakfast, tend to eat less calories overall. Food is fuel! You need fuel in the morning, not right before bed.
It’s been three and a half years since the confetti fell on the Biggest Loser season three stage, where Erik Chopin became a record-setting winner. He was the heaviest contestant they’d ever had, weighing 407 pounds. During four months on the ranch and four months at home he lost 214 pounds; a finale weight of 193.
Erik went home and enjoyed the limelight of his success, working closely with a pharmaceutical company, NBC and touring the country for speaking engagements. He says the activity correlated with his accomplishment and helped to hold him accountable. A year and a half later, the offers slowly stopped and there were new winners and new people in the spotlight. Erik slowly grew depressed, and even rationalized snacking on the junk food that had made its way back into the house by his wife, pregnant with their son.
DietsInReview Exclusive! See Erik’s Weekly Check-ins directly from the Biggest Loser Resort: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Final Check-In
Listen now to our exclusive interview with Erik from the Biggest Loser Resort, or continue reading.
It’s been a little more than two years since we first met Brittany Aberle; she was one of the contestants on Biggest Loser 5, the first Couples season. Just 22-years-old at the time, Brittany had joined Biggest Loser weighing 221 pounds and ready to shed that weight to become, what she called, “steamy hot!”. She spent twelve weeks at the ranch, competing with teammate Bernie Salazar, who she would form a close-knit sibling-like relationship with.
Brittany’s story on the Biggest Loser showed one of the most realistic glimpses of weight loss the show has had. She averaged a two-pound loss each week; while a healthy and recommended average for those at home, it was nothing compared to what her competitors were posting. She called the experience “traumatizing,” as she said throughout the rigorous workouts she would change shirts that were drenched in more sweat than she was losing on the scale. Working with trainer Jillian Michaels, they were able to identify that Brittany had PCOS, a hormonal imbalance that was preventing her weight loss.
Now, Brittany is back in the gym at the Biggest Loser Resort, where she’ll be for a three-week stay. It’s always curious to hear that these weight loss super stars are back at a weight loss camp, and Brittany admits that the maintenance has been the hardest part. (more…)
Emily Fonnesbeck is the Registered Dietitian for the Biggest Loser Resort, and joins us today to share some of the healthiest seasonal produce of spring!
Spring is here! I love the warmer weather, flip flops, tulips, blossoming trees and especially… spring produce! If I had to list my favorite fruits and vegetables, most of them would be on this list. Spring produce always seems so refreshing after a long cold winter.
Here are some fruits and vegetables you will see popping up in grocery stores and on produce stands. I have tried to give you tips on what to look for when purchasing them as well as how they can help you nutritionally.
Apricots: Try to purchase these ripe or just under ripe. If ripe, try to eat within a day or two or if they need to ripen, do so in the refrigerator. Fruit with a green tinge will not ripen properly so avoid those. Wash apricots just before eating to preserve quality. Apricots are good sources of vitamin A and vitamin C for immune function and maintaining healthy cells and tissues. (more…)
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