Tonight is the season finale for The Biggest Loser, Season 10. As I've written about before, I auditioned for this season back in January/February of this year. I believe they began filming in late April, which is coincidentally, the time that I started my Get Emmie Skinny focus on health.
So fast forward 8 months or so and tonight we'll witness amazing transformations of people who have lost 100, 125, even 150+ pounds in that time period. I think I've lost about 40 for 93 total. But man, can I tell you how thankful I am for being a Biggest Loser reject?
- No Game Play: Brendan, Frado and Patrick were all game play, and being around that kind of environment would have hurt the learning process for me that I need to go through to be successful. I'm fiercely competitive, and to have to be in a hostile environment wouldn't have done me any good.
- No Yelling or Overtraining: I didn't have to have someone yelling in my face for me to work out harder. I also know I've gone at a pace where my body always felt strong and not overly fatigued – something I don't think I could say with all day workouts. I got to choose how I worked out and who I worked out with, and there is power that comes from being able to make that decision by yourself.
- No Missing Life: I didn't have to leave reality for 12 weeks and worry about my job, paying bills and missing friends and family. I didn't have to worry about coming home from the show and then having to still be competing for an at-home prize, living my life in some kind of constant workout-hazed world. I got to live my life, just the way I like it.
- Personal Community: Instead of colliding with strangers I was competing against, I spent the past several months building my own personal community of supporters and friends – new and old – that is stronger than any casting director could ever put together.
Here's a shot of some of my answers from my Biggest Loser application form:
Looking at these, I realize how far I've come. I may have lost only a fraction of what these Losers did, but I've gained a wealth of knowledge that I know I can call on in the real world – because it was formed in the real world.
Food is: no longer where I turn. I turn to friends.
Exercise is: something my body craves. No foolish feelings. No excuses.
My weight is: something that I'm working on, in a healthy way, and in my own time.
What would motivate me to lose weight? Knowing that I can do it. That I have all of the tools in place and all the cheerleaders I could ask for who are there to celebrate with me and to pick me up when I'm down.
So not only has my mind set started to shift, but I watched a couple of clips from my audition video today and for the first time, can REALLY see the difference in my face and body.
So, thank you Biggest Loser for making me a reject. You've taught me more than you'll ever know!
