Biggest Loser nutritionist Cheryl Forberg: 'I love my job!'

The Biggest Loser Industrial Complex has released its latest book, Biggest Loser Simple Swaps. We talked with author Cheryl Forberg, RD, about the book, her favorite swaps and the new season of Biggest Loser – not the one on TV but season 9, which began filming last week.

• Review of Biggest Loser Simple Swaps

“I met the season 9 cast down here a few weeks ago doing physicals,” she said by phone from Southern California. “It’s so exciting! I love my job.”

And she’s glad the focus has grown on the nutritional aspect. “It was frustrating at the beginning, so little talk about nutrition, so that’s why I started blogging about it,” she says. “As a nutritionist there’s never enough for me. “

And if you can’t be a contestant on the ranch, the Biggest Loser books can certainly help, she says. “So many thousands of people are overwhelmed,” she says. “They want to give up before they start -- that’s who this book is for. The swaps are small, they’re simple. Get a few under your belt and then add more. They’re simple to do instead of looking at that big picture.”

Some easy swaps from Forberg:

1. Swapping avocado for mayonnaise is really easy.
2. Swapping down at least 1 percentage of milk. Jumping down from whole milk to 2 percent is a start.
3. Enjoying the sweetness of a piece of fruit. “Who doesn’t enjoy a bowl of raspberries?” she says.

The most effective swap you can make?: Cutting out the white stuff. It’s hugely effective. People ask me “If I could only do one thing what would it be.” It’s probably most effective.

A new addition in this Biggest Loser book is a series of budget-friendly tips. “Not many people can afford organics so you’ve got to be sensitive to it,” she says.

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