SPOILER ALERT: This post is about last night’s episode of The Biggest Loser, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to wait to read ahead.

Okay, let’s talk about last night.

I want to have a weekly re-cap of The Biggest Loser because it is a show that I know many of us watch and LOVE.

Like I said last year, I never watched this show EVER until the episode where Mike and his dad were finishing the marathon and everyone went back and helped his dad finish. Cried my eyes out and have been hooked ever since.

I’m glad that was the episode that started me going because it was pretty much what they played off of in their first challenge.

In their first challenge they had to cross the same finish line Season 7’s contestants had to after their marathon, except Season 8’s contestants only had to go one mile instead of a whole marathon-which I’m glad about because that would be WAY too much to make them start off with a marathon.

For some of them, the mile was way too much. Tracy made it just past the finish line before she passed out. While all the rest of the contestants talked about how they were scared and it was a wake up call, I sat on my couch thinking the very same thing, and hoping she would be okay.

I want to talk about the stories. I cried for about a half hour after hearing Abby’s story. That woman seems like she is probably so sweet, and to have your entire family ripped away from you in a car accident is probably one of the worst things that can happen to a person. I really hope she makes it to the end because she truly deserves something to feel happy about.

I was also touched by Shay. When she walked away from that ladder the first time and said she quit, I wished I was there to push her (though I do think Jillian does a good enough job of that). I cried when she got on the scale, knowing that she had let herself get to that point because I often think that about myself.

I am partially biased this season because I actually know Amanda. We used to work together at Cedar Crest Village, a retirement community for senior citizens. She is from one town over from my hometown and I have been cheering for her ever since I found out she was going to be on the show last season, when America voted her on. I was disappointed with her when she saw she did not lose as much weight on the first episode as her teammate, but I know she will do great. She really is such a beautiful girl.

So those are my thoughts on episode 1. What are yours?

I'm a sucker for the midnight snack. I wake up in the middle of the night and crave chocolate, this typically leads me to the kitchen, in which I have no chocolate, so I typically end up snacking on something else-whatever I can find.

I know this is terrible, and I know this is not helping me lose weight, but I don't know why.

One reason, I was told by my doctor, is that when you lie down, gravity cannot help pull the food down, in the natural digestive way. BUT, I've also been told that you can burn more calories while you're sleeping (because you are breathing faster and heavier) than you can simply sitting on the couch.

I did find this article, which explores why we feel the need to "midnight snack." I should also note that you don't need to snack at exactly midnight in order to call it a "midnight snack."

http://www.citizensreport.org/2009/09/14/midnight-snack-the-enemy-of-your-weight-loss-plans/

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the article:

"Personal trainers and other weight loss gurus have long advocated not eating after 6 or 7 pm if you want to drop some pounds. However no one was sure if this was just because people tend to binge or indulge in unhealthy snacks under the cover of darkness (those midnight bowls of ice cream in front of the television that don’t count because no one else sees them)."

I definitely think I'm more inclined to reach for a candy bar or potato chips in the blanket of night instead of an apple or banana.

In the article, scientists conduct a study on mice and found that those who snacked at night gained 48 percent more body weight. So it appears clear that snacking in the middle of the night is not good for our weight loss goals. But what can we do about it?

Do you have any suggestions for how we can all kick our midnight snacking habits?