Food Lessons

I think I've mentioned on this blog that I love The Biggest Loser. I love seeing the participants finally 'get' it and start to change their lives and perspectives. Dan and I usually watch the show with a bowl of popcorn or some sort of snack which kinda defeats the purpose of educating the general population about healthier living, but oh well. I used to have a 24Hr Fitness membership (they sponsor the show), and I swear that Wednesday mornings were the busiest mornings of the whole week. I guess others felt motivated by Bob and Jillian as well;-)

One major concept I like about the show is the teaching of making better choices concerning food. For example, ground chicken is not as healthy as ground turkey breast because the manufactures of ground chicken include ground skin to make their product juicier. Yuck.

The other concept I like to see is that the trainers try and teach the participants that they actually have to eat substantial meals to lose weight. Some contestents think that less calories equal more weight loss but in turn, their bodies "freeze" due to lack of 'food fuel' and sometimes the contestents actually gain weight in the week instead of losing, despite hours of exercise.

On last week's episode, Bob (the trainer) made the contestents video-tape their meal prepration so he could see what they were (or weren't) eating. Wow. I had no idea the contestents were eating so little- and neither did Bob, since he yelled at them for basically starving themselves. Ah- vindication. It was great to hear Bob say that sharing 1/3 of a yam between three adults wasn't a portion- it was starving the body. Mmm. I love fresh, baked yams, and more is better;-) He also emphasized the need of our body for protein and healthy fats such as olive oil.

As summer approaches, I'm looking forward to all the fresh fruits available and I hope that maybe a little of what Bob has taught me through the TV screen will stick. It's okay to eat- just lots of the right stuff.

PS- yes, there is Ben & Jerry's in my freezer. There usually is!