[talk: "Biggest Loser" Hints]

So - I've had many emails from people wondering HOW we did "The Biggest Loser". First of all - I cannot take the credit for most of these ideas ... a family friend told me that THEIR family was doing this and we just tweaked it a bit and put the plan into action for ourselves.

First, we got a group together of people who wanted to participate. We required a $200 buy-in because there were only 4 of us. I know that's steep - but THAT'S what made it work. If it was $25 or even $50 I don't think that it would've hurt enough to lose *grin*. Plus, it made the prize really big!! We chose to not have 2nd place etc - only 1st place. So, it was all or nothing. Maybe if you had 8-10 people, $100 would be good ... but whatever the case, the group can decide.

We chose a day to weigh-in with everyone present on the same scale. There was no cheating - i.e. no water guzzling before the event to sway the numbers. We recorded our weights and agreed on them together. Then, we set a date and time (for us, it was 3 months) to return to the same scale and weigh-in. On that final weigh-in date, we decided to have a "Celebration Breakfast" afterwards to reward ourselves *grin*. The winner was determined by PERCENTAGE of weight lost from the original weigh-in, not by pounds lost. That equation is "pounds lost" divided by "original weight".

So - that's it.

Now - people have also asked how I lost my weight ... well - it was SO gradual. I only lost an average of 1-2 pounds a week ... it was painful. BUT I stuck with it ... I chose to not eat carbs for dinner. I ate a high-fibre cereal for breakfast, had a snack of fruit before lunch, had a small plate of almonds, cheese, apple, crackers (or something like that) for lunch. I would have a "treat" between lunch and dinner - which were 100 calorie chocolate bars, protein bars or fudgicals. Dinner was always a protein (steak, pork, chicken ...) and vegetables. I tried to get at least 20 minutes of cardio in the day - either on the trampoline with my kids or by housecleaning with ankle weights on. In the last couple of weeks, I began a daily routine of a 20 minute Pilates DVD, once the kids were in bed. So - that worked for me ... maybe if I had done more, I would've lost more - but that's how I chose to live my day-to-day "food" life.

Yesterday, I wore my size 4petite dress pants. And I felt good.

On another note, Lu is continuing the "Biggest Loser" with a bunch of his guy friends. He still has some weight to lose, and found that this competition was the BEST thing for him. It will have the same structure as the one that we did together with a $100 buy-in.

PLUS - with the group we were just with - we're doing a "Maintain Weight" Competition where we will weigh-in on November 1 and if you are LESS weight than the last weigh-in (yesterday) you are "safe" from paying out... BUT if you've gained even 1 pound you pay $100 to the person who has lost the most amount. Another good motivation tool to keep things moving.

SO - I was going to post the "2nd Place Gift" that Lu got me ... but now I've done this one - so I'll do that post tomorrow.

Curious? Stay tuned *wink*!!