10 Tidbits of Weight-Loss Wisdom from The Biggest Loser

Keep Your Fervor Afire

After the cameras were long gone, Suzy, 28, season two's third runner-up, negotiated this truth: Staying in shape was a choice she had to make. She'd have to remain steadfast and find pleasure in doing the grunt work -- exercising daily, eating mindfully, and making healthful choices. The lesson: Expert coaching aside, you must find your own motivation, a catalyst to make you move every day.

I can testify to this rule, because I had to summon the stamina to stay conscious as I blinked through every single scene of the show's three seasons to write this story. It just so happened that I became impassioned about the task. Which is precisely what happened to the TV contenders: In the midst of their winded suffering, they ended up tapping into an inner gusto, one they hadn't felt in years, or for some, a lifetime. It's a vicariously triumphant experience. That's why this Loser couldn't help but break out the fat-free caramel corn and rewind each episode over and over and over again.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, September 2007.