Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Rebecca, My Hero.

If you don't want a Biggest Loser spoiler for this week, then turn away now.

Last season I was totally inspired by Tara. She was super athletic, won tons of challenges, and was never in the bottom two. She kicked super ass. As a reminder, here is the lovely Tara's before and afters:




But this year, Rebecca is my inspiration. She's my height, 5'6. (Well, I've got 1/2 an inch on her, but it's basically the same.)

Starting weight: 257 pounds.



Current weight: 157 pounds.




She looks like a movie star now! I can't believe her body. It's AMAZING.

Yes, she cried a lot. Yes, she said "I don't want to just be a pretty face" a lot. Yes, she bugged me sometimes during the show. But when I saw her on Leno tonight, I cried. She ran the half marathon and I cried. She's in love with Daniel, and I cried. I freaking love her.

And here's the thing. I have my ultimate goal weight set at 140. That would mean that I'd be weighing 17 pounds less than she does in the after photos up there. That seems like it's a little unnecessary. I'm taking a second to really think about why I chose that number. It just seemed like a good number, I guess. Is it about a size? Is it about having skinny legs? Is it about becoming some magical number I think is acceptable at 5'6.5"? I don't know.

I do think she looks so good because of her being SO toned. We all know that a pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat, so she could be 157 and fitting into a size six, where I could be 157 and fit into a size 10. That might be why I want the 140 number, since I could conceivably lazily diet into that size instead of work my ass off to become a 157-pound size six. But... at this point I'm going to just take it a little easier on myself and go by the feel of things.

And now that I think about it, it amazes me that I'm only 21 pounds away from 157. Holy crap. And it shames me a bit that my arms will look NOTHING like hers. I feel like doing push ups. Lots of them.

The funny thing is that the BMI scale says that for a female weighing 157 pounds at 5'6" is a BMI of 25.3, and means they would still "overweight." Take it from the example of Rebecca that the BMI scale should NOT be your only way of measuring success or health.

Does she look overweight to any of you???

~J

25 comments:

M said...

Im soooo sad shes gone! Im not really watching it this season, but sometimes Id check in and I liked seeing her...what did u think of how they did her hair? At first I didnt like it and then by the end, I thought she was rocking it LOL.

Runnergirl said...

I'm waiting for the season to be shown on UK t.v. but we still haven't had the season where Tara was on.

I've seen women the same height as me (also 5'6") weigh considerably less and be the same dress size as me, so everyone comes in different shapes and sizes and you are totally right to just see what works for you. I would love to be 140 as well - that's my ideal weight, I would be slap bang in the middle of my BMI. But, when I weighed 161lb last time, I was a UK dress size 12 nearly... so 140 might be too small for me.

It's nice to have these people to inspire and motivate us though, and I think the BL is a great programme for that.

Lianne said...

dayum she's so inspiring!!!

leethroughthelens.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I often wonder why I can't get to the biggest lose weight loss realm...you know why? These guys do nothing but exercise all day long.

So the only thing us mere mortals in reality can do safely is 2 pounds a week. And it's hard work to get toned. So your only answer? Work hard and you'll get results. That's it.

Claire Dawn said...

I'm 5'5. I have 150 as my goal, but I'm flexible. If I get to 160 and realise, I'mn toned and yummy-looking, I'll be happy. We already know BMI only works for fat people (as opposed to muscular ones). BMI thinks all athletes are overweight.

MB said...

I was sorry to see Rebecca get voted off last night. Rudy s*cks. Anyway, I think she looks amazing! and so do you!!!

Jordan E said...

I loved this post! I will share my opinion and story since you sort-of asked. I think at first when losing significant weight, a number is important to work towards for most people. However, it is good, in my opinion, to question the number when you are starting to fit into clothes you like, are feeling thin and comfortable when you look in the mirror.

I have struggled with weight for several years and did weight watchers in college. I realistically only needed to lose around 10 pounds (which put me at a size 6 comfortably), but I got so obsessed with the numbers, I kept on going. AND, like what you brought up, I was still (slightly) overweight according to my BMI (I was fitting into size 4, sometimes 2, while weighing 140), but I was convinced I needed to be thinner. (I am 5'3" so 5-10 pounds can make a big difference.) I was eating less than 1,000 calories/day and working out to maintain that weight, which is obviously unhealthy. I was miserable(very hungry)!! Obviously, it did not last long and it has, I think, caused more problems because then I got way too skinny, gained weight because I had been starving for months and needed to eat! Now I feel like I am finally at a maintainable weight (size 8 - around 153), hoping to be more like a size 6 if I can figure out how to maintain it by exercising more, eating a little less, because I feel my best when I am working out more and slightly lighter, but not because of the number on the scale.

Anyway, the point is, I think you cause more problems for yourself if you end up going too low or getting obsessed with lower, lower, lower because maybe 157 is not overweight, for example. I also will look for this article to share, but I remember recently reading in a doctors office magazine or somewhere about how lots of women whose BMI falls in healthy weight are often at risk for health problems because they never work out, eat junk food, etc. And several women whose BMI puts them in the overweight category but are working out regularly, keeping track of diet, etc. are overall healthier and have less risks. I mean, I have to say I have skinny friends who eat Taco Bell and drink Coke every other day and I can't imagine inside of them is healthier than someone 20 pounds heavier who runs and eats healthy.

Anonymous said...

No, she definitely doesn't look overweight to me, which, like you said, is the reason we shouldn't use BMI as our only indicator. I made the decision when I started this journey that I wouldn't set an end-weight goal. If you read my blog much, you know this goes against the grain for me. I thought to myself, how can I know exactly what weight I want to be until I am there? So, even though I am getting closer daily, I still don't know what my end-weight goal is. The one thing for sure is that I will know when I arrive.

Sasha Carr, Ph.D. said...

I completely agree that BMI isn't always accurate in measuring fitness since it doesn't take body composition into account. When I was in grad school I worked in a lab where we all studied topics related to exercise and we all worked out a lot. I was a size 6 with a BMI in the "overweight" range, as was every other person in our group--except our advisor who was super buff and muscular--he was in the "obese" range!

Have you thought about an inch measurement goal instead?

Unknown said...

I hardly watch the show this season, but damnnn, shes freaking hot! What a motivation. She doesnt look overweight at all.

Sarahf said...

You're right. Beauty and health can't be measured by numbers alone. I guess, in the end, the ultimate goal is to be as healthy as possible and feel good about yourself. Oh, and judging by those pictures, choose a very sexy outfit that flatters you and throw in a bit of fake tan.

kimert said...

Totally inspiring! She looked great. And seeing her has made me want to stick with my goal of running a half marathon in 2010. What an amazing transformation she has undergone! Love her and can't wait to see the finale!

Al said...

How is a BMI of 23.5 overweight? I though anything under 25 was healthy/normal. I'm confused.

karen@fitnessjourney said...

I haven't watched this year, but I loved Tara last year. She totally deserved to win. What a beautiful woman inside and out. She was always cheering on others and wanted their success as well as her own.

I stopped watching the show because I do not like the way they pit the contestant up against each other by allowing them to add a pound and that type of thing. People should support one another, not try to sabotage each other.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. And I do agree that this young woman looks stunning and healthy!

~Kristen~ said...

I was amazed when I saw how great Rebecca had looked. Well ... I was amazed at Tracy two weeks ago (even though I never really liked her) but Rebecca's going to give her a run for the money I think.

Did you see that they're doing some kind of reunion next week (I think they said Wednesday) with past contestants and that Bob is going to one to "lay down the law"? BTW, what did you think about Daniel's friend who had joined with him last season. I was very sad to see he has actually gotten bigger.

MegFordice said...

I posted about Rebecca on my blog too! She looks so amazing. She is definitely an inspiration. I teared up when she broke down crying finishing her half marathon.

I'm going to say something mean here. I wonder if Daniel has toned up as well? Yeah, he lost a lot of weigh, but, as you'll remember from the weigh-ins, he had a lot of extra skin sagging everywhere. He even had boobs. I hope he was able to tone that up!

NatureCat said...

She looks healthy...and so do you! What if you didn't lose one more pound, but at your check-up, your Dr. said everything was perfect? Would you be satisfied with your weight? I think it's more about how the extra pounds make you feel. You may get down to 157 and decide that it is the perfect weight based on how your clothes fit, your mobility, etc. Don't get hung up on the number. Maybe 140 is not a realistic goal at this stage in your life. Whatever you decide, You are a success story too!

MMM said...

She is awesome! And very inspirational. As was Tara. And Jen, you are too! I wanted you to know, that yesterday I finally blogged about my weight. I let the cat out of the bag, and went public. I was able to do that because of you and Sue, and the bloggerhood of the traveling not so fat pants.
I love you guys! Thank you for talking about it!

Christy said...

She looks great!

As far as your arms go, Jenn, try Pilates if you've never tried it -- the one-on-one kind. My arms are starting to look really good after only one session per week for like 8 or 9 weeks. Sure, I still have extra fat there, but wow! I know you don't like exercise, but if you can commit an hour a week to Pilates, you'll see amazing results!

Deez Nailz - Canadas most fabulous hand model said...

The BMI scale is bunk - it should be re-calculated to include muscle etc...... at my thinnest- according to the BMI scale, I was still obese because I naturally carry alot of muscle. They have tinkered around with the formula over the years, with no reason why.

I totally ignore it, and someone needs to look into the formation of the BMI scale.

Erin said...

I think she looks amazing! I love Ali from a few seasons back. She is totally amazing.

Gina said...

She was my favorite too, and same height...and her new haircut is my haircut...it was like seeing myself on tv! I think she looks amazing...her arm definition is crazy! I would never say she looks overweight. I don't know about Danny though...he seems like kind of a wimp to me...she could probably kick his ass with those guns!!!

Haley said...

I totally agree with you about the BMI thing - I'm 5'8" and 203 pounds (which I'm not happy with, and am trying to lose - you inspire me!), and my BMI says that I'm obese - but I went to my doctor recently, and other than my weight, I am in great health. No cholesterol problems, no heart problems, no diabetes - just a little extra around the middle. What gives??

LaurenD said...

you raise SUCH a good point about her not being overweight AT ALL. she looks gorgeous! it is completely obscene how mainstream media portrays "skinny, thin or beautiful" it is so unrealistic and unhealthy and sends such a horrible messege to women everywhere and especially young girls. i am currently struggling with my weight and seeing Rebecca looking rocking at 157 makes me feel like I can do it too and look just as good and not have to worry about a BMI number or a dress size number!

Heather said...

I apparently need to start taping Leno. I had NO idea that the kicked off contestant is on his show the same night. Guess that's what I get for recording it and watching it a couple of days later! How sweet that her and Daniel are in love! Can't wait to find out who the final 4 are and see the finale!