Dozens line up to be the 'Biggest Loser'

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald Staff Contact writerPublished: 7/14/2008 12:12 AMSend To:

 

The grand prize for being "The Biggest Loser" is $250,000.

But for many of the dozens lined up Sunday morning in Schaumburg for a chance to be on the show, the money is secondary.

"I'd do it for free," said Sam Morel, 26, originally from California but now living in Hanover Park.

Morel sat his 375 pounds on the curb waiting for the doors to open at the maintenance department at Woodfield Lexus, 350 E. Golf Road, where auditions for the NBC reality show were being held.

Contestants compete to lose the highest percentage of their starting body weight. Clearly a lot was at stake for Morel, who said he gets out of breath just going from his room to the bathroom or going up the stairs to bed.

"I want Jillian (Michaels, one of the show's personal trainers). She's the hardest trainer on there, and I want her because I know she's going to kick my butt," said Morel.

For 40-year-old Janet Stecker of South Elgin, who weighs 245 pounds, life has been a constant battle of the bulge. "I have been dieting since 6th grade. I have lost weight, gained it back, lost weight and gained it back."

Stecker, who works in a dental office as an office manager, said fast food and comfort food are mainly to blame.

She said she wants to provide a positive example for her children, who are 8 and 11 years old. "I don't want them to grow up and have the problems I have."

The applicants included Janet Palasz, 42, and her son Michael, 21, both of Elmhurst.

"We'll drive each other. We're competitive," said Michael, an operations agent for a trucking firm.

Janet, a textbook manager for Follett's, weighs 283 pounds and wants to lose 120.

"All my jobs have had food in them. Restaurants. Pizza places," she said.

"If you didn't need it, you wouldn't be here," she said, adding, "Every doctor says that my weight will kill me before anything else. I literally had a doctor tell me that. 'Don't worry about anything else. Your weight will kill you first.'"

Palasz said she is willing to appear on the show, even though it could be embarrassing having excess flesh exposed by revealing outfits. "When you're heavy, you're embarrassed enough wearing clothes, let alone being half undressed on TV."

She said she also realizes the show's methods can be brutal, but realizes they are needed.

What will she do if she doesn't get cast?

One option, she said, will be joining a new 24-hour gym opening up in Elmhurst.

Getting cast isn't easy, even if you're a "VIP." At the front of the line were several VIPs, including people who have won radio station contests or sent material to the show before. They also included some who were previously rejected.

Melissa Guillaume of Indianapolis, who has been at eight castings, said that she weighed 405 pounds in January but has since lost 42 pounds.

Living with excess weight is not easy, said Guilliame, a 33-year-old nurse. "It can be miserable.

"We went to the mall yesterday. There was one store we could go to buy clothes in our size."

Just fitting in chairs can be a problem, she said, noting that she has a seat belt extender in her car.

Brandon Nickens, the show's casting director, said over the next few days there will be callbacks for an on-camera interview in downtown Chicago.

Nickens allows that the show's routine can be grueling. "There are days when you're going to work out nine hours a day. Three-hour workouts three times a day."

Asked about what happens to contestants after the show is over, he said he thinks 85 percent of the people usually stay within 20 pounds of their final weight.

Most of the contestants, he said, stay in touch with the show's doctors and trainers. "I feel like as the show goes on, people tend to keep the weight off more and more."

Some of those who came in teams had interesting histories.

They included two women from Green Bay, Wis., who have been married to the same man.

Sherry Sommerfeldt was wearing a T-shirt with her husband James' picture on it, while Sue Roberts, James' ex-wife, was wearing a shirt with the picture but a line drawn through it.

Sommerfeldt said she hoped the two would have an edge. "We're hoping that it's a unique relationship, because they're looking for brothers or sisters or families who are teammates. We figure that's kind of a unique relationship."

Another couple was 19-year-old, 320-pound Jared Hamby of Hampshire and 20-year-old, 220-pound Lindsay Wood of Batavia, who were once boyfriend and girlfriend. The two wore shirts that read on the front, "I may be fat," and on the back, "But I'm also phat."

"When we're young, we can do something about it now," Wood said. "We don't have all the responsibilities of a job and a family. We can take a year off of school and just get back in the thick of things and be twice as healthy."

Hello all.

 

Well we just got back into Indy after an AWESOME night and day today in Chicago. We were able to meet up with old friends and also met up with many new friends that were in the matchup. :) We hope to get the pics up soon. We did not go to cast, rather were there to promote and pass out flyers for our Boot Camp Challenge Cruise in May 2009. We are becoming more and more excited about this event everyday. We have had many donations from celebrities and other corporations. We are really trying to make this a great event and raise a substantial amount of monies for the Jared Foundation to support Child Hood Obesity. We hope that you will ALL consider joining us for what is shaping up to be a grand event. Take the time and INVEST IN YOURSELF!  Well we need to sign off now and get our things unpacked. Blessings to each and everyone of you.

 

Chris and Melissa

Team Guillaume's Under Construction.

Hi all. We are so excited we just realized that we were featured in an article wrote about the Million Pound Matchup.

 

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100188465

 

Losing One Million Pounds, One City at a Time

The Million Pound Match-Up kicks off in Chicago.

By Bob Trott for MSN Health & Fitness

John Leggett wants to get back in shape, like when he served as a paratrooper in the Persian Gulf War.

Melissa Steward was a barrel racer in high school, 10 years ago, and wants to return to “rodeo shape.”

Chris and Melissa Guillaume have been overweight for most of their lives, and know that it’s a condition that’s jeopardizing their wellbeing–particularly Melissa, a 32-year-old registered nurse who sometimes feels guilty dispensing health information to others when she seems to be ignoring it herself.

“Life is too short,” she says, “and I’ve got to do something about it now.”

Those four, along with more than 1,000 others, took their first step toward serious weight loss at in suburban Chicago, at the first of several nationwide “Million Pound Match-Up” events, co-sponsored by MSN Health & Fitness and “The Biggest Loser: Couples.” Some fans of the NBC show, which recently kicked off its fifth season, came from as far away as St. Louis—the Guillaumes drove up the night before from Indianapolis—and some arrived at the Gurnee Mills shopping mall at 5 a.m. to stake out a place in line.

• Slide Show: See pictures from the Million Pound Match-Up Tour in Chicago
• Slide Show: See pictures from the Million Pound Match-Up Tour in Wichita, Kan.
• Slide Show: See pictures from the Million Pound Match-Up Tour in Phoenix
• Slide Show: See pictures from the Million Pound Match-Up Tour in Houston
• Slide Show: See pictures from the Million Pound Match-Up Tour in Miami

At the events, participants can sign up for the Million Pound Match-Up online sweepstakes and prize giveaways; consult with local nutritionists and fitness trainers; meet past "The Biggest Loser" stars; find a weight-loss partner; and take "before" photos for their Windows Live Spaces blog to chronicle their weight-loss journey.

“We’ve been watching ‘The Biggest Loser: Couples’ on TV and we’re using it as motivation to start taking care of our bodies, says Leggett, 50, of Naperville, Ill., who hopes to ultimately drop at least 100 pounds off his 343-pound frame.

Participants met Marty Wolff and Amy Hildreth—the “Biggest Loser” sweethearts who got engaged on the third season reunion show—and Kae Whang, who lost 97 pounds during the show’s fourth season.

“The kindness I’ve seen from so many people—I was [initially] doing this for myself and to help others is the most rewarding experience you’ll ever have,” Whang says.  “Who knew a year ago that anybody would ever ask me for fitness advice!”

The Guillaumes kicked off 2008 by dedicating themselves to losing weight. After the first two weeks of the year, Chris had lost three pounds, down to 357. Melissa, who was at her all-time high of 400 pounds, lost 10 pounds in that same time period. Her long-term goal: 145 to 150 pounds. They’ve made drastic changes to their diets—cutting back on carbs, eliminating fast food, eating smaller portions, eating more salads and fruit—and started regular workout regimens.

“When you’re young you don’t always realize what bad habits do with your life,” says Chris, 31.

Adds Melissa: “Now we’re getting into do-or-die time.”

“The Biggest Loser: Couples” Million Pound Tour has events scheduled in Wichita, Kan., Jan. 19-20; Phoenix, Jan. 26-27; Houston, Feb. 2-3; and Miami, Feb. 9-10. For more tour information, visit biggestloser.msn.com.

 

 

So yeah I am so excited about tonigt. Chris has been hanging out at the Jared Foundations golf event today. He is late to pick me up and I was texting him like crazy. Lo and behold who calls me but Brittany. That girl is so super cool. Then today at work I get a call and its Chris's cell however there is a different voice on the other end.  I knew that I recognized it. It happened to be Bernie. So anyhow I know I keep saying this however I am so supper stoked to get in the car and head to the event tonight. And they say women are always late.  :) I hope everyone is doing good. Hey if your going to be in Louisville or Chicago for the casting calls for BL7 let us know. We would like to meet everyone.

 

Talk soon.

 

Melissa

 

Well Chris and I are so excited to say that we get to hang out with our great friend David Griffin BL 4  at a charity golf event in Indy tomorrow. Also we get to meet Bernie, Brittany, Maggie and Jim Germanakos. It is going to be a blast. Also tomorrow night we are doing a black tie dinner with the foundation and celebrities. We will update ASAP.  We cant wait to share the pics.   Hope everyone is doing good.

 

Melissa

 

Many blessings to you all. :)

So the time has come again. We are headed off to the BL7 casting calls in Louisville and Chicago. If your going to be there let us know. We would love to meet yall.

 

 

So we got home about 2:30 AM this morning. We want to say that we just had an awesome time attending the Boot Camp Challenge. We truly met some amazing new friends. Marcus and Amber thank you guys for being so gracious and welcoming us to CINCI. Stephanie and Lori the Boot Camp trainers were very inspirational and really offered us some great heart felt words. Unfortunately I was unable to work out. It was 95 degrees when we arrrived in CINCI. I started back taking my Glucophage yesterday AM and it made me very sick. However after some fluids and cold air I was feeling much better. Chris was very excited to see his great friend and BROTHER David Griffin. We miss you already man. We hope that plane finally made it out of Ohio. :) We will be seeing you soon. So onto my day today. Well this AM I went with my mom for a surgery consult for bariatric surgery. I have enrolled in Weight Watchers again. I am signed up for 18 weeks and am really going to try hard. Today though I talked with a surgeon to discuss the possiblity of surgery. This is totally a last resort for me. I have one more try to make it happen. If it doesnt well then I am planning for a lap band. This is all I am going to say on this, as I am having an emotional day surrounding this. Thank you to all of our friends for your support and encouragement. We LOVE YOU ALL...

Hello friends. We have had a few people say that our updates are not appearing. They also have not been appearing for us when we put them on. We made some tweaks this AM. Can everyone see this? BTW Happy Wednesday to ALL!

Hello friends. We just wanted to let you all know that there was a mistake on the last cruise flyer that we posted. The final payment is due in November 2008 instead of 2009 as the flyer stated. We hope that all of our great friends will consider joining us onboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. The liberty boasts a 9 hole miniature golf area, a voley ball and basketball court and an outdoor movie theatre. Let us know if we can answer any questions.

 

Melissa and Chris

Hello and good evening. This email is sent with much heart felt disapointment. Chris and I are the moderators and developers of this (www.millionpoundmtchupreunion) myspace Page. Tomorrow at 12AM it will officially be removed from myspace. We have greatly enjoyed talking about the cruise and were looking forward to meeting everyone aboard the cruise. At this point we have resigned our position from CO-Charirs of the Million Pound Matchup Reunion Cruise. All that I can say is that our values and mission do not match those of the others on board the planning comittee. We have spent endless hours working to plan this event and are very disapointed that we will not be attending this event. Do look out for future announcements of another cruise event that we will be planning. The Million Pound Matchup Reunion Cruise will continue on, however not through this site and without (Team Guillaume's Under Construction's) participation. This event was originally began by two other individuals and they will now soley take over this event. You can locate them on MSN Live Spaces. If you are not a friend of ours at our personal site,  please come over and visit Chris and I at www.myspace.com/missmissyrn. We look forward to talking with everyone over at our personal site and look forward to sharing this weight loss journey with you.

Hello friends. We are trying to locate as many of our MSN live spaces friends over on myspace. If you are over there stop by and leave your link. We would like to keep in touch with everyone of our MPMU friends. :)

 

Chris and Melissa

What can I say. The last 24 hours of my life has been a whirl wind. I will write a blog later, after I gather all of my thoughts, emotions and feelings. I just wanted to get this picture up and posted. Bob Harper, thank you for awakening my inner most need. Its time to finally BE ME!

 

You are the best.

 

   

MSN's biggest losers weigh in
By Jody Brannon, Inside MSN Editor
So how's that New Year's resolution for weight loss coming for you or a pal? If you need inspiration or some real-life role models, look to the MSN users who are participating in the Million Pound Match-Up, a contest tied to NBC's "The Biggest Loser: Couples." The show is now on TV but perhaps occurring more realistically on MSN Spaces.



Thousands of people signed up for the Match-Up, spurred by the chance for workout partners to win a trip to Los Angeles to see the "Biggest Loser" finale or for individuals to snag a luxury fitness trip. But participants, who combined have lost more than 185 tons, are finding that success lies both in the gym and online. Tools on MSN Health & Fitness help, but the real power comes from personal accountability and expression on their Spaces blogs.



From spaces. live. com, if you search for "Biggest Loser," you can read about the Indianapolis betrothed who are chronicling their efforts to get thin for their wedding; New Hampshire residents determined to put a new spin on "like mother, like daughter;" Texas gal pals slimming to become fitter role models for their kids; and a Las Vegas couple whose site, "No More Excuses," trumpets their determination to be able to keep up with their 3-year-old.



Given the popularity of NBC's "The Biggest Losers," success stories on MSN Health & Fitness and Windows Live search and Joy Fit Club profiles on msnbc's "Today" show site, great inspiration comes from real people telling their tales of the battle of the bulge.



MSN's Million Pound Match-up was designed to do the same.

THIS IS THE PART ABOUT US...:)

"I’ve been amazed at the level of participation and the excitement," said Dick Larimer, lead producer for MSN's Health & Fitness channel, recounting the thousands of people who attended sessions of health and fitness experts and former "Biggest Loser" competitors on the Match-Up's kickoff tour in five cities. One determined Indiana couple drove to Chicago for the first session, then a month later trekked to Miami for the last.



"I was struck by how hopeful they were," Larimer said, "that they were really going to be successful this time. Online, we've made more weight loss tools, and I would love MSN Health & Fitness to be the place for them to hook up and have a richer experience.

"

MSN expected this promotional effort to lead to the creation of about 2,000 new Spaces blogs. The total as of mid-February? About 19,000.



On Spaces, people are posting their photos, videos and ostensible journals, often with a creative weight-loss tracker (palm tree making progress down the beach) and – perhaps most powerful – comments from family and friends, well-wishers and even fellow competitors.



The humor, passion, compassion, determination, weaknesses, temptations and results are seen on these blogs. As example, "Two Fluffy Chicks," also known as Beth and Heather of Virginia, whose blog, "Going for It 2008," have more than 600 friends on their blog, many so impressed with how they've enhanced it that they contribute a comment.

Sandy and Bubba, from Georgia, offered their support – and a tip:

"You both have done a tremendous job of journaling your thoughts and actions, which will make all the difference in your success. You both are doing fantastic on your weight loss, keep it up and victory will be yours with a healthy and joyous lifestyle. The way I lost my original 65 pounds, prior to the Million Pound Match-Up, was by journaling everything and writing my thoughts down instead of going to the kitchen.

"

For Cassandra, an Alabaman seeking to lose 97 pounds to her husband Michael's 43, has found energy from the Match-Up and both pressure and support from the Match-Up community. "I have a MySpace page, a WordPress blog, I've tried Blogspot shortly. I've finally found my personal favorite! I love Windows Live Spaces – I've found it very easy and it allows me to personalize my page the best.

"

She named their Spaces blog "Stumbling to Standing," as a symbolic commitment to changing their lifestyle, proudly crafting a proclamation: "We Are Married 'Losers' on our Weigh Down.

"

Asked about her experience so far, she wrote: "This blog has been such a crucial, much-needed tool because I guarantee if we wouldn't have made our commitment known to the whole world, and wrote our stats, thoughts, struggles weekly, sometimes daily, by now we would have gone back, maybe not intentionally but … we would have gradually stopped writing down our calorie intake or getting on the scale each week, just because life gets so hectic and crazy sometimes.



"We aren't losing our weight at record speed," she admits, acceding instead to making healthy changes in the family's eating and activity habits. But a proud and astounding moment came when she saw the impact of her commitment on her 8-year-old son, a lad overweight by about 7 pounds who cared little for sports.



"He actually came to me and asked if he could play (baseball) – you don't know how shocked I was," Cassandra explained. Her daughter, 6, is also signed up for softball. "I truly know both of my children would not have approached me to play … if it weren't for the “Biggest Loser” Million Pound Match-Up. That just brings tears to my eyes right now because I'm not only seeing changes in my husband and me, but in our children. I'm so grateful.

"

Another thinning pair, Chicago roommates Betsy and Amy, dish about the merits of the competition on their blog, Oh, You Got a Sandwich Goin'. They agreed to post their insights about how blogging is a major factor in their ongoing success, with the impact far more than just peer pressure and encouragement. Betsy said one reader spurred her nearly to tears by her heartfelt reply to their post.



"She told us that she had lost 30 pounds, gained it all back and has been so discouraged. After visiting our site, we encouraged her to start trying to lose weight again and that, even though she didn't have a partner, she was going to try and keep up with us and pretend that we were her partner.

Knowing that we were someone's role models was one of the greatest feelings!"

It's no secret that America has a big fat problem: Federal figures indicate about a third of the population is obese. If more people slide behind the computer instead of yanking on the fridge door or – better yet – work out or even take a walk, the number of obese people would shrink – literally.



But losing weight is not easy for everyone. MSN's Million Pound Match-Up ends March 11, and the major vacation sweepstakes April 15 (though Zunes are awarded daily). But for many of the participants, their efforts will extend much further into the year. For some, it requires a lifestyle change that lasts a lifetime, supplemented by blogging.



"There are some super sexy hot mamas underneath all this chub," writes Megan, a Texas mother who is taking the challenge with her pal Jennifer, "and it's about time we get back to there! I'm ready to unleash the thin, healthy girl in me.

… Here's to shrinking dat booty!"

Adds her buddy Jennifer, in her kickoff post last month and several inches ago, "Thanks for joining me on this ride.