Last Day

Well, today is my last day here at The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge. I can't get over how fast these past four weeks have flown by. Even though it has been hard, I have had a great time. Well, here are my results: I lost exactly 30.2 pounds in 4 weeks, and right at 20 inches. It is more than I expected....so needless to say I am pleased. But now the real journey begins: DOING IT AT HOME!!

I have learned so many things while being here at the BLR at FR:

1. Healthy food gets stuck in your teeth much more than fried chicken and french fries.
2. It's simple: eat less, move more (but as most of us know, its not so simple)
3. You will not die on 1200 calories per day.
4. I am capable of so much more than I ever dreamed.
5. "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable"
6. Relaxation is necessary for a balanced lifestyle....and its ok
7. The word 'funner' is not a word
8. I can do anything with the power and grace of God...ANYTHING

I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. Thank you all for your constant prayers and words of encouragement. I would not have made it here without them both.

This is my last post for now. I may post about my journey at home.....but I am not making any promises :)

Thank you all again!

Marla

Friday....sigh

Well, today was my last full day at the Ridge. I must say, I am excited to come home....but I am sad to be leaving. I have had such a great experience these past four weeks. Here are some pics from today:

SAT, SUN, MON, TUES, WED

I still can't believe that I will be home in just a few days. It feels like my time here has flown by. I am ready to come home, though. As much as I am enjoying my time here, I am missing home too. I am finding that the longer I am here, the more tired I become. Bedtime is getting earlier and earlier each night...hahaha.

Well, speaking of bedtime, I am going to bed. Thanks, as always, for your words of encouragement and prayers.

Marla



From a very big, large, mean animal, I'm sure





John Yohman, one of the trainers

Friday

Hiking....parts of the hike were pretty steep.


Me and Robin. We were looking at the petrogliffs (sp?).

Exhausted. Sweaty.

The name of this hike was called Slots. Now you can see why. We were in a slot in the mountain. One of the coolest hikes I have been on since I have been here.

Me and Jim

Me and my pals Ephriam and Renese. Ephriam is an NFL player, and plays for the Houston Texans. Renese is a backup dancer, and has danced for celebrities like Beyonce, Ricky Martin, and Christina Agulara.

911

Today I decided to push myself beyond anything that I have done since I have been here: RUNNING. I have stayed safe, always using the bike for all cardio classes instead of the treadmill or elliptical...and I DID IT....I ran for the first time in years....then I passed out, the paramedics came out (all 5 of them)....yep, it was something to see. But I recovered. They said I just pushed my body too hard....but I DID IT! hahaha..... (PS. I wanted someone to take a pic of me with the oxygen, stretcher and all....but no luck).

Today I went off site to a cooking class. I learned how to make chicken pasta and zucchini soup...and all for 310 calories. It was cool to get off campus for a change. Things start to get repetitive here...

I am sad that I will not be in LA for the superbowl. Just to be there with the excitement in the air must be fun. There is one girl here from New Orleans, and she is more into the Saints than I, so she has been keeping me updated with things going on in NOLA. (Thanks Shanda for the Saints shirt. I got it today. I will wear it proudly on Sunday!!!!)

Hiking Turtle Wall

See the Turtle?



Me seasoning my piece of chicken at the cooking class

Thank YOU!!

During lunch today, I received a very nice surprise....a package!! Thank you to everyone who wrote me a note of encouragement. I actually teared up reading all of the letters. It really meant a lot to me that you guys took out the time to do that....so thank you again. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things at ABC....




I have been enjoying the hikes each morning that we go on. Yes, it is hard....yes, I am sweating profusely....yes, I am tired....but it has been great to be outside...seeing all of the mountains. Each hike has great views....and hiking has become my "quiet time" each day. When I am out there, I am usually walking by myself....listening to worship music....praying....grunting as I am trying to get up the hill :)....

The weather has been nice...cold, but nice. The resort is really out in the middle of nowhere. There are a few houses around...but not much more. A lot of mornings as I am walking to my 6:00 am class, I hear roosters crowing in the background...It always makes me stop and smile....

Well, I am going to rest before my three afternoon classes. Thanks again for all of the letters. It meant a lot!

Marla

Monday Monday

Today was a typical Monday for me....I felt sluggish. I didnt think I was going to make it up to the top of stop sign hike today....but I did thanks to my friend Robin for pushing me. I didn't beat my time from Saturday (I was two minutes slower), but at least I made it.

Me and my friend Robin just after we finished the hike....YES, we were exhausted!!

For lunch today we had sunchoke soup. I had never heard of a sunchoke before....but apparently it is a veggie. We asked the kitchen to bring one out so we could see it....it kind of looked like ginger.....just thought I would share that. Below is a pic of a sunchoke...

I still have the rest of the afternoon classes left. We have a break after lunch, so I am just chillin in my room trying to rest before the torture begins :)

Marla

Weekend

Me and Seth, runner up Biggest Loser Season 2

Me and Erik, winner Biggest Loser season 3

Well, week two is officially over....and week three begins at 6:00 am tomorrow morning with Yogalates. Saturday was a great day for me. We all hiked the stop sign hike on Saturday morning, and I improved my time by exactly 10 minutes from the first day I hiked it. I was so pumped. I feel myself getting stronger and stronger each day....what I am starting to think about now is how to bring what I have learned back home to LA with me.

Saturday night the Resort brought someone in to do Karaoke with us. We had so much fun. Of course, I had to share my voice with everyone...and I sang Crocodile Rock by Elton John....we had a great time. They provide an activity for us every Saturday....not much to do here in St. George, Utah.

As much as I like it here, I am starting to miss everyone from back home and everything going on. But I know I will be back soon enough.

Marla

Week Two Almost Over

I cannot believe that I have been here almost two full weeks. Last week I was sore....tired.....and still in shock that I actually signed myself up to do this. But this week has been different. I have seen a change in my endurance and my strength. Everyday I am just amazed that I am able to do everything that I am doing. Today in one of my classes I was going almost 20 mph faster on the bike than I was last week....its changes like that that I am seeing.

I took a treading class today. Our trainer said that we should do this once a week (no more, no less). This is how it works: you pick a cardio machine. After warm ups....when she says go, you go as fast and strong as you can for 5 minutes....then you recover and go slow for 5 minutes....then you go as fast and strong as you can for 4 minutes...then you recover and go slow for 4 minutes....and so on till you get to 1 minute. She says it shocks your body and you get into your anaerobic state. She told us that she started doing this once a week in her personal workouts, and it has tremendously helped her race times.....

Thanks as always for all of the encouragement and prayers. I have felt it!! Thanks again!

Marla

Pics from the Week

The drawings are petraglifs (sp?) that were drawn by natives from the area years and years ago....

More Rain

So, everyone here keeps saying that it NEVER rains here....and yet again it is raining. Today was the hardest hike due to the rain...I was so cold...but I kept going (really dont have a choice...hehe). Here is what I did today:

6:00 am Yogalataes
7:00 Breakfast
8:00 Hike
11:15 Circuit Training
12:45 Lunch
2:30 Kickboxing
3:30 Mountain
4:30 Weight Circuit
5:45 Dinner
6:30 Yoga

Yesterday and today have been the most tired days for me. I feel like I have no energy....but I can definitely tell that I am getting stronger. Today I did something in the gym that I was not able to do last week....yay!

I am going to post some pics....I really only have a chance to take pics during hikes...that is why you only see pics of that....

Headed to Target. Will post pics later!

Marla

PS. Had ostrich stew for supper.....yes, I said ostrich....

Access Hollywood

PS. The bit about Fitness Ridge will not be showing until Tuesday, February 9 at 6:00 pm on channel 16 (Denham Springs channel). I don't know how long the bit will be...and I am not sure if I made it on tv....we will just have to watch!

Marla

The Weekend

The weekends around here are pretty chill. Saturday morning, everyone hikes the famous Stop Sign Hike together. Everyone does that hike every Monday and gets timed. So, they get you to do the hike again on Saturday to see if your time got any better. Well, unfortunately, because of the snow and sleet on top of the mountain, we were not able to finish the hike.

Every Saturday night is graduation. There is a slide show shown, and usually some type of activity. We went to the movies. NO, I did not eat any popcorn....even though I wanted to....and would have paid about $100 for a small...hahaha....

Sundays is an official day of rest. Of course, you always have the option to work out....but most people take it easy and rest up for the hard week ahead.

Thanks, as always, for the encouragement and prayers. Heading to bed soon to get ready for next week.

Marla

TGIF

Today I hiked Hidden Pinnon (sp?). It by far was the biggest accomplishment of the day. I have never hiked anything like this before. It was hard....but once again, we (me and my group) made it to the top.

I am exhausted tonite....headed to bed. Goodnight!

Marla

Rain Rain Rain

It has rained everyday since I have been here. All everyone keeps saying is that it NEVER rains here.....well, I have yet to see sunshine. But hopefully we will see the sun soon. Here is what I did today:

6:00 am Total Body Conditioning
7:00 Breakfast (honestly, I cannot remember what I ate)
8:00 Hike
11:15 Circuit Class
12:45 Lunch (french onion soup, salad, and half filled pita)
1:15 Cooking Demo
2:30 Ball Works
3:30 Treading
4:30 Circuit w/ Weights
5:45 Dinner
6:15 Menu Planning

So, Access Hollywood was here filming today. it was neat to be a part of that experience. The word is that it may air Tuesday, but that is not confirmed just yet. I was in two of the filming shots, so there is a small chance I may be on tv....

Today I could tell that I was getting stronger. Everything is still really hard, but I could tell during my hike today that I did better than just a few days ago. Everyone here says you will be amazed at how much stronger and more fit you will be just after one week....I guess we will have to see....

I am so tired right now....so I am going to get ready for bed. Thanks once again for your prayers and words of encouragement!

Marla

Still Pressing On

Mountain Class!!


An Example of the Menu


Pizza!!

They say that Wednesday is one of the hardest days. You are tired....sore.....and really missing your diet coke and big mac! But, once again, I survived the day. Here is what we did:

6:00 am Yogalates
7:00 Breakfast
8:00 Hike
11:!5 Core Workshop
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Lecture: Breaking Barriers
2:30 Step n Pump
3:30 Mountain
4:30 Pool (outside in the freezing weather with the snowy mountain in the background)
5:45 Dinner
6:15 Lecture: Nutrition

I think I am still in shock that I am here. I keep thinking to myself...."I have 3.5 weeks left....how in the world am I going to survive?" But the good thing about being here is that EVERYONE has those feelings.....everyone here is trying to get healthy. Everyone here has the same struggles...thoughts.....etc. You are able to talk more openly about things here than you may back home....so that has been cool.

Well, I am really tired tonight....so I am heading to bed. Thanks as always for the prayers!!!

Marla

PS. I am standing on the top of this mountain....you may have to look really close to see me thought....:)

Access Hollywood

So, yea...Access Hollywood is going to be here Thursday filming. Like I said earlier, Erik and Seth from the BL, seasons 2 and 3 are here...so Access is doing a piece on it. They asked people to volunteer to be in a "mock" workout class for filming purposes....and of course, absolutely 100% I signed up. I will let you know when it will air...

Below is my blog from today....

Day Two

I am hurting right now! My legs are tired! My feet hurt! But I know it is well worth it. Here is what I did today:

6:00 am Hardcore
7:00 am Breakfast (peach muffin, fruit)
8:00 am Hike
11:15 am Yoga Stretch
12:45 pm Lunch (tomato soup, and some grain thingy, like a lettuce wrap)
1:00 Calorie Challenge
1:30 Cooking Demo
2:30 Cardio Intervals
3:30 Total Toning
4:30 Pool
5:45 Dinner (shepherd's pie...trust me, unlike any shepherds pie you have ever had)
6:15 Spending your calories wisely

Because it is my first week, I have lectures. Starting next week, some of those lectures will be replaced with workout classes.

Again, I did things today that I never dreamed in a million years I would be capable of. They do not give you breaks. You go NON stop. I hiked over 6 miles today....uphill, uneven terrain....on rocks....and made it. The trainers are so encouraging...willing to chat with you anytime.

As i was hiking today, I was thinking about how I have done so much more than I ever dreamed I could. I never thought I could hike uphill as high or as long as I did. I never thought I would be able to bike for 45 minutes straight without stopping. It was painful...it hurt...but I just kept thinking of the end result. What would happen if we treated our spiritual lives the same way? What if we all let God "get in" our lives...take complete control and use us....what if we all actually used the gifts God gave us...what if we let God push us out of our comfort zone for something great? Sure, it may be awkward to share Christ with that person at school or work....but again, look at the end result. Just think about it.

Below are a few hiking pics from today. I will try to do better about taking pics at the ridge...






Me hiking....um yes, I was EXHAUSTED!!!
Marla