Posts Tagged Biggest Loser
A Conversation With Jay Jacobs…. by Suzy Hoover
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on September 4th, 2011
What a great way to spend a Wednesday morning… Sitting in a Starbucks parking lot using their Wi-Fi while talking to Jay Jacobs from Season 11 of The Biggest Loser. Some of you may be thinking “Jay…Jay… who was he?” Well, I was just like you. In fact, until the last few episodes, Jay said he laid low on purpose so that he wouldn’t make any waves and make it as far as possible in the game.
His plan worked perfectly and he made it all the way to the final four where unfortunately for him, America voted for Irene to go to the final weigh in so that there would be an all girl finale. What has caught my attention about Jay was not his actual time on the show, but his time afterward.
I began following Jay about four months ago on Twitter. I have been impressed by his openness and honesty and thought, “I have to talk to this guy.” So here it is my first blog interview with Jay Jacobs from Season 11 of TBL.
As a former contestant myself, I remember all the thoughts I had at that final weigh-in so I was dying to hear what he went through. Much to my surprise, his experience was different than mine. You see, everything leading up to the final weigh-in when you are on the show, 9 months in my case, is dedicated to getting the best results you can for that one moment. I was nervous, anxious, self conscious, and frankly in a lot of pain.
Jay, on the other hand, told me that he felt great and had a sense of complete accomplishment. In fact, he remembers the show doctor, Dr. Huizenga, telling him that he was at his perfect healthy weight for himself. It was refreshing to hear that he hadn’t gone through the same mental anguish that I had.
Life after the finale for Jay was a whole different story than the months that led up to that night. Jay and his family took a two week vacation. Not only did Jay take a vacation from work, he also took a vacation from working out and counting calories. They went to Disneyland and Carmel. I remember seeing his tweets from this two week period and thinking “I can’t wait to hear about this.”
I was actually proud of Jay for doing this. He made a conscious choice for two weeks to give his body rest and freedom from the strict “NO” way of living that you go through when you are on the show. After two weeks of total freedom from the BL life, Jay said that he noticed he could “feel his skin in his pants” again, meaning they were getting tight!
You see, this was the first time in his life that he didn’t have to shop at the “Big and Tall” stores and he was loving it. After his vacation, Jay jumped up to 241 pounds from his finale weight of 219. He gained 22 pounds on vacation.
Now let me give you all the inside scoop. Pretty much everyone gains 5-15 pounds after the finale in just water weight. Jay’s gain isn’t super shocking, but it was enough to get him going again. After the vacation Jay new that he needed constant accountability so he began tweeting his weekly weight.
I was baffled the first time I saw an actual picture of his scale at home. That takes a tone of courage! For Jay, this was his guarantee that the number on the scale would go down instead of up. He has continued to do pictures and the scale has continued to go down. As of this morning, Jay weighed in at 230.2 pounds. That is only 11 pounds from his finale weight.
Another thing that has kept Jay accountable is that he has signed up for the ING New York Marathon which he will run this November. Jay, along with a handful of other “Losers”, are all running for various charities.
“Where will you be in five years?” I asked Jay. He told me he has plans to write books and develop product in order to continue to spread the message about health and wellness with others.
I think the best thing I heard from Jay today was that he has nothing better to do but to enjoy the rest of his life. Right on Jay!
If you would like to follow Jay’s progress, and his journey along with me, you can follow him on Twitter at @JLynnJacobs or on his Facebook at Jay Jacobs.
What Was Unresolved in the Past is Unresolved Today…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on August 26th, 2011
I feel like I have two lives; life before Biggest Loser and life after Biggest Loser. Life before Biggest Loser consisted of poor choices and dissapointment. Life after has been filled with joy and excitement. Of course there have been struggles, mainly with my weight, but things are so much different.
After the show I began a new life. A life with a beautiful and loving wife and two amazing little boys that I can’t get enough of even though I am with them everyday.
My life is so drastically different that I was completely caught off gaurd when my past came back to haunt me in a big way.
I have been offered a posiiton with a large company. These days, one of the conditions of employment is a thorough background check. After filling out all of the paper work, accepting the position, and even having a start date, I was shocked when I got a letter telling me that the offer was put on hold because of an issue in my background check. It was reported on the report that I hadn’t received my degree. Most of you know that I was so excited to announce that I had in fact graduated form the University of Iowa this past May so I was devastated to see that according to this background check, I had lied about it.
After finding out what had happened, I was reminded of how past choices can still affect us today even if we have moved on.
My journey to earn my degree has taken 16 years. At oone point in my education life, I just quit school and left. I had a whole semester of F’s for grades. At the time I felt sorry for myself and chose to quit and run off. I had no idea just how much that decision would haunt me. In short, when I re-enrolled at the University of Iowa on academic probation I needed to earn nearly straight A’s. I did that. I went through graduation and thought everything had been squared away.
Fast forward to last week. Part of the background check is checking education references. When the company doing the investigation contacted the National Clearing House that list those who have earned degrees, my name wasn’t there. According to the investigation company, I had lied about having a degree. As you can probably imagine, that is not a good thing for a perspective employer to see.
I’ll spare the details, but I needed to file a dispute because I knew that I had completed the requirements to earn my degree. In one quick phone call I found out what had happened.
Although I had completed my coursework, there was an unreported grade from when I quit school over 15 years ago. Having the unreported grade on my transcript meant that the University of Iowa could not report that I had officially graduated. After one more phone call and what seemed like the longest day of waiting in my life, it was taken care of and the university was able to report that I had in fact met all requirements and did, in fact, earn my degree.
It has been heart-wrenching to have to wait through all of this but it is an excellent lesson to learn. Just because we hope something goes away doesn’t mean it will. If I had taken the proper steps before just up and quitting school, all of this could have been avoided. At that point in my life I felt sorry for myself and that I had it so bad, the only option was for me to leave school.
That was BS! Things were bad because I had made them bad and rather than think through my actions and how it could affect me long term, I chose the easy way out and ran. You can only run so long from the rough things in your life before they will eventually catch up to you. It took 16 years for mine to catch up with me, but last week they finally did.
The point of today’s blog isn’t to whine about my situation right now, it’s to drive home the point of the lesson I learned this week. Things that are left unresolved, be it yesterday or years ago, are still unresolved today. The only way to keep those unresolved issues from catching up with you is to face them and deal with them. Running from them won’t fix them, hiding from them won’t fix them, and for damn sure just ignoring them won’t fix them. The only way to truly put those things in the past is to do everything you can to resolve them.
It may be a conversation that needs to be had, a phone call that needs to be made, or some self examination that needs to be done, but I can promise you that by taking the action, a weight will be lifted. Only then can we be free from the past that we may not want to remember.
Remember, if it was unresolved yesterday, it is unresolved today. We can’t wish it or hope it away, we need to face it head on so that we can move forward. Let me reassure you that dealing with the things that we have been afraid to is much less painful than carrying them around.
See you later… -Matt
Day 3 Recap from Biggest Loser Resort….Time to “Change My Normal”
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on June 8th, 2011
Another Season Gone….
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on May 25th, 2011
It seems like just yesterday that I stepped on the scale and became the winner of The Biggest Loser. Hard to believe it has been FIVE years! But it has, and a lot of things have changed in my life. When I watch The Biggest Loser these days, I watch it from a different perspective.
Having been through the process and knowing some of the behind the scenes antics, you can’t help but have a different point of view. Today, I am going to give my wrap up of the finale.
First, I guess I was just expecting more from some of the contestants. In particular, some of the ones who started out really big. This was the longest season ever and there were a few contestants who definitely should have lost more weight. Let me put it this way, there is no reason that every contestant should not have lost at least 100 pounds.
I have to be honest, I’m over the team thing. Sure it’s inspiring to see people who are close to each other make changes, but because there are so many contestants, we don’t get to “know” them like we use to. The show seems to drag on because of how long it is just to do the weigh in.
I was expecting to see some sort of a Jillian tribute last night. Whether you like her or not, people have tuned in these years to watch her and Bob transform contestants. She has trained nearly every winner and has built an empire. She deserved a little bit of a send off.
Congrats to the sisters for their accomplishment. I’m still trying to figure out why one of them didn’t throw a weigh in to that they could have won the at-home prize. Before you jump on me for saying that, let me explain. The Biggest Loser is a game and only one person can win the grand prize. I’m not sure, but I think either one of the sisters would have won the at-home prize if they would have been competing for it. Like Bill and Jim, the twins from several seasons ago, they could have swept the big prizes.
There didn’t seem to be the electricity in the atmosphere that has been present in so many season finales. Again I think the fact that there is so many contestants doesn’t allow time to show what life was like when they returned home to train for the finale.
If I were to grade this season, I’d give it a B. There didn’t seem to be as many good story lines and for as long as everybody was on the ranch, the numbers weren’t all that spectacular. It is going to be interesting to see the trainer situation next season.
I thought Anna K looked a little anorexic and will be interested to see what she brings to the table as a trainer.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this season of The Biggest Loser. Leave me a note!
Is Your Workout Working For You?
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on May 24th, 2011
I have been working out hard. I have not been losing weight. I am frustrated. I recently saw that an old friend of mine lost over 100 pounds this past year. I was really excited for him and decided to give him a call. I asked him what he had done and his answer was suprisingly simple.
He joined Weight Watchers. He also took advantage of the tools they offered. He began logging his food and paying attention to his portion sizes. What was suprising to me was the fact that he did it with little exercise. Notice I say little, not none.
I know how to lose weight. I’ve done it before. Some of you may have seen me do it on that little NBC show The Biggest Loser. My problem isn’t the amount of time I spend working out, it is the amount of food I put in.
After talking with my friend, I decided I needed to revamp my routine. I found a great tool that allows me to track my food, exercise, and weightloss all in one spot. It’s called Dotfit. http://dotfit.com I know that logging food is critical in successful weight loss. I have just been trying to avoid it because I should have learned how to control my weight.
Since leaving The Biggest Loser, I have wanted so badly to be normal. I have come to find out that my “normal” is going to consist of logging my food, tracking my calories and logging my workouts. Whether I like it or not, more than likely for me to be successful, I will probably need to do it the rest of my life. When it comes to my weight, I am never going to be “normal”. Learning to accept my own normal is going to be critical for long term success.
The reason I haven’t been losing weight isn’t because of my workouts, it’s because of my nutrition. Although I know this, I have decided to revamp my workouts. I have gone “old school” I know what has worked for me in the past and am going back to those things.
Here is what I am doing for the next 90 days. I am dropping my daily “boot camp” style workouts down from 5 times a week to 3. I am adding a 5 day a week lifting program doing a different muscle group each day. Cardio will consist of hiking when I can and a daily 1.5 mile run. I have avoided running like the plague since my last Ironman but I know that running melts fat off my body.
My goal is to burn 5501 calories a day and keep my calories at 1200. I am tracking this by using the Dotfit program and utilizing the Exerspy. It is simlair to the bodybugg. I’ve chosen 90 days so that I can really see whether or not my new plan is working. At the end of 90 days I will share my results for you.
I think the question isn’t “Is your workout working for you” but “Are you working?” I have come to realize that it is crucial to be flexible. What works for one person may not work for you or me. The key is realizing that and finding our own “normal”.
Can’t I Do It Later?
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on May 23rd, 2011
This morning we were watching Rex do his “homework” for school. He’d do a couple exercises then say “How bout I do this later?” We told him the work needed to be done now. For quite a long time he tried talking us out of doing the work.
It is a sunny day here in Seattle and he wanted to go outside. Finally I told him that if he didn’t do his work, his bike would be on time-out the rest of the day. Rex loves his bike and loves riding his bike so he didn’t want to risk losing it for the day.
I set a timer and told him his work needed to be done by the time it went off or no bike today. He got his work done with 40 seconds left to spare. As he headed outside I thought I had just taught him a lesson about the importance of doing work before play.
As I was praising myself, I realized that I had just gotten a valuable reminder as well. As parents, we expect our children to do what we say when we say it. If they don’t, we let them know that there will be repercussions. As parents, we also need to expect the same from ourselves.
I wanted Rex to have his priorities right. That means I need to have mine right too. I bet I am not the only one who has ever spent more time thinking about reasons not to work out than it would have taken to actually go workout or said “I’ll go do it later”, knowing full well I won’t.
This doesn’t make us bad people; it just means that we need to keep our priorities in line. There are definitely times I would rather be doing something else, but for me to be successful at anything I need to do the first things first.
Next time you start thinking about reasons to not do something, ask yourself (me included) if it would be faster to just do it!
As the saying goes: Do it. Do it right. Do it right now!
My New Title!
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on March 30th, 2011
I have become a certified life coach! I am excited to announce that I have partnered with some other former Biggest Losers as well as some other amazing people and am now offering an amazing class, “Breaking Through Barriers to Weight Loss”.
Here is a brief synopsis of what we offer:
Program
Mission Statement:
We support and guide people through the process of developing a healthy and fit lifestyle, rich with total wellness. We aid people development of true body appreciation with healthy mindsets, behaviors, and lifestyles.
Program Components:
The workbook, classes, seminars, counseling, and coaching involved in the process of losing weight are based on fundamental principles of growth, tried and true over the test of time. We have found that weight management and eating disordered behavior is impacted significantly when the principles and actions of the program are followed, resulting in weight loss and greater body appreciation. Our program has been used with great success at our home offices and at top fitness spas, such as The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Ivins, Utah.
Governing Principles:
- Accountability: I take full responsibility for my weight or body image problem. I created it and can therefore change it.
- Believe: I am creating new beliefs about myself that are leading me to becoming fit, inside and out.
- Listen: I listen to my body and my feelings, and honor my needs when I eat, or when I cope with my feelings.
- Feel: I have the courage to feel without using food as a coping crutch for my emotions.
- Liberate: I appropriately work through my feelings, and liberate myself from toxic emotions.
- Choose: I choose to become fit, inside and out, by creating boundaries around my feelings, food, and exercise.
- Live: I choose to live mindfully, a lifestyle which supports my fitness goals.
- Connect: By connecting daily to a Source greater than myself, I feel accepted and loved, and find the strength to reach my goals.
- Love: As I develop greater love for my whole self, including my body, and others, I find motivation to live my fit lifestyle.
- Give: As I give myself the gift of freedom from my weight and body image problem I am free to give of myself to others.
Contact me for more information!
Crying Over Spilled Milk….
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on December 2nd, 2010
Do you ever what would have happened if……..? Why? It didn’t. Today I was thinking about some of the opportunities I’ve had. Some worked, some didn’t. A couple of them didn’t work out directly as a result of my own actions. Others just weren’t meant to be.
I started getting frustrated because had I done what I needed to things could have been pretty amazing. Then I caught myself. Thinking about what might have been takes the focus off where you are. We can’t go back and re-live our lives or undo the past. What we can do, is live in the current.
Beating ourselves up over missed or unfulfilled opportunities is like killing the chicken and then wishing you were still getting eggs. The point of that genius illustration (which I just made up by the way) is that there are always repercussions for our actions. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always a repercussion.
One of the things that led me to ending up on The Biggest Loser was me spending too much time thinking about what might have been. What would have happened if I had become an All-American wrestler at Iowa? What would have happened if I had made it to the Olympics? What would have happened if…….? I am not going to go back down that road again!
Here’s the thing, none of those things happened so there is no point in focusing on the “What if’s” in our past. The fact of the matter is that where we are today is where we are. We can accept it or change it, if we choose change, it isn’t going to happen by looking back. It will happen by living in the current and choosing to do so each day.
If it sounds like I am being a little harsh today, maybe I am. We all need a little wake up call now in then….Including me.
It’s Not Starting Over, It’s Starting….
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on December 1st, 2010
One of the biggest problems I use to have was saying “Tomorrow I am going to get started again.” I would tell myself this over and over until tomorrow became next week, next week became next month, and next month became next year. I sat year after year spinning my wheels thinking “Tomorrow’s the day.”
One of the problems with doing this is that we start to lose faith in our ability to accomplish things. We begin by thinking about how we are letting others down. We see it in their eyes and in their actions that they just don’t believe the words that are coming out of our mouths. In a way we make it about someone else. “I could do it, but no one thinks I can do it.”
Who cares what others think? It’s not their journey and it’s not their responsibility to be our cheerleader. If you have had a tendancy to always wait till tomorrow, how about taking action today? How about not worrying about what you think EVERYONE else is thinking and act on your own behalf.
The great thing about our life is that each day we choose how we are going to live it, regardless of circumstances. We choose whether or not we are going to exercise and eat healthy or not. We choose to do the best we can with where we are.
I want to encourage everyone to not wait until tomorrow or the new year to get started on making your life the way you want it to be. Instead of starting tomorrow and having that one “last supper” or binge, get going today and see what can happen.
It’s not about starting over, it is about starting to be consistent and focusing in on what’s important.
Remember, it’s not about starting over, it’s about starting and doing the best you can along the way.
Getting a Jumpstart on New Years Resolutions….
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on November 29th, 2010
I can’t believe that it is only 2 days away from December. It seems like time has been moving faster and faster. Today I am going to talk about New Years Resolutions. Let’s face it, every year we hear advice about how to make them and how to achieve them.
If it is so easy, why do many of us have to make the same on year after year? It’s because resolutions are simply good ideas. There is a big difference between ideas and goals. Ideas are something that we would like to do. Goals are something that we actively pursue in order to achieve.
Ideas are things that we work toward when it is convienent and we “have time”. Goals have structured plans that we MAKE time for. Of course the most famous New Years resolution of all is the resolution to “seriously lose weight and get healthy this year.”
It’s a great concept, but it is too vague. By saying “I’m going to lose weight”, we give ourselves too much lienency. By that statement, if we lose 1 pound we have met our resolution. This year, I want to challenge you to make specific goals. Instead of saying “I’m going to lose weight”, set a specific goal. For instance, let’s say today you weigh 26o pounds. A specific goal would be: I will weigh 210 pounds on September 11, 2011.
It’s a simple statement but notice what it does. It gives you an end date and a specific number to hit. We aren’t done yet. After clarifying our specific goal we need to look at what it’s going to take to reach that goal. If you were to start on your goal today, you would have 42 weeks to achieve it. That means you would need to lose 1.2 pounds a week for the next 42 weeks.
That is very doable. What’s it going to take to hit that weekly number? How much are you going to workout? What are you going to eat? What numbers along the way are you going to use to celebrate? Will you celebrate every 5, 10, 15 pounds? What is your reward going to be? (Not going out to eat!) Who is your support system going to consist of? What are your breakthrough goals going to be? What are you going to do when you get there? How are you going to maintain? Is this a lifestyle change or are you doing this for a specific event? What are you going to do when you face challenges? How will you overcome those challenges?
I could go on and on but I hope you get my point. There is a big difference between setting goals and having a plan on how to achieve them.
Let’s take a different approach to New Years Resolutions this year. Instead of waiting until the new year, how about starting now? Instead of making resolutions, lets make goals. Remember ideas are things we work on when it’s convenient. Goals are things we work on everyday whether it is convenient or not.
Have a great day
