Biggest Loser 14 - Finale Thoughts!

It was a shorter season than usual...but packed with much more inspiration than the last one.

Last night, Biggest Loser's Season 14 contestants had their big finale, showing off amazing transformations and astounding numbers on the scale.  And determining the winners came down to the last second and tight margins.

I was going back and forth between this finale and the Dancing With The Stars season premiere, so I didn't live tweet or blog last night for fear of missing anything important.  Now I can collect my thoughts on BL and look back at a wonderful night that capped off an even more wonderful season.

What made this finale extra special was having the teen ambassadors ot only come out all dressed up, but also fulfilling some of their dreams on the stage.  Lindsay performed with the cheerleading squad...and was the top of the pyramid! Sunny looked amazing and she is taking her role as ambassador seriously.  And Biingo was surprised on stage by the coach letting him know he made the baseball team.  We need kid ambassadors every year!

Looking back on everyone's journeys was inspiring, and as all of the at-home contestants weighed in, the leader kept changing.  How awesome is it that Gina was the last one standing for the $100,000 prize?  She really was a big threat in the game!  I've heard some people say they wished someone else had won, while others see what I see in her and realize that reality shows are edited...meaning you might get to see mostly good moments from someone and hardly any bad, and vise versa.  What you see on TV might not be the only side to each person!

Jackson won America's vote into the Final Three, which is exactly what I thought would happen.  He, Jeff, and Danni all got on the scale for the grand prize, and all of them really did an amazing job.  Danni wound up winning - beating Jeff by one pound!  I would have been happy with any of the three winning, as they all were worthy of the title.  But I'm so proud of Danni!

Hopefully we won't have to wait quite so long for another season, but if Biggest Loser can get another set of people on the show like this group - it would be worth waiting for!

Now...let's all get moving and work on our own transformations!!!

Biggest Loser 12: Makeovers and Motivation

Almost everybody loves Makeover Week. I say almost because Bob didn't seem too thrilled about it. (More on that in a minute.) It's exciting every season to watch people who've literally worked their butts off get a chance to celebrate the fitter, more confident people they've become. I think many of us also think about what we would do with an opportunity like this...we work our butts off in more ways than one at home and would love to be treated like royalty for a change- or just be appreciated.

The Biggest Loser contestants certainly deserve the pampering and updated looks they received. I have to admit, the women's makeovers are always the best part. Unless, of course, you have men who started out looking like shaggy dogs or disco kings with afros from the 70's. This season those guys got voted off before the makovers, so we'll have to wait until finale to see those transformations. (Except for Ramon, who gave us a treat ahead of time!)

Becky's transformation was the most drastic, due to the short haircut and complete air of confidence that glowed from within her. She doesn't even look like she belongs in the upper age group on the ranch! Sunny and Vinny also had amazing makeovers, because they got to wear things that they thought would never have been possible. I love seeing people believe in themselves...even more so because it's a lesson I keep learning everyday for myself.

Once everyone was back on the ranch it was all business once again. I was really touched when Sunny told Anna how much she appreciated her, since I've learned to appreciate Anna more each week. I admit to having my doubts when the season started, especially with the way everything was portrayed in the first few episodes. (I have to keep remembering - reality show editing takes some of the reality out of it!) Like Sunny, I want to get better at tennis...because I love the sport and want to be able to play longer with my family. It would be an honor to learn from Anna, and I'm glad Sunny realized it and was able to express her thanks while still on the ranch. I'm actually sorry that Anna won't be back next season. I think she was finally starting to hit her groove!

Hearing Sunny's conversation with Anna only made the weigh-in more painful. Bob went ballistic when Sunny only lost one pound and thought she didn't have much of a reaction. He also blamed it on the time spent away for the makeovers. At first it seemed like Bob was overdoing it, but when I remembered that last week Bob mentioned how much Sunny reminded him of his sister it all made sense. I'm sure Bob would love to drill those same points home to his own sister too. Everyone else did pretty well, considering the limited time for exercise this week.

Sunny wound up falling just short of the Final 4, but seeing her stay dedicated at home really motivates me. She gets up early for bootcamp, goes to the gym, takes tennis lessons...oh yeah, and teaches all week too! She proves that if you really want it you will find the time for it. I can't wait to see her final transformation at the finale.

Next week is homecoming for the Final 4, along with the marathon. It will be interesting to see who trained hard at home and wins the other spot in the finals. Can you believe it's less than 2 weeks to the finale? The season really is flying by!

Extreme Makeover: LaRhonda's Journey of Faith and Fitness!

On my journey of faith and fitness, I love seeing other people on theirs. Something about watching what they go through and the true transformation is more inspiring than anything else out there. For that reason and so much more, I can't help but salute LaRhonda Darby.

LaRhonda was featured on last night's Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. All of the people on this show have inspired and motivated me, but with LaRhonda there is something extra special that makes me feel a connection. The heart of it is her faith in God - and that she is proud to show that faith to the world. See the picture of LaRhonda above? On the left side of her shirt she has written the words, "With God For Me, Nothing Can Stand In My Way!" And she is darn proud to wear that shirt on TV for everyone to see. (Hmm...I have a couple of plain T-shirts that could use a little writing on them. Time to decorate them with words of faith and empowerment!) I can truly say that this is why LaRhonda is so successful. She knows that on her own she has human weaknesses, but with Him she is strong. (I must also applaud ABC for letting her film in that shirt...a lot of networks would be skittish about "offending some people" and cut that footage.)

How else do I relate to LaRhonda? Well, I lost my mom over 16 years ago, when I was 28. She was right when she said you never get over it...you learn how to deal with it. I've been dealing with it for years, sometimes with food instead of healthier ways to work it out. One thing that really just sunk in for me over the last few months - my mom would want me to remember happy things, and she would want me to be healthy and happy. You can bet that LaRhonda's mom is watching over her...and she's so proud of her!

I love that God is using LaRhonda to teach us...He's so good at turning pain into something of beauty. (And humor...goodbye to LaRhonda's stomach "Bertha"!) Thank you dear LaRhonda, for sharing your journey with us...and thanks be to God for sharing you with the rest of us!