meeting the Biggest Loser blue team

I had the opportunity to go see the Biggest Loser Blue Team, Sione and Filipe, last night. The two of them put on a nutrition seminar with their personal trainer (not Bob, Ryan, their trainer here in Phoenix).

I brought a pen and paper and took some notes! So if you're interested in weight loss, here are some tips from two (really funny) guys who have been through it recently.

Five Essentials to Weight Loss from Ryan, the trainer

1. FOOD! Don't forget to eat. 60-70% of your success will come from the food you eat. You must eat at least 1000 calories a day and don't forget carbs. 50% of the carbs you eat go to your brain. Eat carbs in the morning not the evening and eat carbs 2-3 hours before working out.

2. Supplementation: some suggestions were a multivitamin, a workout recovery pill (with amino acids), glucosamine (for joint health) and an antioxidant pill.

3. Resistance Training: builds muscle, increases metabolism For women it helps maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

4. Cardio: Not THE answer to weight loss, but still necessary. Do this 3-6 times a week, after your resistance training. Good for the heart, lungs and circulatory systems.

5. Professional Help (of course he's going to say this, he's a trainer!). Trainers have to undergo rigorous training to understand how the body works. They can help you get further, faster.


"Do the Opposite of Easy"

When working out -- push yourself

Sione's nutrition tips

Watch nutrition labels
-- serving sizes can be misleading
-- make sure you aren't getting more than 25% of calories from fat
-- keep sugar to less than 5% per serving

Give yourself a "cheat" meal. They were given one meal a week on the Biggest Loser ranch where they could eat an extra 1000 calories.

Oh, and Sione's "crave" foods are pizza, Doritos and ice cream.

Motivational words from Filipe

Trivia: Filipe wanted to be a motivational speaker since he was 16, when he attended a motivation speaking seminar with a friend.

Write it down -- your goals (for start) and why you want to lose weight. For him, it was his wife and kids. Then keep writing, your food intake, that is. Keeping a food journal is a proven technique for weight loss.




They will have more information on their website (which doesn't go live until Monday, so don't try it yet!) www.tongancousins.com. They are also kicking off a multi-city tour and the schedule will be on the website too.


That's all I had from my notes. They shared many experiences from the Biggest Loser ranch which were fun to hear about. I didn't realize how little we actually see when we watch the show. They ended the seminar with their Tongan dance and then a meet and greet so we could take pictures with them and ask questions. Yes, that's me in the pic with them. Sorry it's kinda blurry.

Thanks to Sione and Filipe for doing this. It was really fun to see them in person and take away some of the lessons they had learned.