DIET COLUMN

We had a chance to visit with Bob Harper, the Biggest Loser blue team trainer, today just moments after his afternoon workout. It’s proof that he’s practicing what he preaches to the contestants of the show, now in its sixth season. “I love my job,” says Bob, who is as vocally passionate about the role he plays in helping these people regain their health as you see on the show. He says his mantra is “get healthy, get healthy, get healthy.”

Prior to his role on Biggest Loser, Bob was a celebrity trainer, where he explained he’d help already-fit people “turn their six packs into eight packs and get from a size four to a size two.” Biggest Loser very much changed the way he trains because he’s working with “everyday people,” and it is his responsibility to show them how to not only lose weight, but to do so in a healthy, well-rounded way.

This season, one of the people Bob is transforming is Vicky Vilcan. We brought her up specifically because she’s the only player we’ve ever seen cause such a ripple amongst Biggest Loser fans, who are a pretty devout group. Bob himself has called her “Shakespearean” and a “puppet-master,” but he explains that who you see on the show is exactly who the producers want you to see. “Vicky is the biggest fan of this show and loves reality TV, she played the game tough,” he remarks.

Last night, Biggest Loser said goodbye to its little Southern belle. Husband Phil is likely to miss that sweet drawl more than any other player, and as such, they’re going to have to deal with him now. Amy Parham’s parting words were that her teammates made a mistake by assuming her husband would be weaker with her out of the house, it would only make him stronger.

Phil and Amy are college sweethearts, they met at their freshman orientation and she says after the second date she was in love. Their devotion for one another was quite clear on the show, and the love pours over into their three boys. Upon arriving home, Amy says her kids have embraced the new lifestyle. Her middle son is 11 years old, and the only one she says has had trouble with his weight, even saying kids at school have made fun of him. Since she has returned home he’s lost 10 pounds, two pant sizes and even goes to the gym with Amy and Phil.