Last night was my favourite episode so far this series! There’s nothing I love more these days than smashing through a barrier, and the work Shannan’s team did with the martial arts black belt, Andy, was the best lesson in self-belief they’ll ever get.
Back in Series 3, Shannan treated us to the same experience but it never went to air. I still have my two pieces of wood that I broke in two first time. What an amazing feeling to smash through that solid, impenetrable board that represented everything that had held me back in my life! It didn’t hurt for a moment; I didn’t feel even a second of pain. All I felt was the exhilaration of the moment and the awe of being able to achieve anything… Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!
As Julie discovered, barriers only exist if you believe in them. For her that little piece of wood was a brick wall, but as Andy assured her, “it’s not there, it doesn’t exist”.
It takes a while to get your head around this concept but the mental barriers we experience in our weight-loss journey are also not there, they don’t exist. They only exist if you believe they exist. Shannan put it better when he said: “An insurmountable barrier can be broken through if you believe in yourself.”
These are the truest words spoken this series and something you should stick to the fridge or on the bathroom mirror if you’re struggling with self-doubt. And don’t think you’re alone in doubting yourself – I guarantee that every single contestant in the house and, in fact, anyone who eats for emotional relief struggles with self-doubt. As overweight people, we are so used to telling ourselves, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t” which is why it’s unbelievably liberating to realise “I can”.
The other important lesson from last night’s show was the maxim Teresa mentioned: “Honesty is the best policy”. She and her team mates were showing Shannan their Biggest Loser Club diaries, which is the online tracking tool that all contestants use in the house to monitor their food and exercise.
What I love about the diary and why I think it’s helping contestants such as Teresa (who before Loser used to eat fast food three times a day!) thrive is that it gives you the facts, but it doesn’t judge.
The diary tells you what your energy equation is and how you’re tracking from a nutrition perspective but it doesn’t give you a hard time for logging a few glasses of wine or some chocolate. In fact, if you’re honest and log absolutely everything you’re much more likely to get a better result and, as Teresa is discovering, you’ll even be able to predict your weight loss.
There’s no way to predict the results of tonight’s temptation, ‘Chocolate Poker’, but I’m sure there will be plenty to record in everyone’s diaries tomorrow! Tune in at 7PM on TEN and then check your inbox in the morning for my daily update.
If you missed last night's show, you can watch the full episode at The Biggest Loser TV show website.
I hope you get a moment to replay the segment where Shannan's team break through their barriers – it's an inspiration! I've included it below.
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Alison Braun is one of the most-loved contestants in Biggest Loser history. Since losing over 55kg during Series 3, she has kept the weight off with the help of The Biggest Loser Club and, more recently, The Biggest Loser Club Meal Replacement Program.