Dr. Jen's Journal

The finale has aired, and the twins take it!

The finalists have done an amazing job continuing their lifestyle change at home, and came back to wow us all with their transformations. Here are their starting and ending iDEXA images and body fat percentages:



The Biggest Loser has provided these four, and ALL of the 18 players from this season, an amazing experience. But it is only just beginning! While the past 8 months of filming and working out like crazy have been life-altering and dramatic, it’s really just the start of a lifetime of weight maintenance. Losing the weight is tough. Keeping it off long-term is even tougher!

The largest database of successful weight losers/maintainers in the U.S. is called the National Weight Control Registry, or NWCR. Over 5,000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds (but an average of 66 pounds) and maintained the loss for a minimum of one year (average of 5.5 years) are tracked. Researchers study these people to help find out what the secrets of real-life weight maintenance are. It seems that there are a few commonalities among those who successfully keep the weight off:

78% eat breakfast every day. 75% weigh them selves at least once a week. 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week. 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day. (from: http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm)

I believe that one of the most important things about successful maintenance is to keep tabs on your weight. I personally do this by weighing myself several times a week, but I believe that it can also be done by keeping tabs on your measurements as well (for those of you who prefer to throw out your scale!). I allow myself a 5-pound variation, but once I go over that, I buckle down and really watch my diet and exercise plan more carefully until I am back down to my original weight. Though we Biggest Losers have certainly learned a new way of eating and exercising, I believe that we also have some genetic/psychological predisposition to obesity -- if we are not constantly conscious of our choices, we can easily slip into our old habits. My advice to the newest crop of successful BL weight losers: Find a way to keep yourself accountable. Keep up a regular exercise schedule, even when life seems to get in the way -- it has to remain a priority forever. Watch less TV. And enjoy your healthy new lives! I will miss you all more than you know!!!

Much love, always,
Dr. Jen