When we last left The Biggest Loser Lover…she was actually updating her blog regularly!  BAD LORI!  I’ve been tweeting more and blogging less during this season due to work commitments.  And now, here we are, one episode away from the finale!  I’m shaking my head in disbelief.  Hope my schedule will be more forgiving when Jillian’s new show starts airing and #BL10 returns in the fall.   Meanwhile, I’m making amends with a “high/low” recap of Weeks 9-18.  Continue Reading »

Counting calories!  My magic daily number is 1559.   If I want to keep losing weight, I have to track my calories in/calories out pretty carefully.  When I first started logging my food, I quickly realized that the extras like wine, cheese, fried foods, mayo and sugar had a huge calorie punch but little nutritional value.   Small changes add up though, and by reducing these foods, I can still eat what I like without too much calorie obsession.

My lunch is usually homemade soup and salad with lean protein, like chicken or fish.  But when I want the occasional noon treat, my first choice is always a BLT.   It’s the combo of cool crisp veggies, creamy mayonnaise and salty bacon, cut into toasted white bread halves.  YUM!   Swap out the mayo, regular bacon, iceberg lettuce and white bread, swap in avocado, turkey bacon, green leaf lettuce and whole grain bread – and you’ve got a healthier take on a classic sandwich.

Smoked Turkey and Avocado BLT (serves 1) Continue Reading »

It’s work time!  Only no singing from Dolly.

Anyone who struggles with weight loss knows how hard it is to manage food and fitness at home.  The contestants take a practice run this week as they work full-time off campus.  Since this is someone’s last week on the ranch…no time like the present!   Especially with Blue’s resolve to crush Black during this week’s weigh in.

CHALLENGE Continue Reading »

Week 8 recap coming shortly.  Until then, sage advice from Mama Cheryl.  I’ll miss her war-cry yelling in the gym!

The amazing avocado!

I never saw one as a child growing up in an Italian-American household.  Our favorite fruits were the two held sacred by most southern Italians – the tomato and the olive.   Flash forward to meeting my college roommate, DL.  As we were setting up our dorm room, she pulled 5 oddly shaped pebbly textured dark green things out of her suitcase.   Paperweights, bocce balls….I had no clue what they were.  Turned out she had grown up on an avocado ranch.  Every few weeks, her parents would ship out a dozen avocados.  DL taught me how to ripen each one, whack the seed with the knife and twist it out.   We used them in everything from traditional guacamole to facial masks.   Four of my best food and skin years, by far!

And as an avocado lover, I am delighted to be working with Avocados from Mexico and Biggest Loser Nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, RD.   Cheryl works closely with each contestant on the Biggest Loser, evaluating their eating habits, designing a calorie budget to promote weight loss and teaching them how to incorporate healthy foods into their diets. Continue Reading »

I knew I should have picked up In Touch this week.  If it hadn’t been for Jen’s weekly live tweet recap, I would have completely missed this story about yet another new romance on the Biggest Loser set.

Sam and Stephanie.  SAM AND STEPHANIE!!! A great pairing.  Cupcake away, you two!

His cape should be Black.  As in TEAM BLACK.  Yes, I’m officially on board, in spite of my Bob crush.

Michael’s personality is starting to grate on me.  I started feeling ambivalent about him during the last two episodes, but this one put me over the edge.   Is it the humor?  I used to love his fun expressions, especially the “I can see my abs” after the first weigh in.  The in-your-face jumping around after each win?  Not so much.  Looking out for yourself is much, much different then trying to SCREW the rest of the players.  Isn’t there a happy medium somewhere?

CLIFFHANGER:  LAST WEEK’S ELIMINATION Continue Reading »

And they’re competing as individuals!  Wait.  No curling?!

Since I’ve been out for a few weeks dealing with a medical issue (no worries, everyone’s on the mend), I’m not quite caught up with my Biggest Loser recaps!  Gail, Paula and Season 2’s Pete Thomas aptly fill the void.

Quick thoughts: Continue Reading »

What a difference 30 days makes!

Gotta hand it to that crack Biggest Loser editing team.  I was convinced that Michael would be the one carted off by ambulance in the middle of the night.   But no!  Dun da DAH!   What I really loved about this episode though?  Blue Team and Yellow Team showed the rest of the players what class looks like.  Gracious beyond belief!  A welcome break from the Red vs. Green drama.

AFTER ELIMINATION

Miggy suddenly realizes she’s all alone.  Her daughter’s gone.  She cries herself to sleep, only to awaken in a few hours with severe stomach pains.  A producer calls 911 and the ambulance arrives to take Miggy to the hospital.

THE RETURN OF BLUE AND YELLOW Continue Reading »

Is Melissa looking for a career change?  She’s one heck of an actress.  After 9 seasons of the show and almost 2 decades working in the field, Jillian and Bob know one thing for certain:  the science of weight loss.    They can also recognize game play from miles away.   The free pass for the Red Team is over.   When a team manages to alienate both cast and trainers the during one short week, things are going to get messy.

AFTER THE ELIMINATION Continue Reading »