Biggest Loser's Get-Slim Lesson of the Week: Get Competitive to Drop Pounds
"Working out with Jillian feels like you're going to die." - Ada
The competition really heats up this week! Remember when Bob and Jillian told the contestants to be selfish a few episodes ago? Well, that lesson certainly stuck: everyone was looking out for his or her own interests, and the game play began.
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The cutthroat mentality was inspired by two twists. First, five wanna-be contestants who didn't make it onto the ranch initially were given another shot. They were told to lose weight at home for five weeks, and the person with the greatest percentage of weight loss would earn a spot in the competition. Welcome new contestant Anna, who lost 39 pounds on her own! The other contestants immediately saw her as a threat.
Even bigger news: All of the contestants would be divided into two teams--the blue team (trained by Bob), and the black team (trained by Jillian)--and pitted against each other, and newbie Anna had to decide who was on each team. At the end of each week, the team with the lowest total percentage of weight loss would have to vote one of their members off the show. Anna was also given the power to grant immunity to one person, who would join the losing team at the end of the week.
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Here's how Anna divvied up the teams: Bob's blue team: Jessica, Aaron, Lisa, Mark, Jesse and Adam J Jillian's black team: Rick, Ada, Frado, Brendan, Elizabeth, Anna
Everyone encouraged Anna to take immunity for herself, but she decided to join the black team so she could work with Jillian, and instead gave immunity to Patrick, who's been very successful with his weight loss thus far. Some sneaky players plotted to throw the weigh-in by intentionally not losing weight so they could eliminate a weaker player and get the stronger Patrick on their side, but Jillian put the kibosh on this plan with some stern lecturing.
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In the end, everyone promised to play the game straight. The Black Team lost the weigh-in and eliminated Rick, who continued to lose at home and shed a whopping 120 pounds.
Scheming aside, the new blue-versus-black mentality really helped ramp up the contestants' efforts. They wanted to lose for themselves and for their team, and the competition motivated them to work even harder.
The takeaway lesson for you: Being competitive when it comes to weight loss can work to your advantage--as long as winning isn't your only motivation. Consider starting a friendly weight loss contest with your friends or coworkers: Ask everyone contribute prizes to a winner-takes-all pot like cash, movie coupons or a spa day, and whoever has the highest percentage of weight loss after six weeks wins the whole shebang. It's like your own Biggest Loser challenge!
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Questions for you: How has getting competitive helped you reach your goals? If you were Anna, would you have kept the immunity for yourself?
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Photo Credit: nbc.com
