Coming home after being on the ranch is a very interesting thing to experience. There are temptations EVERYWHERE! I have said over and over again that it's easy to resist temptation when there is a camera in your face and you know millions of people will be watching. Take that camera away and it's not so easy anymore. When you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle you have to be strong. You have to find some way to tap into your willpower and resist temptation. The temptations will always be there, that will never change but the way you deal with them can change.

What's even more fascinating is that is while on the ranch you change so much and you feel like a whole new person only when you come home you find out that not much else has changed. Whether you are a Biggest Loser contestant or someone trying to change your life style at home we have to come to grips with the fact that we cannot always change the people around us. We have to realize that just because we have made the decision to change our lives for the better not everyone else will. I live by a motto of "For yourself by yourself". Don't get me wrong, it's great to have support from other people but you have to be prepared to keep going without any support at all. If you can do that then in my opinion you have a better chance at reaching your goals.

As a reality TV show watcher part of me this week was yelling, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" Why are you all so sad? You still have the ranch. You still have the gym. You can look to your right or look to your left and see your former teammates. I don't remember being that upset when my best friends in high school were in different classes than I was. What is the problem?

BUT... as a former Biggest Loser contestant my heart ached watching this episode. When we switched to blue and black in season 7, I was a basket case. I felt like a seven-year-old little girl who just found out there was no Santa. I was crushed.

Life on the ranch is so different. It is dramatic and blown way out of proportion. You are, for the most part, completely cut off from the outside world. There are no TVs, there is no Internet, and there are no phones. The relationships the contestants have with each other (and the trainers) are intensified and they are not normal.

I was an emotional wreck when I arrived on the ranch. I lived my life in denial, I numbed myself with food and I was completely oblivious to who I was and who I wanted to be. I was removed from my comfortable environment that I had created to accommodate my body and put into a completely different environment. It was scary and it was hard. The only thing we really had to comfort us was each other. This is why I feel the team splits are as dramatic as they appear to be. There is so much going on emotionally. If we were to look at the Biggest Loser experience and compare it to the cycle of life, I would have to say going to blue and black is like going through puberty!

Boy, how the tables have turned.  It is so amazing for me to sit back and watch Daniel compete in this season of The Biggest Loser.  Last season, he was the heaviest contestant in Biggest Loser history.  He was competing against people with athletic ability much greater than his own.  What a difference a few months makes.  He went from being an underdog last season to being a front-runner this season.  He was the first one to cross the finish line in the one-mile race in the season premiere and won immunity this week.  It is so amazing to watch and he really does send a great message.  Despite your current circumstances, what you are up against, who you are today and who you were in the past, YOU CAN CHANGE!  Daniel proves that to all of us.  

I am really starting to get emotional watching this season.  Not only because the players' stories are so fascinating but also because it brings up so many memories for me.  Bob, Jillian, last-chance workouts, weigh-ins, eliminations. It all feels like a dream now.  I felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and each person on the ranch was a character.   Someone was the Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man and even the Wicked Witch of the West.  Now that I have woken up I realize I have learned something special from each one of these characters.

WOW... actions speak louder than words.  I think it is pretty clear how the contestants feel about Tracey. An 11-pound weight loss and no applause says a lot.  After all of the moves and decisions Tracey made tonight one of my favorite moves actually came from Bob Harper and his, what I like to call, "Do We Clap?" move.  If you go back and watch it you will totally laugh!  

I can tell you this, life on the ranch is not "normal."  You are completely submerged into a game and at times you feel like you are fighting for your life.  Some temptations on the ranch are very tough especially when it comes to power.  I personally do not feel like any Biggest Loser contestant steps foot on the ranch to solely win $250,000, they want to change their life.  Unfortunately you are forced to play the game.  There is no getting out of it or around it.  If you do not play the game, the game will play you.  Tracey made some pretty tough and interesting decisions, which are a perfect example of playing the game and getting played.  They are all playing... some just do not know it yet.   

Self-sacrifice, although a beautiful thing, I do not think it is always the best option and trust me, I am speaking from personal experience.  My mom sacrificed herself so Aubrey could stay last season and the very next week Aubrey went home.  If I am Sean or Antoine and I am sitting on my couch 5, 7 or 8 weeks from now and I watch Shay get eliminated, I would be kicking myself in the rear end.  Do not get me wrong, I love Shay and she does deserve to be there.  In Sean and Antoine's case, it was not the best move for them personally (in terms of the game).  A lot of us make "self-sacrifice" which could relate to weight issues.  We are always putting others in front of ourselves and not making enough time for our own needs.  The harsh reality is that years from now Sean and Antoine, if they are lucky, will exchange the random phone call or text message with Shay. It's easy to get wrapped up in the game.