The Biggest Loser

The following was found on the internet concerning a gentleman who apparently won "The Biggest Loser" contest on the TV show. Once again, it is important to distinguish between the short term and long term success in weight loss. When people come into our program if their motivation is an upcoming reunion or wedding, then I know their chances of long term success is minimal. When a "finish line" is perceived, as soon as that finish line is passed, the person resumes old behavior patterns. A life style change is what is necessary for long term success. This is much harder to do than "dieting". And certainly, if enough money was on the line, I think all of us could lose lots of weight...as long as we knew the "contest" will end at some point. Truly, the "Biggests Loser" for all of us are those who are the Longest Losers".
(Jan. 15) - Even though third season 'Biggest Loser' champ, Erik Chopin, lost a remarkable 214 pounds on the show, he has gained half his original weight back. Weighing in close to 300 pounds, Chopin says once he stopped getting attention from the show, he fell into depression and stopped exercising. He sat down for an candid interview with Access Hollywood to talk about yo-yo dieting, body lift surgery and getting his weight under control.

When the show originally aired, Chopin was the center of attention and media coverage, having went from 407 to 193 pounds. While in the public eye, he kept his weight maintained and even underwent a dramatic body lift surgery in 2007 to get rid of the excess body fat, sagging around his waist. During the surgery, doctors removed over 10 pounds of skin.
The Long Island native told Access Hollywood that once people stopped caring about his weight loss, he fell into depression and quit exercising. "I started to feel cornered and trapped. I started to put weight back on, and it just continued," he said.
"The weight started to creep back on... I felt like I let everybody down, first and foremost my family," he said, stating he is currently weighing in over 300 pounds.
On Monday, Chopin went public about his relapse on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.' He admitted that seeing her talk about her yo-yo dieting and weight gain made him feel like he was not alone.
Now he is finally ready to turn his life around before his weight gets "out of control," he told Oprah. While he doesn't expect to get down to 193 pounds again, he admits he just wants to be healthy. "This time I am not going to get involved with a number. I want to be healthy and fit," he said. "I just got back from the gym. I feel psyched. This is awesome," Chopin said, citing his cycling classes as a great weight loss exercise.