Photo courtesy of NBC

Bob Harper, Bigger Loser trainer extraordinaire, says: If you trust in that process, and just focus on what you can do today, the rest will take care of itself. I read this quote back in January in a Los Angeles Times article about The Biggest Loser‘s season 11, whose finale aired this past Tuesday night. Since reading the quote, it has stuck to my bones and I haven’t been able to shake it. Since visiting my doctor and learning that even though I wore a small dress size, my body was not healthy. It was tired and out of shape and my blood pressure was high. I—slowly—started making some changes in my life. I stopped drinking Diet Coke. I started moving a little bit more every day. I cut some salts from my diet. I stopped eating desserts during the week. I focused on what I could do every day, and the rest has taken care of itself. My body is healthier, stronger, better.

I can’t help but think that some of the women from season 11 were empowered by Bob’s words as well. Coming into a season up against big, strong men (including an Olympic medalist) who had more stamina, who had more exercise experience and who had more weight to lose was probably pretty daunting to these women. But they wanted to turn their lives around. They wanted to have healthier, stronger, better bodies for their children, their spouses and themselves.

So, they trusted in the process. And they came out on top. Deni, an all-but forgotten 59-year-old woman who left the ranch early in the game, showed up at the finale to take away the $100,000 at-home prize for losing the most percentage of weight loss at home. She is almost 60. She has eight children. And she did it. She lost almost an entire person. And we cannot forget the hilarious sister team of Olivia and Hannah, who placed first and second, beating out all the men who were favourited to win from the start. Olivia, who won the $250,000 grand prize, started the show at 261 pounds and lost 129, which is 49.43% of her body weight and her sister Hannah went from 248 to 128, losing 48.39% of her body weight.

Now, I know that there are criticisms of the show and its methods. I have read the articles that speak of starvation before weigh-ins and that weeks are not necessarily actual seven-day weeks. But at the end of the day, you cannot help but look at these women as inspiration. They have completely changed their lives. And, truthfully, more than the way they looked up on the stage in those stunning finale dresses, what struck me the most were the smiles on their faces. They KNEW they had done this.

So what can we as women, parents, moms, sisters, friends take from this?

We can focus on what we can do TODAY…and the rest will take care of itself. We can walk a little farther. We can not eat that cupcake that is calling to us. We can take the stairs instead of the escalator. What are you going to do today?

—Ali, Senior Associate Editor of Cf.ca