The Biggest Loser is won and lost on mental attitude, according to blue team trainer Dave Nuku. “A good attitude is everything,” he said. But how does he motivate the contestants on tough days and when the scales show zero losses? Here, in a special guest article, the man who trains the contestants shares his secrets.
A good attitude is everything. I’ve seen The Biggest Loser contestants be very positive for the first 72 hours, but when they realise there’s no easy way mentally they crack, lose determination and fall off the bandwagon. Everyone who is on the show has tried something and when they’ve failed it’s because they haven’t had the mental edge to push through the slumps.
This season we’ve had a couple of zeros on the scales. When you’re putting in the effort and you don’t get the results you hoped for, a normal person just gives up and makes excuses. It’s at that point that I need to sit with them and have a talk. I tell them to stay positive; that they will get there if they persevere, to trust that if they put the work in they will get results. It’s a character-building opportunity.
My team and I celebrate each win, no matter how small it is. There are benefits other than those you see on the scales – it could be walking up the stairs, getting a better shape or feeling stronger. It helps to reinforce mentally that you’re going in the right direction. It’s progress that people need to concentrate on. No one’s perfect.
As much as you have to start thinking positively, you also have to stop thinking negatively. Some people get paralysis by analysis. Stop thinking and invest your energy in moving forwards. Our mantra was “no whining, no complaining, no excuses” and a lot of the contestants found it difficult because they had developed a knack for finding excuses.
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Blue team vs Red team
Training hard
Blue team celebrate
Challenging workout
Finished for the day
I really liked Leo’s attitude. He’s got a good sense of humour and that helps – he could laugh things off. He’s like a pressure release valve. He would always say “this is the best I’ve ever felt” and made a real effort to see the positives.
The Biggest Loser is won and lost on people’s attitudes. Very few of the contestants come into the show thinking that they are going to win. Most want simply to change their lives. Somewhere along the line the switch flicks and they start to think about the prize money.
I motivated the contestants with tea and tissues! I had a rule that the day after weigh-in was their chance to vent and discuss their feelings. We didn’t want bad feelings to linger. My job was to refocus them on the things they were gaining and to be a voice of reason.
My advice to people at home would be to start small, start swiftly and start today. Procrastination can steal all your energy. Do something, take some action. Don’t think you’re going to change your body overnight. Start small, be pragmatic and realistic about what you want to achieve, and you can ramp it you from there. I think a friend helps too. Mutual accountability helps both parties.”