Weight Loss Secrets from The Biggest Loser's Olivia Ward and Hannah Curlee

By Jenna Autuori-Dedic

For Biggest Loser: Couples winner Olivia Ward and her sister-teammate, Hannah Curlee, the real secret to shedding a combined 249 pounds -- and keeping the weight off -- wasn't a strict diet or insane workouts. Or even Bob and Jillian. Their success strategies are surprisingly simple and so worth stealing.

Related: Hear More from The Biggest Loser's Olivia and Hannah on Shedding the Weight

Secret #1: You deserve to be in great shape.

One year ago Olivia Ward (far left), 35, weighed 261 pounds and couldn't walk a block without stopping for a breather. Her sister, Hannah Curlee, 32, tipped the scale at 248 pounds and was too embarrassed to go out with friends at night. "The first step in dropping the weight was realizing that I actually loathed myself and what I'd become," Hannah says. "On the show I gradually came to understand that I deserved so much more of a life than I'd given myself. I deserved to be happy. When I reached my goal of losing 120 pounds, I was proud of myself for the first time in 15 years. I now feel confident, not just about my stronger body but also about who I am inside."

Olivia had a similar aha moment, thanks to long talks with Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper. "I used to put everyone else's needs ahead of mine," she says. "Now my health is the priority. Exercising is my me-time, and I've learned that that's not selfish at all."

Related: Check Out Olivia and Hannah's Fitness Favorites

Secret #2: Stop being so hard on yourself.

"I like to be perfect, and when I can't, I get frustrated," Olivia says. "Past diets never worked for me, because I'd always become overwhelmed thinking how far I still had to go. This time around I realized it's all about the small goals. The very first day on The Biggest Loser we had to push Jillian's truck while she had her foot on the brake, and it really felt impossible. But I kept telling myself, Just five more minutes. I learned from Jillian the power of setting small, manageable goals. When things get tough during a Spinning class, I think, Just get through this song and you'll be okay. Believing that you can do something will make you actually do it."

Related: Get Jillian Michaels' Amazing Arm Workout

Secret #3: You don't have to spend hours in the gym.

"Real life doesn't allow me to exercise six hours a day, like we did on the show," Olivia says. "That's why I took up Spinning at SoulCycle, and I love it! The classes are intense enough to keep me in shape, and they fit into my schedule. I try to work out 90 minutes a day, six days a week. Half my workout is cardio: If I'm not Spinning, I'm running on the treadmill, sprinting on the stairclimber or using the Arc Trainer at home. I strength-train for the rest of the time, doing mini circuits in the gym. I split up my workouts and do 45 minutes in the morning to rev up my metabolism and 45 minutes after work so that food isn't just sitting in my stomach all night."

Don't have 90 minutes to spare? Fit in a good workout before work. "I get up at 5 a.m. and go to a boot camp class," Hannah says. "I enjoy it because it's different every day. We do things like run across a football field holding a weighted bar. I love the social aspect of it, too. The buddy system really works for me -- obviously.

Related: 5 Super-Sculpting Moves to Firm Up Fast

Secret #4: Eat more, not less.

Start each day with a proper breakfast. "I used to get bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel and think that it was just a bagel," Olivia admits. "But in reality it was more than an entire day's worth of calories. By lunchtime I'd be starving because I wasn't getting enough nutrients from that kind of food. Now I love an egg white omelet made with vegetables, like asparagus and mushrooms, left over from the previous night's dinner. I pair it with f-- e Total 0% Greek yogurt with some berries and stevia. You can eat healthy and still love what you're putting in your mouth."

And ditch the deprivation diet. Never let yourself get to the point where you're famished with no healthy food around, the sisters say. Hannah carries apples and almonds with her for on-the-go snacks. "When I'm hungry, I get mean," she admits. "So I eat as much fiber as I can to stay full and satisfied. That stops me from grabbing pizza or a candy bar."

Related: Easy Tricks to Supersize Your Self-Control

Secret #5: Ask for what you want.

"When I'm eating out I've become that person who asks the chef to hold the cheese, hold the dressing, and please cook my meal without any butter, but I'm totally okay with doing that," Olivia says. "Most restaurants are very accommodating. I'm not going to throw away all the hard work I've done just because I'm afraid to ask the waitress to skip the blue cheese. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy myself when I'm dining out. There has to be flexibility in both your diet and your exercise routine or you'll never be able to sustain them for the rest of your life. If I splurge, I make up for it the next day by pushing myself a little longer during my workout."

Related: How to Eat Out and Still Lose Weight

Secret #6: Do the write thing.

"I found that keeping a journal of everything that's going on while you're losing weight is a great way to stay focused," Hannah says. "Even if you just jot down stuff like 'I finally did a pull-up,' you can go back to those accomplishments to push yourself forward and remind yourself of how far you've come. On the ranch another contestant said that Olivia and I would never make it past the first couple of weeks. That lit a fire under me! I'd write those comments down and reread them for motivation. Today when I look back over the entries from when I was in a real funk about life, I can see what a bad place I was in and realize why I don't want to go back there."

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3 Nutrients to Accelerate Muscle Recovery

By: StacyAtZeel

Allowing your muscles to recover between workouts is as important as the exercise itself. After all, there's a reason why you're achy for a day or two following back-to-back Core Fusion classes. Strenuous workouts cause physical tissue damage, and your body needs ample time to heal. 

Recuperating after a tough workout, however, doesn't mean taking to the couch with a bowl of Cherry Garcia ice cream. Add these three muscle-boosting nutrients to your diet, and you'll be back to your warrior ways in no time.

Create Collagen: Vitamin C

Go ahead and pour yourself a morning glass of OJ. Vitamin C is essential for the creation of collagen in the body. Collagen is a protein that helps repair skin cells, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. For optimal muscle repair and rehabilitation, a daily dose of 60 mg of vitamin C is recommended.

Fortunately enough, there should be no shortage of vitamin C in your kitchen. All it takes is half-a-cup of broccoli, one cup of cantaloupe or a medium size orange to get your needed vitamin C.

Speed Up Circulation: Vitamin E

Vitamin E protects the body from an enzyme called creatine phosphokinase (CPK), which is a protein that seeps into the blood following vigorous exercise. When the body is injured, CPK levels rise. Vitamin E increases blood circulation, and in doing so helps rid the body of this enzyme more efficiently.

Ideally, consume 15 mg (equal to 30 IU) of vitamin E after a sweat-session to expedite muscle repair. You can satisfy almost one-fifth of this recommended amount by eating a cup of spinach. Vitamin E is also found in corn, nuts, seeds and other green leafy veggies.

Manage Your Muscles: Magnesium

Too little magnesium in the body can result in muscle tension, cramping and spasms, so it's no wonder that this alkaline element plays a role in muscle repair. Vital to proper muscle and nerve function, magnesium boosts the body's ability to synthesize the proteins that make your muscle grow.

Whether you're a Hogan-esque bodybuilder or not, small amounts of magnesium—about 320 mg for women and 410 mg for men—can speed up muscle growth. Get your daily dose of magnesium by snacking on pumpkin seeds, spinach, soybeans, sunflower seeds, black beans and salmon.

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5 Ways To Help Your Parents Lose Weight

Eveyone I know is on a diet. They are trying to fit into a pair of jeans, a new dress, or a suit they have had in their closet for six years. Some of them buy a pair of True Religion Jeans in a smaller size and hang them up in a noticeable area as an incentive (the incentive is no doubt the price tag on these jeans). Some of my friends are successful, and others are discouraged and have already quit trying. They ask me what my secret is, or how I manage my weight. I tell them I am a runner and, although this is true, it is not how I manage my weight. My weight is managed by a healthy dose of fear of becoming obese. I have hypertension, despite being thin. I cannot imagine how it would be if I were heavy. My genes are favorable for heart attacks and strokes. These, of course, are all part of the fear, but the deeper reason is, I grew up with an obese mother.

It's interesting because most of the time we are unaware of how children are influenced by their parents. We forget that to a child parents are "GOD." My mother was the greatest woman I will ever know. I was her sixth child, and I learned by watching. My mother never talked about her weight. She was a victim of it all through her life. I say a victim because she was raised into it. Her father was an alcoholic, and one thing we know about morbid obesity is it is influenced by addictions within the family. My mother never drank or had alcohol in the home, but she had food and that was her drug of choice. She was an air force veteran, a school teacher, a mother of nine, and a good wife, but she could not lose weight. I used to go to the doctor with her. The doctors tried to be polite with their words, but they could not hide their disgust, frustration, and sometimes anger. I begin to understand the denial of obesity on one particular trip home from the doctor. I asked my mother why the doctor was so mean to her about her weight. She responded, "He wasn't mean. He was very kind."

"No, he wasn't," I insisted, "He looked mad." My mother had no answer. She knew the truth, but didn't want to discuss it. She finished by telling me, "No one wants to be fat, and if I knew how not to be, I would do it." This hurt me more than anything she could have said. I was a kid. How does a kid help their parent not be overweight?

Much of my career is working with the morbidly obese. I dedicate it to my mother and wish I knew then what I understand now. Weight is not a disease of the body. It causes diseases within the body, but the real culprit is in the mind. Weight loss surgery changes lives, but only the individuals can change their mind. The health care profession and public needs to understand all of the emotional issues underneath morbid obesity. Issues such as sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, addictions, post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, overwhelming stress, low self-esteem, and critical parenting are just a few. Surgery cannot fix these issues, nor can the health care profession if they aren't brought to light.

For kids who have an obese mom or dad, there are things you can do.

1. Sit down with your mom or dad and talk to them. Tell them you love them, and you are so proud they are your parent. Then ask them how you can help them get healthier. If they say you are too young, be insistent. Tell them you feel good about helping the family become healthier or that your self esteem will be higher if you feel like you are contributing. Parents want nothing more than for you to grow up and feel good about yourself. Helping has nothing to do with age.
2. Make your mom and/or dad go on a walk or do some movement with you every day. They love you, and if you tell them you need this, they will usually go along with it.
3. Whenever you play games or watch TV with your parents, tell them you prefer fruit or raw veggies. If your parents are trying to get healthier and you insist on chips, you may be (without meaning to) contributing to the problem.
4. Every day, tell your mom and dad that you need them in your life for a long time and you are glad they are working on getting healthy.
5. Hug your parents often. They need this so much to continue their healthy lifestyle, and many times they get too busy to ask you for it.

I think my mother was right. No one wants to be fat, but once you get overweight it seems impossible to turn it around. When I talk to patients who are going to have weight loss surgery, many times their biggest motivator is being more active and involved with their children. Sometimes a child has more power than anyone else to be a catalyst for change. Talk to your parents today.

Written by Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, for Hybrid Mom

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Remembering loved ones lost on September 11

Ann Douglas

Bear Island, Meredith, New Hampshire
Her son, Frederick John Cox, 27, an associate at the investment-banking firm Sandler O'Neill + Partners, died in the collapse of the World Trade Center's Tower Two.

Sarah Wainio

Baltimore
Her sister, Honor Elizabeth Wainio, 27, a retail district manager, was on United Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Akilah Jefferson

Suitland, Maryland 
Her uncle, Robert Russell, 52, worked as a military-budget supervisory analyst. He was on the first floor of the Pentagon when the building was struck.

Dorry Tompsett (with daughter Emily)

Garden City, New York
Her husband, Stephen Tompsett, 39, a senior vice president at the brokerage firm Instinet, was attending the Risk Waters Group's financial-technology conference at Windows on the World when the plane struck Tower One.

Devita Bishundat

Washington, D.C.
Her brother, Kris Romeo Bishundat, 23, an information technician, second class, in the U.S. Navy, died in the attack on the Pentagon.

Anthony Lilore

New York City
His brother, Craig Lilore, a 30-year-old stock trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, died in the collapse of Tower One.

Read Anthony's story.

Brad Burlingame

Los Angeles
His brother, Charles Burlingame, 51, was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.

Read Brad's story.

Carole O'Hare

Danville, California
Her mother, Hilda Marcin, a 79-year-old retiree from Mount Olive, New Jersey, died in the crash of United Flight 93.

Jane Randel (with husband Charles)

Maplewood, New Jersey
Her friend, Douglas MacMillan Cherry, 38, a vice president for Aon Corporation, was in Tower Two when the plane struck.

Tyrone Fripp

New York City
His best friend, Eric Bennett, 29, a vice president at Alliance Consulting Group, died when the plane struck Tower One.

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Take Charge of Menopause

By Trisha Calvo Posted August 26, 2011 from Woman's Day; October 1, 2011

You've heard about the symptoms. But the truth is menopause doesn't have to be miserable. It turns out your attitude towards the hormone shift can make a big difference in how you handle it. "Women who know what to expect and have a positive outlook often have an easier time," says Karen Deighan, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Loyola University Health System at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Illinois. But knowing the facts helps, too. "Being prepared gives you a sense of control … which may lead you to make healthier choices and help you feel better overall," she adds. Read on to learn what you should expect and surprisingly easy ways to weather the post-period storm.

Consider taking birth control pills.

As your hormone levels become erratic, foggy thinking and PMS-like mood swings can happen, and taking the birth control pill can help by evening out your hormones, says Steven R. Goldstein, MD, president of the North American Menopause Society. Doctors prefer the Pill to hormone therapy early in perimenopause because it substitutes your own hormones with a steady dose (unlike hormone therapy, which only adds hormones). Another plus: The Pill helps with irregular periods and heavy bleeding.

Discover the pros and cons of popular birth control methods.

"As long as you don't smoke and you don't have high blood pressure, the Pill is safe—and it'll lower your risk of ovarian and uterine cancer," says Dr. Goldstein. You should feel better in about two months; if not, discuss other factors like stress and depression with your doctor. Photo: Thinkstock

Stay on top of your heart stats.

Exercise is key to protecting against heart disease as you approach menopause, but just as crucial is keeping tabs on your potential risk factors, including waist circumference (over 35 inches ups your chances of developing heart disease), blood pressure and cholesterol levels, says Lori Daniels, MD, associate director of the coronary care unit at the University of California, San Diego. Even if you've always had good cholesterol and blood pressure levels, these numbers can go up as you approach menopause, so you want to be sure to check them every year, says Jennifer Mieres, MD, a nuclear cardiologist and medical director for the Center for Learning and Innovation at the North Shore-LIJ Health System in Lake Success, New York.

Learn the truth about menopause by reading "The Big M," a menopause blog.

Also be sure to talk to your doctor about any new symptoms, including heart palpitations, sweating, nausea and shortness of breath. "Many menopausal symptoms are similar to those of heart disease, so you want to make sure you and your doctor know what's going on," says Dr. Mieres.

Eat mindfully to help with hot flashes.

At least 75% of women going through menopause get hot flashes, but stats show that fewer than 20% of women are so bothered by them that they need treatment, says Dr. Pinkerton. And, as annoying and uncomfortable as they are, hot flashes may be a good sign. A study of 60,000 women found that those who got them were 11% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who didn't.

Is hormone therapy right for you?

Still, when you're sweating and red-faced, you want a solution—fast. The best place to start: lifestyle changes. "Tofu and other soy foods contain natural plant estrogens that may keep hot flashes in check," says Dr. Pinkerton. In fact, a study from the Journal of Women's Health showed that women who ate soy nuts daily had 45% fewer hot flashes, and the episodes were less severe. On the other hand, spicy foods, alcohol (especially wine) and caffeine may trigger hot flashes, so try to avoid them. Yoga and other stress-reduction techniques are also effective. One study found that women who did mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing daily were less bothered by hot flashes (even though they happened just as often).

If those changes don't help, consider hormone therapy (HT), formerly called hormone replacement therapy. "I've also had success with gabapentin, a drug developed to treat epilepsy," says Dr. Goldstein. "It works just as well as HT and is safe. It's a good choice when you can't or don't want to take hormones." Photo: Getty Images

Sleep smarter.

"Research shows that a cool bedroom—between 64 and 72 degrees—improves sleep, and it has the bonus of minimizing hot flashes," says Grace Pien, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Division of Sleep Medicine. Getting enough shut-eye can also help ease other menopausal symptoms including fatigue, forgetfulness, weight gain and moodiness.

Can't sleep? Try snacking on one of these foods before bed.

Cut 100 calories a day.

Weight gain tends to happen during perimenopause and menopause, but again, the change in hormones isn't the only cause. Even if you're eating and exercising exactly the same way at age 45 as you did at 35, you're still getting more calories than you need. That's because your metabolism slows 4% to 5% per decade, which may sound like a lot, but it really just means that you need about 100 fewer calories a day. Cutting out one slice of bread, ounce of cheese, glass of juice or ½ cup of icecream will do the trick. Or you could burn it off by taking a 10- to 15-minute walk. Even better: Combine the two. A recent study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that overweight women over 50 who cut calories and walked, biked or used an elliptical trainer for 45 minutes five days a week were able to drop 9% to 11% of their weight in a year. Photo: Shutterstock

Don't fall for these eight myths when it comes to burning calories.

Pump some iron.

Lifting weights builds muscle­—and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn and the stronger your bones are, says Kathy Kaehler, a veteran fitness expert. This protects against weight gain as well as heart disease and osteoporosis, which you're at higher risk for after menopause. The weights have to be heavy enough for you to feel the burn. You'll know you have the right amount when you can do two to three sets of 10 reps but the last three reps of every set are tough to finish.

Check out workout mistakes you probably make.

The effort is worth it: Researchers at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that a two-month program of weight and cardio training led to a 9-pound weight loss and 3-pound muscle gain.

Don't discount your sex life.

It's not hormones that put the biggest damper on your sex life during midlife, it's how you feel about your partner, according to The Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project, a nine-year study of women ages 45 to 55. If you were happy with your sex life before perimenopause started, chances are that you'll also be happy with it afterward, says Nanette Santoro, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

Find out why sex is actually good for you.

The drop in estrogen, however, can cause vaginal dryness. "It can make intercourse painful and—no surprise—make you averse to sex," says Dr. Santoro. If that happens, talk to your gynecologist about trying an estrogen vaginal cream, tablet or ring. Because you insert them directly into your vagina, less estrogen enters your system than if you took it by mouth or via a patch. "Lubricants can also help, but they're not nearly as effective," says Dr. Santoro. Photo: Corbis

Bone up.

Women can lose about 20% of their bone mass after they've hit menopause, but if you've been getting enough calcium, exercising and not smoking, you've probably got plenty of bone to spare. Just don't slack off on calcium and vitamin D now. A study published in The Lancet found that people 50 and over taking calcium and vitamin D supplements lowered their odds of breaking a bone by 12%. However, it's worth noting that some research found a link between calcium supplements and increased heart attack risk.

See which vitamins you should be taking--and which you can skip.

Talk to your doctor about whether you should be exploring alternative ways to supplement your calcium intake, such as increasing it with food instead of pills. Aim for 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D a day. If you're over 50, up your calcium to 1,200 mg and your D to 800 to 1,000 IU.

Exercise is also crucial, not only because it builds and maintains bone, but also because it keeps you strong. "Take two women with the exact same bone mass who trip on a curb," says Dr. Goldstein. "One is flexible, agile, mobile and strong, and the other is frail. The first woman will have the ability to catch herself, while the other will likely fall and maybe break a bone."

Trisha Calvo is a health writer who lives in Norwalk, Connecticut. Her work has also appeared in Fitness andShape magazines.

Article originally appeared on WomansDay.com.

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How To Handle the 'Freshman 15'

By GalTime Teen Expert Barbara Greenberg, Ph.D.

We drop our kids off at college with lots of heavy luggage and, yes, they probably over-packed. What we sometimes fail to remember from our own college experiences is that they are likely to return home with even heavier luggage. You see along with making new friends and gaining lots of new experiences and ideas during their freshman year they also gain something that they are not too happy about. I am referring to the Freshman 15 -- the all-too-common extra 15 pounds that they pack on during their first year at college.

According to Utah State researchers, one out of every four college freshmen puts on about this amount of weight during the first semester at college. Think about it -- going to the cafeteria is like being on a cruise in terms of the all you-can-eat availability of food. Also, in an effort to avoid doing other things, it is easy to sit in the cafeteria chatting with friends and sampling the cuisine.

Related: Help! My Teen Is a Junk Food Junkie

And when they are up late into the night socializing or studying it is very tempting to engage in what my psychology professor referred to as "adjunct behavior," which is behavior that accompanies others like studying, reading etc. In many cases, the eating serves to reduce anxiety. I would be remiss if I failed to mention beer drinking as a contributing factor to the infamous Freshman 15.

I remember coming home after my first semester at college. Yes, it had been a wonderful and exciting time. And no, I could no longer zip up my jeans. I remember lying on the floor sweating in an attempt to facilitate this effort. It was just not happening. The good part was that after that first semester I did introduce balance into my college life and made regular exercise a priority . This has served me well in that I have retained this balance well into my adult life.

Related: Get Fit Without Hitting the Gym

As parents, you are probably wondering what the message for you is here. I recommend nothing more than a gentle reminder to your college kid to try to make healthy decisions about food choices and exercise habits. Anything other than that is likely to be perceived as nagging and controlling.

They, like many before them, will learn about the importance of healthy habits. Sadly, they will have to learn it the hard way. You might, however, want to be kind about the whole situation and not point out their extra baggage. I can assure you that these extra pounds are not lost on them. Do be prepared, though, to buy them a pair of appropriately fitting jeans during this transitional period. Nothing is gained by criticizing them.

Did you gain the Freshman 15 and how did you deal with it?

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