Wow what an amazing weekend I had in LA at the Biggest Loser casting call. Each time I go to one I am reminded of how I felt when I got up around 3:30AM on August 11, 2007. You see that was the morning of the casting call I went to in Mesa, AZ to try out for the Biggest Loser. I remember being so tired, nervous and excited all at the same time. Casting call started at 10 am but they were allowing people to start lining up at 5am. My mom and I had planned to be there before anyone, we wanted to be the first in line. I remember pulling into the parking lot and seeing others pull in too, I knew they were there for the call based on their size, I immediately wanted to run to get there first. As it turned out we ended up being 11th in line.

During the next 5 hours as we waited for the process to begin my mom got to everyone in line whether they wanted to meet her or not She would tease and say it’s August 11th and we are 11th in line, you might as well go home they are going to choose us. As silly as that was that really was where it all began for us. People started showing up more and more closer to 10 am when the call was suppose to start. The casting people started getting there and setting up around 9 am. By that time my mom and I had found out from the others in line that we needed pictures to attach with our applications, we had no idea. So mom ran (well not literally) to the store to purchase a Polaroid camera and grab us something to eat. On one level we were so ready and the other so unprepared, we had no idea what we were doing or what we were getting in to.

It all started getting really real as the casting people started shifting us inside the Mesa Art Center where the casting was taking place. They had a camera crew going through and interviewing different people in line. Some of the other people in line had been through the casting process before and had almost like little skits prepared, lots had matching shirts and there was mom and I essentially clueless. I remember feeling already defeated a bit when the camera crew walked right pass us to talk to the sisters behind us to interview them. My defenses and insecurities immediately came up, I felt like crying. Why did they want to talk to them? What was better about them than mom and I? Is it because we didn’t have matching shirts? So much was going through my head, I couldn’t believe I was standing in a line for a TV show called the Biggest LOSER! I promised myself that no matter what happened I was going to do something once and for all about my weight. I was tired of feeling bad about myself and how I was showing up in life.

Now we all know that I did in fact make it on to season 5 of the Biggest Loser where I became the first female ever to win the show. What you might not know is that over 200,000 people each season try out to be on the show and approximately only 20 lucky individuals get chosen. As grateful as I am that I had the opportunity to be on the show REALITY is everyday of the rest of my life. So please let today be the first day you choose you and take back the power in your life. If the Biggest Loser inspires you then this season win with them from home. Get to know your resources! Go online to find workout classes, groups, routines. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about what you should be eating and what supplements might be good for you. And when you are at the health food store or vitamin shop and you are confused what protein you should get, look for my face

This is an interview I did with Adam from Season 10 of the Biggest Loser and some footage from the casting call where I handed out Biggest Loser Protein Bars and 2Go packs, I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time xo,
Ali

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Through my time on the Biggest Loser, I have realized exactly how important diet and exercise are to having a high quality of life. Believe me, the difference in my life now as compared to this time last year are night and day. The Biggest Loser Protein shakes and bars really help me to get through my workouts. They taste fantastic. My two sons love the protein shakes. I have to make 2 shakes every morning now because they got used to drinking some of my shakes, and I was not getting all the protein I needed. So now, I make 2 shakes and share them with my boys. I also really love the vanilla almond protein bars. They are so easy to take with me on the road now when I travel doing motivational speaking engagements and appearances. I can pull one out on a airplane and have a great snack, instead of having to eat peanuts or pretzels. It really helps me to keep my diet in check while I am on the road all over the country.

Patrick House has received free product in exchange for his blog.

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Why is it that cravings for certain foods grab a hold of us and won’t let go till a run through the drive through has been completed? Last week I was craving a big juicy burger! I don’t mean a kids meal burger I mean one that you have to disconnect your jaw to bite into. This insatiable craving really shocked me because I’m not much of a red meat person. However, I’m happy to report that I didn’t give in, instead I thought about why I wanted something so out of the ordinary. Then it occurred to me that I must not be getting enough protein. I have been trying to eat less and move more and I think my body was screaming for tools to repair and build my muscles. I decided to try adding a scoop of Biggest Loser Protein first thing in the morning. I added 50 calories 17 g chocolate powder with a tbs of peanut butter to my oatmeal. After a few days I noticed I wasn’t drooling at the big burger commercials any more!

Food cravings are our bodies sometimes annoying way of helping us get the nutrients we need. If we listen carefully and don’t get distracted with the rush of giving into temptation we can still meet our fitness goals. Now I need to figure out what my body needs when I must eat a wonton

Have a wonderful week! 
Burgandy

Burgandy Keel received free product in exchange for her blog.

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I’m not a huge fan of Gyms.  I would much rather be outside soaking in the beauty of mother earth.  I know that some people would prefer the gym over battling with bugs, animals, and the weather but that is just not me.   Although I don’t really like them, I do find myself joining the gym rats on their electronic wheels every now and then.   But when I have my choice I am the mountain lion conquering the world outside of the cages, taking on whatever nature can throw at me.  One of my secrets to staying energized and having fun while I’m out is having a snack with me to keep my body fueled.  The biggest loser protein products are so quick and easy, they are what I usually reach for as I’m running out the door to conquer the world.

Note:  Corey Pinkerton received free product in exchange for his blog.

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Note: Burgandy Keel has received free product in exchange for her blog.

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My favorite Biggest Loser Protein Product is the All Natural Protein Bar with Fiber. I love the Vanilla Almond Bars. They are so easy to grab quick, on the go, and throw into my gym bag to have after my workout. I am training now for my second marathon, The Boston Marathon, in April, and having energy to finish my long workouts is key to my success. The Biggest Loser Protein Bar really helps to curb my hunger in between meals, and give me that boost of energy to make it through the rest of the day. If there is one thing thats always in my gym bag, it the Biggest Loser Protein bar.

All Natural Biggest Loser protein bars

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This year I have found a great way to get through the holidays.  I have started by being gentle with myself, no one can achieve any goals if they are hard on themselves.  With that mindset I have decided to do 2 things during this season and so far it’s working great.  Being extra busy, I don’t have time to spend in the kitchen so I’ve combined my Designer Whey protein shakes which I TRY to do 2 times a day with  green smoothies.  I have been totally full and feel amazing!

Here’s what I do……  When I wake up in the morning I always do Designer Whey protein mixed with water.  Having that protein gives me energy to get my day going. For the Green Smoothie I mix 2 1/2 cups water with  raw spinach and kale…..I know it sounds awful……stick with me here.  Once it is all mixed up I add all sorts of fruit – anything will do.  I use Banana, berries, apples, pears, grapes and peaches.  Throw it all in a blender till completely mixed with spinach and kale. You don’t taste the veggies, only the fruit.  Actually it’s really good.  I drink this all during the day and allow myself as much as I want.  When I make my mixture I usually make lot’s and just put it in the freezer.

Don’t forget how important protein is for weight loss and good energy levels. So get those shakes in!  The last benefit of this is all the water you take in without drinking straight water and we all know more water is always better.  I am really close to my goal I set for February of 125 which I haven’t seen in 2 decades.

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As many of you know I have been on tour with Famous Footwear this summer criss-crossing the country.  It has been so much fun.  One of the things I didn’t realize is that being on the road is completely different then traveling a lot.  Yes I travel ALL the time but usually I am home in between, so most of my trips are between 24 to 48 hours.  Because of such short trips and so many different airports and hotels I often feel like George Clooney in Up In The Air.  I am a pro at what to pack and how to pack it so that I get through the security in the shortest amount of time and out of the airport as soon as I land, so as you can imagine I only check a bag under dire circumstances, which hardly ever happens.  Until my Mind, Body, Sole tour, that is.  You see although the tour was only 20 cities, I would spend 2 days in each city doing all different things like Twitter workouts, hospital visits, TV appearances, radio, and store events and then of course I had travel days to get back and fourth from one place to another.  I also had all the other stuff I do already scheduled so Famous Footwear planned around my existing schedule like the Healthy Woman speaking events I do, I went to the GNC show with Designer Whey, where I met Erin Stern. I was so excited to meet her and she was so excited to meet me.  I had so much fun and my Chocolate Mint Protein shake was a huge hit, I love when people love what I love   I also had different races and Health Expos and such so I literally had to change my whole routine.  I could just pack a carry-on when I wasn’t going to be home for anywhere from 4-6 weeks at a time and most importantly my traveling food routine wasn’t going to work!  Usually I would pack enough food for my entire trip just in case my options on the road weren’t the best, I swear the TSA thinks I am completely nuts with my food bag.  On any given trip it would not be unusual for me to have a bag filled with chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, fruit, almonds and of course my 2Go Protein packs.  These days my one and only staple has been the 2Go Protein which has been a God-send for me and the new Protein bars are an answer to my prayers. Look for them on the shelves SOON.

One of my favorite accidental discoveries this summer has been my Lemonade popsicles.  You guys have to remember I am from Arizona, so as you can only imagine I love me some popsicles!  I had mixed up a new Lemonade 2Go pack in my bottle water and stuck the unfinished bottle into a hotel fridge which must have been set wrong because when I went to grab it, it was slushy, which was the bomb!  Since that time I have taken all the flavors and made little popsicles and they are fabulous!! I either make it in little Dixie cups or even a ice cube tray sometimes.  You should try it – especially if you have kids.

So I was thinking…and you guys need to let me know… maybe we should do a poll or something to get together for a race of some sort.  I’m up for almost anything from a triathlon, cycling, or running.  My idea is that we all pick a race somewhere in the States and train together through the blog here and have a huge presence at one of the races, what do you think?  Send in your ideas and let’s figure something out.

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Well, I wanted to get to everyone today and just touch on a few subjects. First, I came back from my 10-day long vacation and found that I had lost 2 pounds! That’s pretty good considering I didn’t do a lot of working out over those 10 days, other than some taking some walks and moving a lot of furniture. It just goes to show that so long as you stay dedicated to your diet, and do just a little bit of exercise, you can still lose weight. Now, to be fair, I would have loved to lose more than 2 pounds over those 10 days, but without access to a decent gym (yes, I’m a little spoiled!) it was difficult for me to get a proper workout. And, I didn’t take my running shoes, since I already had a full suitcase, so that didn’t help me either. But the important thing is that I stayed focused on my goals and I was able to shed a couple of pounds, which kept me going in the right direction. So for all of you that are planning late-summer vacations, feel free to keep up that diet and do a little exercise, and your summer strives towards skinniness won’t be shot down the drain.

Next, a matter of relaxing by the TV. I do it A LOT! To be completely honest, I probably watch way to much TV to be healthy, but I really enjoying keeping up with all of my favorite TV shows, even if they are re-runs during the summer. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get a good workout in. My best friend Jessi is always telling me to add a workout to my couch potato time, and I’ve finally taken her advice. I do 20 push-ups during the commercial break, which takes me 20-30 seconds. It may not sound like a lot, but with the average 30-minute TV show having 3 commercial breaks, 1 every 7-8 minutes or so, watching TV for a couple of hours will also bring in well over 100 push-ups in a night, with plenty of rest in between. The first couple of sets go by pretty easy, but once I’m at that 4th or 5th set, they get a lot harder, and that’s when you’re getting your benefits. All put together, those push-ups will work the majority of your upper-body muscles, burning calories while sitting on your bum, and if you’re watching TV at night like me, it’ll burn calories while you sleep too, using calories to rebuild the muscle tissue. How about that, losing weight while you sleep! Nobel Prize, please!

Another thing to think about is that diet. I struggle probably more than anyone with overeating, because I’ve been doing it for years. I can out-eat almost anyone (except Joey Chestnut, the world-record setting Nathan’s Hot Dog eating champion), and I’ve been known to put down an entire large meat-lovers pizza by myself, in one sitting. Now, it doesn’t take an expert to tell me that that is neither healthy nor good for my weight loss plan. However, I’ve done it, and there’s nothing that can be done about it now. But that doesn’t mean I should keep doing it! That goes with everything bad for you, like eating a bucket of ice cream or tons of cookies. That little bit of cheating on your diet will take you several steps backwards in your weight loss goals, and you’ll only feel guilt and shame afterwords. Instead, you have to find something to snack on in between meals, and your meals need to be sensibly sized and portioned in order to keep up your weight loss. In the long run you’ll be a lot happier that you had a turkey sandwich instead of a whole pizza.

Finally, just to put everyone in a positive mood and the right frame of mind, as of today I am down 30 pounds from when I started my diet and exercise plan! I’ve had my share of downfalls, pitfalls and stumbling blocks, as well as a few “I quits” in there, but overall I’ve kept at it and have continued to lose weight in the long run, and that’s the important part. I am much, much lighter than I was in January. I may not be where I wanted to be as part of my original plan, but I’m still headed in the right direction, and that’s what really matters! So, even if you didn’t lose your 20 pounds in 21 days (which was my goal over my summer break from school, which I didn’t meet), having lost weight over that time period is still a success, so take pride in that and keep going. Eventually, you’ll reach that goal, and when you do, you’ll be more proud of yourself then you thought possible. Keep it up everyone!

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Name: (Kai Douglas); Age: 28; Sex: M

Can you please give me a 15 song playlist (please list artist and song) that you would listen to at the gym?
1.  ATWA : SOAD
2.  Public Service Announcement : Jay-Z
3.  Inertiatic ESP : Mars Volta
4.  One Arm Scissor : At the Drive In
5.  Juicy : Notorious BIG
6.  VooDoo Child : Jimi Hendrix
7.  Ambitions of a Rider : 2Pac
8.  Move on Up : Curtis Mayfield
9.  Deer Dance : SOAD
10.  Song About a Friend : Atmosphere
11.  Mirror in the Bathroom : English Beat
12.  Return of the Mack : Mark Morrison
13.   Trying to Find a Balance : Atmosphere 
14.  Hate it or Love it : G-Unit       
15.   Blinded by the Light : ELO
 
Q: What type of workout do you think this would go best with (certain muscle group, aerobics, cycling etc.) and why?
A: Its a mix of lifting and cardio.  70′s and 80′s genre for cardio, newer stuff for lifting.  Hip-hop and metal definitely used for motivation while lifting.
 
Q: What song can always put you in the mood to exercise and why? And to piggy back on that is there a certain genre of music that you prefer while exercising?
A: For lifting…. Public Service Announcement and hip-hop fuel the workout, while Curtis Mayfield’s Move on Up keeps me going during cardio.
 
Q: Do you find that listening to music is a motivator when you workout or do you find it to be distracting?
A: When lifting I use music as a motivator.  When doing cardio I use it to distract me and keep me going longer.
 
Q: What type of workouts do you typically listen to music during or do you typically listen to music every time you exercise?
A: I always listen to music during cardio.  It takes my mind of the mundane task of cycling or using the elliptical.  Sometimes I prefer not to listen to music while lifting, but usually I need the motivation to get through the last half of sets.

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