We've reached week 11 of The Biggest Loser SA and the contestants are once again down to four 'survivors' - Sharon, Shakeel, Asander and John.
These four plucky people have managed to stave off being evicted, despite the return of Louis, who lost the most weight in one week of seclusion in the X-tra House.
Advertisement
The return and departure of Louis
Louis was voted out in Week 6, but managed to beat all the other participants who were sent to the X-tra House for a week to try and lose a record amount of weight on their own and thus regain their place in the show.
Louis lost an amazing 6.7kg in his week of solitude, far outstripping any of the other evicted Losers. The latter lost between 1kg (Adil and Noori) to 5.8kg (Phoebe). So the intrepid Louis lost masses of weight on his own and was allowed back into the game.
But there was a difference. It was evident that Louis hadn't kept up his punishing training schedule in the five weeks after leaving the X-tra House. As yesterday's show progressed, it became clear he just didn't have the same level of fitness as the other four who had remained in the game and exercised for four to six hours a day.
Louis just couldn't keep up and when it came to the mountain hike in the Drakensberg, he was woefully exhausted. Huffing and puffing to reach the finish line, he was left far, far behind by his fitter peers. Even Shakeel, who is older than the other participants, showed Louis a clean pair of heels.
It therefore came as no surprise that Louis was once again voted off the show, while the 'greyhounds' (as I think of them now) got to stay.
Lessons from Louis
The most important lesson we can learn from Louis's experience, is that anyone who attempts weight loss on their own, must be totally committed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to sticking to their diet and exercise programme.
Louis failed to maintain his exercise schedule, so despite the fact that he had lost a total of 28kg, he didn't make the grade when it came to fitness.
A lifetime commitment
Early in the show, when the trainers and contestants were reminiscing about their experiences on the long road to Week 11, Lisa said something vital regarding weight loss that everyone should keep in mind. While talking to Shakeel and Louis, Lisa said: "Weight loss is a lifetime commitment!"
This is so very true. Most people embark on weight-loss programmes and all they can think is: "I can't wait to reach my goal and then get back to eating whatever I like and stop doing all this exhausting exercise!"
And this is exactly where they make their biggest mistake. For most people, controlling their weight is a lifelong struggle that requires a lifelong commitment. Once you reach your goal weight or fitness level, don't stop. Keep up your efforts by eating carefully and exercising regularly. Don't discard your hard-earned achievements. As many readers know, once you stop dieting and exercising, the kilos pile up at an alarming rate – in fact, much faster than before.
Yo-yo dieting
I often receive letters from readers who complain that they managed to lose masses of weight and the moment they stopped being careful, they regained all of it and more. Others complain that they've tried every diet in the book, but that each time they go on a diet, they gain more weight when they stop.
These people have fallen into the yo-yo dieting trap. By constantly losing and gaining weight, they have disrupted their metabolisms and the result is that they gain more weight than they've lost.
The answer to yo-yo-dieting is not to chop and change and use unbalanced, or starvation diets or diet pills and potions to lose weight. You need to change your eating and exercise habits for life!
This is also why some of the well-known diet organisations such as Weigh-Less and Weight Watchers achieve such great successes. Both re-educate clients to change their lifestyles and those who follow this sound advice, not only lose weight, but keep it off.
Marvellous losses
A word of congratulations to the last four Losers. These four people have lost amazing amounts of weight: 27kg for John, 27.2kg for Asander, 32.5kg for Sharon and 33.7kg for Shakeel.
Well done! It's heartening to see how different these contestants look – they've emerged from their large bodies and become fit and trim. Yes, they still have some way to go, but they all deserve a medal.
South Africa is proud of you, and although the show dictates that there can only be one final Biggest Loser, these four individuals all deserve the highest praise for their dedication and courage.
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?