The Finale 12/13/11 ****Spoilers****

[bachelorwatcher]

I think that Debbie has a better chance of keeping off the weight than anyone else. Plus it is a medical fact that being at ideal weight after being obese is not necessarily what one needs to do. Just losing 10% of one's weight can tackle serious health problems, and of course, if one can maintain a weight they are comfortable with, that's a great success, certainly so when compared to binging and dieting which is disastrous. I didn't think that Debbie was overly obese. Plus she won't be dealing with too much excess skin if at all which is very much an issue for most contestants. About the excess skin: it's one of the evils of rapid weight loss for most, but it can be avoided. One of my closest friends lost 150 pounds on her own over the course of 2+ years through diet and exercise. It is also true that she was blessed with great skin genes. Anyway, she doesn't have an ounce of loose skin, and yes, I would know if she did, we do share these kinds of details, and she did show me her belly.

Since Debbie didn't lose as much weight as the others, she must be eating at least some of the "wrong" types of foods. She could get tired of eating mostly the right type of food, and end up gaining weight. There's also the chance that John could be hungry, and gain weight again. One never knows. By the way, how old is your friend who lost 150 pounds?

[sheila]

When I wrote about the kind of food they eat at the ranch, such broccoli and fish, I meant the general category of "good food..." as compared to "bad food," such as cookies and fried chicken. I know they eat more than broccoli and fish. I saw Vinnie eating a sandwich once. I saw a bowl of apples on the table. I wrote about former winners eating ground turkey after they left the ranch, so they must have eaten ground turkey while at the ranch. I think that since Debbie is slowly losing weight, she must be eating at least some food such as cookies, pizza or fried chicken.

It absolutely does not suggest that, and this is actually the one thing that is wrong with this otherwise great pop culture show. Debbie actually lost precisely the weight that every professional in the field of weight-loss (and I am referring to doctors, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists) advises people to do, i.e. 1-2 pounds a week! She probably had a day job and lived in the real world. This self-punishing attitude of being disappointed in what is healthy leads to all those eating disorders, and that's a scientific fact! Doing what is right does not mean that she ate cookies and pizza. On top of that, the show has talked about pizza. It's excellent food if one eats it right.

And with all due respect, your last two comments about "John getting hungry" etc. are really too simplistic of very serious endocrinological conditions.

[PWS]

Sheila, I, too, would love to know how OLD your friend was when she lost the 150 lbs. Thanks!!!!

[AJane]

Guys, there's a reason that there is a multi-million dollar diet industry-the same thing does NOT work for everyone. You can talk to one "expert" who will give you examples of why their method works, & then hear at least a dozen more who vehemently disagree and can back it up with their own examples. All the arguments about how someone's own personal philosophy is the only way (for diet & exercise) is a big part of what scares people needing to make a lifestyle change, IMO. TBL espouses the most basic method - burn more calories than you take in. You can take it or leave it but to mock what clearly works for at least some is like saying a cancer patient shouldn't consider chemotherapy because your aunt's friend's husband tried it & he died anyway. It blows my mind. Succeed, but do it in the manner I approve of or it must be wrong.

As for Debbie, I think it was clear TBL wasn't a good experience for her. For someone who must have spent considerable time & trouble to be on the show, she doesn't seem that invested in changing. That is her choice & I hope whatever path she chooses works for her.

[sweetpea]

I thought Debbie looked great, perfectly fine for a woman her age. I think the amount she lost at home, on her own, was perfectly reasonable and will most likely mean she will keep the weight off.

Could someone please take that hat away from Boston Jonny? Ugh.

I was hoping Antone would win. He looked healthier and very fit at the end, whereas I thought John looked gaunt and sallow and not healthy at all. His poor wife, you can see everything in that house is about him. Hope she can benefit from some of the money to have some "me time" of her own.

My word, Ramon was so full of himself. ARGH! Enough with the hollering and throwing your tongue out and over the top testosterone!! Thank God he didn't propose though. I had to mute the tv for a lot of his segments. He looked good though, and I really like that he was helping his family to lose weight and get healthy. His Dad lost a lot of weight, that's fantastic! They seemed like sweet parents.

I didn't like the length of Allison's dress. A bit shorter or a bit longer would have worked better. Loved her earrings with her hair though. /shallow

All the Bob-Love was a bit much. I adore him but his head was visibly swelling.

I don't know if John will keep the weight off or not. He seemed so extreme and focused on the goal of winning...what happens now??

Does anyone know if the 2nd and 3rd place people get any money? Hope Antone can get a great job now. I read he had been let go by his employer.

[Bearcata]

Guys, there's a reason that there is a multi-million dollar diet industry-the same thing does NOT work for everyone. You can talk to one "expert" who will give you examples of why their method works, & then hear at least a dozen more who vehemently disagree and can back it up with their own examples. All the arguments about how someone's own personal philosophy is the only way (for diet & exercise) is a big part of what scares people needing to make a lifestyle change, IMO. TBL espouses the most basic method - burn more calories than you take in. You can take it or leave it but to mock what clearly works for at least some is like saying a cancer patient shouldn't consider chemotherapy because your aunt's friend's husband tried it & he died anyway. It blows my mind. Succeed, but do it in the manner I approve of or it must be wrong.

As for Debbie, I think it was clear TBL wasn't a good experience for her. For someone who must have spent considerable time & trouble to be on the show, she doesn't seem that invested in changing. That is her choice & I hope whatever path she chooses works for her.

I think that is why I am so snarky about Debbie, she put in a lot of effort to get on the show but then seemed to throw it all away. There are thousands of people who would have loved the oppurtunity that Debbie threw away. Still I am glad that she did continue to lose weight.

[sheila]

Sheila, I, too, would love to know how OLD your friend was when she lost the 150 lbs. Thanks!!!!

Absolutely. 42. Not a day less. But, as I said, she is BLESSED (with capital letters) with spectacular skin. It's in her genes. Her body type may also have helped. She has very thin legs and gains most of the fat on her butt and upper body. Oddly enough, her belly never gets huge, so it never hangs. She has had two C-sections and has had no plastic surgery. However, she took a long time to lose the weight, exercised, and simply persevered. The fat deposits in her body are somewhat odd, in that she unfortunately gets fat in more localized places than the average person. For example, I am pear-shaped; if I gain weight it goes straight to my thighs, love handles, etc. Apple-shaped people are the opposite. My friend is a really strange story.

[sheila]

Correction: my friend has not had weight-loss-related plastic surgery. However, when she was 20 years old and of normal weight, she had a radical breast reduction which is, of course, plastic surgery. I've known her since high-school and she is one of my closest friends, so I witnessed first-hand her sorrow at how HUMONGOUS her breasts were. They actually took off 7 pounds of breasts and gave her a B-cup size!! I remember visiting her at the hospital after surgery and the only person who was a little sad at the loss of so many breasts was her then fiance, now husband! In truth, the poor thing could not find a decent bra to accommodate her breasts and had terrible back pain, not to mention the marks on her shoulder skin from the bra. As I said, her body-type is a little strange. When we were in high school she was of more or less normal weight, just unhappy for 5-10 pounds. She really put on the weight with her three pregnancies, of which two resulted in a C-section. I remember seeing her 150-pounds overweight after the birth of her third child. She could hardly walk properly. The fact that her legs tend to be so thin compared to the rest really made the whole sight sad and, according to her, grotesque.

I remember that when she lost the weight, because we live far apart now, she visited my brother and asked him to comment on her weight-loss to me so that I have a description from him. She is now considering the Zeltiq procedure which, I think, will make a big difference for pockets of fat in her back.

[jenniferboston1]

Who even likes steamed fish? LOL <3
A good tip....I think! Ground chicken is healthier than ground turkey according to package labels. I do still use ground turkey occassionally (sp), but ground chicken in our house rules! I have an awesome recipe for chicken meatloaf. I also substitue ground chicken for tacos and burgers. However, it should be said, once in awhile my sons ask for beef/steak/chops. Which they get! IN moderation.

[PWS]

Thanks, Sheila...so ok, from that description I guess she wouldn't have had to deal with the sagging "apron" effect from the stretched belly skin. I agree, very unusual placement of her fat. But glad it worked for her...and at 42 she probably still had a reasonable amount of estrogen going on naturally, which would help with the skin.