How Biggest Loser's SunShine Hampton Dropped 115 Pounds!

SunShine Hampton dropped 99 pounds on The Biggest Loser -- and then lost 16 more at home after being voted off in March.

In the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands today, the 5-foot-6 aspiring nurse, 24 -- who has never went on a date or had a boyfriend -- explains how she went from a size 24 to a size 8 in eight months.

I am happy for her, but I want the media to drop the portrayal of fat girl can't get a man. If we we ever watch Maury Show. We see tons of overweight women dealing with man drama.

Jillian Michaels' Statement About Motherhood Controversial--But for the Wrong Reasons

In a recent interview with Health Magazine, Jillian Michaels, the trainer from The Biggest Loser was asked whether she was planning on having children. Her response has critics mad about the WRONG things. She said, "I can't handle doing that to my body." And then she continued explaining that she planned on adopting and that, "when you rescue something, it's like rescuing a part of yourself."

First of all, let me express my clear and unwavering support of Ms. Michaels' right to make decisions about child-rearing and pregnancy. No woman should ever be forced to endure pregnancy and childbirth against her will, or made to terminate a pregnancy against her will. I trust women to make the best decisions for themselves and their families, period. In addition, adopting a child is as legitimate as giving birth to a child, period. Watching Pete and Trudie's infertility issues on Mad Men is a real lesson in how stigmatized adoption used to be and apparently people still hold some of these anti-adoption views to this day. Don't get me wrong, I know that genetics can be a very difficult to combat in terms of certain diseases, such as addictions and mental illness and by adopting a child you may not know their full family medical history, but nothing is ever certain.

Now, critics have glummed on to how her concern over pregnancy is about how it transforms one's body--which pregnancy most definitely does and it carries certain risks of death or injury, though greatly reduced by modern obstetrics and pre-natal care.

A Fox News commentator responded to Michaels' concerns about the impact of pregnancy on one's body by stating: "Women [...] have children all the time and get right back in shape particularly if they exercise."

Uhh, that is decidedly not the right way to address this issue because statements like that demonstrate why it is so stressful for someone like Michaels whose industry, personal training and network TV, to consider pregnancy. The expectation that women get back into shape six weeks after pregnancy and birth to walk in Victoria Secrets shows or to pose on US or People is the real issue. Baby-bounce-back-bodies are almost as pervasive as "baby-bump" watches, which are by the way, incredibly misogynistic and creepy to boot. Having a burrito and soda for lunch almost always equals a "baby-bump" watch for slender starlets, even Jennifer Garner's shirt getting blown, obviously, by the wind got a speculation as she carried her infant and held her toddler daughter's hand walking down a Boston street. Stop that noise, people, or at least don't buy People.

Now, it is true that Michaels and perhaps women who suffer from eating-disorders or body-dysmophic disorders may reject pregnancy because of its perceived "maiming" of a highly controlled body size. By no means to I suggest pregnancy for such women, but I do think that treatment for such perceptions are important because getting freaked out by pregnancy might just indicate the need for coming to terms with the variable, out of control bodies we all inhabit--after all, we all will age and die and dealing with bodily reality is something we will all have to do eventually. I'm not saying that Michaels' has an eating disorder or exercise anorexia and once again, I support her right to determine her own reproductive path. I'm just saying that her exact words do sound like she sees pregnancy more as an injury or a disease than a natural process that is legitimate for those who choose it. Since she is so influential and may start her own talk-show in 2011, I hope that she really tries to grapple with her views on pregnancy or corrects her remarks later to clarify her position in a more broad understanding of "health."

Biggest Loser Makeovers

Us Weekly Magazine has a Biggest Loser Makeovers Photo Gallery. Fell free to use the link to check it out if it gives you inspiration.

video: Biggest Loser Winner Gains 175 Pounds Back

Video: Biggest Loser Winner Gains 175 Pounds Back

When Erik Chopin shed more than 200 pounds to become the winner of 2006's Biggest Loser, he was eager to start his new life. Unfortunately, his new life included gaining nearly every pound back.

So when the husband and father of three -- who cites procrastination and overeating as some of the reasons for his weight gain -- was featured on a Biggest Loser "Where Are They Now?" special that aired in November, he decided to give himself a second chance.

I actually think this man is typical of the average dieter.

1. When you lose wieght purely for the money. It is hard to maintain a reason to keep it off once you got the money.
2. Not learning how to eat. The Biggest Loser Ranch is really a bubble. So it would be very hard to go home and cook meals if you home lifestyle is based on eating out.
3. Exercising 6 hours a day is not often possible in the real world. So if the only reason you stayed thin required 6 hours of exerise then you would gain in the real world.

Also all the people who seemed to being the best in the reunion show at maintaining the weight went into exercise related fields where they had to exercise daily for their job.

The Biggest Loser

I've been pretty tough on The Biggest Loser in the past--the extreme weight-loss techniques don't seem very safe, especially when dealing with 526lbs people. But, I've never watched a full episode--well, until last night.

There were some really inspiring moments--there was also brutality and way too much puking in the "last chance work-out." So, I'm going to try to watch this season to see what all the hubbub is about, with my ever critical eye intact.

Some in the FA movement might regard watching weightloss as spectacle as the ultimate act of self-loathing, but I think that shows like the Biggest Loser have more to offer. For one thing, although under constant doctor's supervision, the contestants do show that very fat people can do extremely challenging physical acts.

I don't run on the treadmill myself, but on the elliptical I feel safe enough to go as fast as a run while protecting my knees. Lately, I've been dabbling with the idea that I could actually try to do some running--and idea that never occurred to me in the past, greatly inspired by Jeannette Fulda's story of going from a nearly 400lbs woman to a runner. If she can do it, significantly heavier than me, then perhaps I can. Now, of course, she wasn't running day one, but neither were most of the contestants on the BL I saw last night.

There are tons of valid criticisms of the BL (and I'll voice several as I watch this season), but there are things to be lauded as well. So stay tuned...

Biggest Loesr Preview

The preview below is from People.com

AIR DATE: TUESDAY 9/15

Run, fat cells, run! The weight-loss challenge is back and more urgent than ever. In fact, the elimination show’s eighth season hits the ground running a bit too furiously. In the two-hour premiere, host Alison Sweeney orders the 16 just-introduced contestants — including season-seven also-ran Daniel, a housewife who lost her family to a car accident and the heaviest contender yet (476-pound Shay) — to race a mile down a beach. Result? Two contestants end up in the hospital, which seems excessive for this normally health-cautious show. Meanwhile, trainer Jillian Michaels overdoes her tough-love shtick, screaming to one dangerously obese participant, "When I see you lying down, I see a dead father!" These moments of drama will fuel the next day's watercooler chat, but in private, viewers will find something more pure: motivation. Anyone who has been unsuccessful at taking off weight can relate to these ultimately inspiring players. (NBC, 8 P.M.)

-- JOHN GRIFFITHS

Impulse Buy

Okay, so I needed a new pillow and I woke up pre-alarm contemplating how much I want just ONE nice pillow in my life. So, after work I went to Meijer and went pillow shopping--I got two and two new shams for balance. Anyway, on my way to linens I stopped of in the book section and Jillian Michael's Making the Cut jumped out at me. Although we here at Fat Feminist Fitness Blog seem to have a complicated (read: critical/jealous) relationship with The Biggest Loser, see our previous posts on the subject I've recently contemplated watching one season of the show to be fair. It will be 8 p.m. Tuesday nights (during which I have a class, so I'll have to watch it via hulu or nbc.com). Last season, I watched the first 15 or so minutes and once I saw someone puking on a treadmill because they were being pushed too far on the first day, I said "I'm done" but I was flipping channels, so maybe context was needed before passing judgement. Many people seem to gain a great deal of satisfaction and inspiration from watching this show. So, if I do try to watch it, I figure, I'll find the charm or I'll mock it in the blog. Win/Win.

So, having decided to review "The Biggest Loser" I picked up Jillian Michaels' book and flipped through it. On a total impulse, I bought it because it offered a 30 day exercise routine, complete with toning exercises with diagrams & rep recommendations. I can't afford a personal trainer right now, but having a toning regime might be useful for a while. I didn't really read much, so it could be crap, but I'll let you all know as I progress through the book. As always, take diet/fitness gurus with a dose of salt or reality checks.

p.s. Notice that the cover references getting that "bikini" body, ugh. See our collective previous tirades against the false idol known as bikini worshop over actual indicators of health.

Biggest Loser Couple Tie the Knot!

After three years together — and a combined weight loss of more than 200 pounds — The Biggest Loser: Couples' Nicole Brewer and Damien Gurganious have said I do, Usmagazine.com exclusively reports.
And while the now 145-pound stylist, 38, tells Us she felt "absolutely beautiful" in her figure-bearing Amsale tulle gown (paired with 11-plus carats in diamonds), she's even more stoked to don a bathing suit during their upcoming honeymoon in Cape Cod, Mass.

"I want it to be a red two-piece," she says. "I can’t wait!"

I am happy Nicole found love with a person who has the same health goals as her. Yet, why can't being getting healthy be enough. Why she got to obsess about getting into a bikini. We really have to redefine our goals as a society and get ready of the Bikini definition of health.

4 Ways to Make Yourself Feel Better, Other Than Eat!

We are always willing to justify eating crap by saying, "I had a rough day. I deserve this." Deserve what? Heart disease? Cellulite? Diabetes? Come on! Would you reward your loved ones this way? I bet not. What do I do to make myself feel better?

1. Call a friend for validation.

2. Go hang out with an animal

3. Go window/online shopping

4. Pamper yourself.

Above is my paraphrase version of the 4 Ways to Make Yourself Feel Better, Other Than Eat! All of the activities could lead to getting some exercise in.

Helen Phillips Drops 140 Lbs. to Win The Biggest Loser

As for how Phillips will celebrate her $250,000 win, she says, “I really, really, really want to take my husband [Russell] to the Bellagio in Las Vegas! I really want to take him there for a nice break because he has been such a support system to me. I want to lay by the pool, go out to lunch, and be able to go work out in the middle of the day and have a nice salad somewhere and relax!”

I guess it is much easier to lose weight when someone waves a $250,000 carrot in front of you.

Biggest Loser is a game show more then anything else. So fellow "everyday people" don't get discouraged if you don't lose 140 lbs in 6 months.