Where Are They Now?

[CCL]

Where was Michelle at the winners Thanksgiving meal? Anyone know?

Ali looked a bit bigger - still good, but bigger.

How come Koli was at Stephanie & Sam's engagement party but they didn't give an update on him?

[CrossingGuard]

Michelle is part of a religious "movement" called I Am Second and was on tour with them during the reunion. (Just to give you some background: Stephen Baldwin is also a part of it.) But she looks great and has kept a lot of the weight off.

I thought Ali looked fantastic. The longer hair suits her. I didn't think she has porked up at all.

Helen and Danny also looked fantastic. Anyone else notice Helen's boob job? Good for her, that must have been a confidence booster (as I can imagine how her flabby her body was when she lost all of that weight).

The other winners... yeah. Good for them for keeping a lot of weight off (sans Ryan), but I wouldn't say that they're at the level of the other three mentioned above. But I do commend Erik for losing weight after gaining a bunch back. I hope he can keep it up.

I will say that I am disappointed that Michael didn't keep losing weight after the finale. With his ginormous amount of weight at the beginning of TBL9, he could have kept going. Frankly, he was still pretty big at the finale. But at the reunion, his "current weight loss" showed that he gained a little back.

But with all of that said, I think I might be a little too nitpicky right now. I recognize how difficult it is for these guys and that it's easier to say than to do.

[CCL]

Michelle is part of a religious "movement" called I Am Second and was on tour with them during the reunion. (Just to give you some background: Stephen Baldwin is also a part of it.) But she looks great and has kept a lot of the weight off.

Thanks CrossingGuard.

I thought Ali looked fantastic. The longer hair suits her. I didn't think she has porked up at all.

I wouldn't say porked up but her legs were bigger and her tummy was obvious in the black shirt she was wearing when she was outside. Don't get me wrong, she still looks very good and is definitely one of the more successful winners.

A lot of them are not (will never be?) skinny-skinny but they are all (I guess barring Ryan) better than they were and leading healthier, more active lives. I was so inspired by Holly at the end when she talked about having a bad day and working through it.

[ElizabethG]

I went back to the earliest threads about The Biggest Loser, back in fall 2004 and re-read a lot of our comments. Amazing that the first pack of contestants were not *that* heavy, it seems. The first person ever voted off the Biggest Loser, Dana, was only about 165 pounds at the beginning.

I would really like to read about or see how ALL the contestants from the earlier years are doing now. From season 1, all we saw was Ryan. What about Maurice and Aaron and Isabeau and the guy who had asthma that completely went away? (Gary, I think - he was season 2?) I also STILL don't understand why it is so doggone hard to get the BL seasons starting at #1 on DVD! I don't want them streamed on demand, I want DVDs I can pop in the dvd player when I'm on the treadmill or not at home. What is the deal with that?

Anyway, I would LOVE to see every single contestant since day 1 updated. How about y'all?

[CCL]

I haven't watched every season. I think the first season I watched was the one Ali won (Season 4?). But it would be nice to have an update on every contestant. I'd like to know how Tara's partner (whose name is escaping me) is doing, for example.

[PWS]

When they were having them come in by order of season, what struck me was that the longer ago the season was the more they seemed to have regained. Quite sad.... So yes, some of the recent ones still seem "okay", but who knows where they will be in 5 more years.
I'd also like to see what happened to all the earlier contestants....

[Shoepie]

I think one reason we don't see more past contestants is that they didn't want to be part of it because they have gained too much of their weight back.

Ali is definately heavier than she was but looks good and only 10 to 15 pounds up. Most of them were pretty heavy though. Better than when they started but definately still overweight.

[MomAt40Pls]

Just wanted to chime in here as someone who has lost significant amounts of weight and regained. The forces that pull a formerly obese person back into obesity are very strong. Most people who are overweight got that way because of years of bad habits and those bad habits are reinforced every day by friends and family. This does not go away with a 4-month experience on The Biggest Loser ranch. Sure, it's a great jump start, but there is no quick fix for obesity. It's a process. New habits have to be reinforced over and over again. If the rest of your family isn't on board with the new habits, it's even harder to maintain. There is a reason why only about 5% of people who lose 30 lbs or more will keep the weight off. The TBL population has fared better than the general population, but the stats are still very sad.

It took me 2 years to lose the 150 lbs that I've lost, and I've kept the weight off now for about 3 years. Even after all that time, it's still a struggle. I still have to make a conscious effort to stick with my eating plan. I still get up some mornings and wish I didn't have to go to the gym. But I know that it will take significant determination to keep the weight off for good. So, I keep fighting. Like it or not, if I want to stay at a healthy weight, I will always have to watch what I eat and exercise at least 5 days a week.

[NFL1]

I thought Ali looked fantastic. The longer hair suits her. I didn't think she has porked up at all.

The other winners... yeah. Good for them for keeping a lot of weight off (sans Ryan), but I wouldn't say that they're at the level of the other three mentioned above. But I do commend Erik for losing weight after gaining a bunch back. I hope he can keep it up.

I will say that I am disappointed that Michael didn't keep losing weight after the finale. With his ginormous amount of weight at the beginning of TBL9, he could have kept going. Frankly, he was still pretty big at the finale. But at the reunion, his "current weight loss" showed that he gained a little back.

But with all of that said, I think I might be a little too nitpicky right now. I recognize how difficult it is for these guys and that it's easier to say than to do.

I think so many of the contestants get too unsustainably (unhealthy) skinny for the finale - if they are in it for the $$, so I always hope that some do gain some - Ali looks great, and I thought was too skinny before. Same with Danny and Bill.

I would love an update on all contestants - it would give America a more realistic view of results and the struggles afterwards. Also, a comparison of Bob vs. Jillian's contestants in the long run - people say so much about Jillian's success in winners, but do they keep it off long term? In some ways Bob's method including yoga, and stuff, could be longer lasting?

I've lost about 60 pounds using the lap-band, and it's a lifelong struggle, not a quick fix. So many people talk negatively about weight-loss surgery, and for bypass I often agree - but there are other options that do take a lot of effort, exercise, follow-up, and adjustable without rearranging one's intestines - just an internal reminder that helps tremendously.

[AJane]

Jillian & Bob endorse similar methods, actually. The only real difference is in their personalities, plus Bob is vegan while Jillian is definitely not. The "competition" between them is more in fun, rather than a difference in fitness ideology.