Tom Desrochers Sr. (Cab driver), 42, and his son Tom Desrochers Jr. (Cab driver), 22, Everett, Massachusetts.

Tom is married with three children; two boys and one girl. He works very hard trying to keep everyone in the family happy, but would like to spend a lot more time with his wife and kids. Tom has been driving a taxi in Boston for the last sixteen years, and he has let his weight slip out of control. His family and doctor constantly remind him that he needs to lose weight, but because he sits driving all day he does not get to exercise. Plus, as a result of being on the go, he has become a fast food junkie. Tom Sr. wants to break the cycle and give his son an opportunity he never had!

Tom Jr. is very outspoken and likeable. He has two siblings: a brother and sister, both younger. Tom Jr. has been overweight for most of his life. Even though he struggled with being overweight, he was a very active kid, and played a lot of organized sports such as football, baseball and basketball. Since he graduated high school he has put on significant weight. He now drives a taxi part time. He volunteer coaches Pop Warner Football for the kids in his spare time and the amount of time he has to exercise is limited. Tom never quits and will keep trying until the final whistle has blown.
Tom Sr. and Tom Jr. are the father-and-son team who really do not like to lose at anything they do. They are competitive to the end, but they enjoy life and have fun together. Their team motto is: "Play now, pay later!" This team from Massachusetts is ready to show the world how strong a father/son bond is. They will keep us laughing and crying throughout their experience on the show. While they look big and tough, these guys have a sensitive side that they cannot hide.

All the parent/child teams will be trained by Jillian. And just as a friendly reminder, here's a portion of the FAQ and Forum Rules:

I LOVE these guys!! Maybe it's because they're good old Boston boys !!

Is he called JR or LT (Little Tom)?



What about posts that have no redeeming value whatsoever?

HUH?

What about posts that have no redeeming value whatsoever?
[/quote]

The son wants to be called LT for Little Tom

^^^Like this one?

Sometimes the best reply is no reply.

Yeah, I was working off of an earlier press release - he is going by LT.

Okay.. I know week two is rough.. but to go up three? I can see up one, or up two.. but after JT talked over and over about how the orange team owed him.. and after seeing Colleen make that 13 pound bet.. does anyone else think that JT was waterloading in order to lose more next week, and that he didn't think they'd get voted off?

I just get the feeling that he was playing the angle a bit too strongly, and that when he saw Colleen do that, he felt he was "owed", and thought he could get away with it.

Has to be something along those lines. One has to eat a whole lot, and do a whole lot of nothing activity-wise, to gain three real pounds in one week. Considering how much they're forced to exercise, I consider it close to impossible.

-HM

I suspect the "fix" wasn't in until Orange gave Red the call home. That was when I think that LT thought he could get away with it. I think he was thinking that Orange could guilt Red into going their way for the free phone call, and then it was a matter of just getting one more person, and then using those three as an alliance. Add into it the fact that Bob's team was controlling the destiny, and it's likely they all would have gone the same way.

Was a bit sorry to see the grey team go. But LT was sooo cocky! He really hasn't done anything special for any of the teams yet and seemed to feel like they all owed him. Was really excited to see how great Big Tom looked after losing so much weight.

I thought LT's self control in the exit interview was remarkable. Although he may simply have been angry at himself for gaining weight, it seemed to me he was seething at being (arguably) betrayed and managed to keep his cool and not say anything he would regret later.

Contrast this to some of the departures in seasons past where the contestants were just plain catty.

I'll have to say that I was VERY impressed with Tom's progress once they left the ranch! He looks awesome! I thought that LT would have made more progress since he's younger, but Tom has proved that people of a certain age CAN change if they really and truly want to. I get so tired of other 40 and 50-somethings always saying that they can't lose weight because this is what happens to your body when it gets old. BS!!!!!! Tom, you are an inspiration and can't wait to see you at the finale! Keep up the good work!

I was kind of fond of them both actually. They were very real, average-Joe guys and very relatable. Here's an interview with Tom and LT after elimination. I really had them pegged for the winners. Now I'm not sure.

Honestly, I would be JUST as angry and irritated if I worked my tail off for a week and gained three pounds. I don't think there was any ploy or tactic involved here, I think he just hit the wall just like everyone else. He's a big guy and his body is rebelling. They both look amazing and I bet they are going to give everyone a run for their money at the finale!!!

With the amount of exercise they do, there'd have to be something REALLY wrong with his metabolism to gain 3 lbs. Or he'd have to waaaaaaay overeat. Or drink a lot of water. I bet on the latter.

-HM

Yeah.

Something wrong with his metabolism that never manifested in the first show, wasn't mentioned by the doctor, and only seemed to manifest in the second week ,but then promptly went away (Since we were told that it was four months ago.. and in four months, he's lost 81 pounds.. 20 pounds a month, 5 a week)

No way. I'm with you (or you're with me.) He water loaded thinking he had the orange and red votes, and that the third member of bob's team would go with the other two.

I agree. He seemed to be bonding pretty well with Coleen, he probably figured they wouldn't be below the yellow line. So he thought he definitely had the Yellow and Orange teams; he only needed one more team. He thought wrong.

I'm just sad they got voted off, I liked them both, though I do understand about them being a big threat, two guys versus all either girl or co-ed teams was an advantage.

I really think the yellow team deserved to go home though, no matter who they were up against. I think Colleen and her dad putting a price tag on their health goes against everything the show is supposed to represent. They have made such a big deal about how sick her dad is and then to say they are willing to jeopordize his chance at being on the show and getting help, for $10,000?!

I think for that reason alone they should have gotten voted off.

I'd be very upset if I gained 3 pounds too. I felt bad for him. BUT WOW, they have done awesome in 4 months. They both looked amazing!!

GOOD FOR YOU GUYS!

Sooo, I still don't understand the 3 pd gain...with the BodyBugg, doesn't it tell calories in/calories out and then estimate the weight loss? Shouldn't they have known it was going to be a gain? Or is all of this calories in/calories burned stuff just inacurrate? If weight loss is as simple as counting calories and working out to burn calories, I would have never been overweight!!

Bingo! Although in this case I doubt it was the inaccuracy of the bodybugg that was to blame.

Based on how he was talking the first week about his many meals during a typical day for him.. that he had a compulsive tendency. But that was just my speculation. I think the weight gain may have been some extra eating or as someone said an attempt at water loading strategy that may have gone awry.

I also wondered if the contestants had an opportunity to go into town for shopping.. The sheer size of those guys should have assured at least nominal weight loss. Tom losing 3 lbs. at least is a loss.. but only 1% (based on profile info)..

Weight loss really IS as simple as counting calories. If you burn more than you take in, your weight goes down. If you burn less than you take in, your weight goes up. If you burn the same as you take in, your wait remains equal.

This is a known fact, and the diet I'm on actually has strict caloric monitoring on things taken in. I have charts, and graphs, and they almost exactly match the results on the scale.

What happened to LT is a statistical outlier. It shouldn't have happened. It's so impossible that someone would be remiss in not suggesting "outside factors."

When Jerry was on an even tougher restriction than LT, and with Jerry having an 8 pound swing from LT, it's obvious that LT was doing some gaming. His whole "I'm surprised" act was simply that, an act. A lie. A deception of his own.

3 pounds is an equivellant to 10500 calories. So if you tell me you believe his gain to be legitimate and not gaming, then that means he somehow was, on average, about 1500 calories a day above what he burned given a 7 day week. If it was a ten day week, he was basically 1050 calories a day above what he burned.

That says to me, that if he exercised fully for 7 hours a day, and burned 400 to 500 per hour , that he would have burnt 22050 for a week, or 31500 for ten days. Let's call it 3150 per day. So , if his NORMAL basal metabolic rate is around 2400, then, that means to gain 3 pounds legitimately over a week, with that level of exercise, LT would have had to have eaten / consumed 2400 + 3150 + 1500 calories for 7 day week, or 2400 + 3150 + 1050 calories for a ten day week.

You're telling me a man ate 7000 calories a day , or ate 6650 calories a day, and has no idea where it came from? Bull.

He either ate too much, didn't work out enough, or manipulated a third way.

The math just proves it.

Negative. The calories in/calories out model is absolutely correct. It is basic physics, a person can not take in less calories than they are using and still hold onto the chemical energy (fat) that there body has stored. It violates the law of Conservation of Energy.

There is a reason for everything that happens with the body. No person can violate the laws of thermodynamics by using more energy than they take in while still adding potential energy. He did something to artificially inflate his weight or he took in more energy than he used (nearly impossible if you look at the math of the previous poster). There is no other explanation.

the body is mysterious...but not that mysterious.

so, he did something the show didn't show us? Otherwise, it is encouraging to us "normal" people who work out like crazy, count calories and don't lose! I count calories religously and work out regularly, and there are weeks when I don't lose weight when the #'s say I should.

Yeah, but do you actually gain? It is also difficult to compare yourself to someone on the show who exercises 4-6 hours a day on a strict diet. LT had a LOT of weight to lose and it was only his second week being on the diet/exercise regimen. He should not have gained weight.


Excellent comparison. IMO, he didn't even look that surprised.


or he drank a lot of water sometime before the weigh-in.


Some would argue that LT gambled his chance and the ranch and lost. I guess the main difference between the yellow team and the gray team is that the yellow team openly gambled their chances.

This can take two directions. A more simple one and an exponentially more complicated one.

The simple explanation is this. There is another explanation that involves your body adding weight in another way. As long as you use more energy than you take in, you will lose fat.

The complicated direction is this. Body fat is simply stored potential chemical energy. You gained that body fat because your body took in more energy than it needed for an extended period of time and converted it to fat for use at a later time. According to the law of Conservation of Energy, you can not expend energy to exercise (which results in lost kinetic and thermal energy) with out that energy coming from some where.

If you are losing energy by exercising, it must come from some where. If it is not coming from the food you have eaten, then it must come from energy stores in your body. Any explanation contrary to this (e.g. "some times the body just stops", "everyone hits a wall", "the weight loss plateau") is incorrect unless the individual stating so can disprove one of the fundamental laws that governs the operation of our universe.

You can accept the simple explanation, or the simplified (relatively speaking) complicated explanation. The more complicated explanation can be expanded upon more, talking about ways in which your body can add weight (this word in and of itself is more complicated than most people realize) while you are still losing fat. The basic point is that if you are expending more calories than you take in that regardless of what a scale says, the composition of the lump of mass that is you has changed, and most likely it has changed in a way that you desire.

Um Ryan, you shouldn't always assume that people don't understand basic physics and the calories in/calories out model. I was just trying to make two points with my post: 1) the bodybugg is, no matter how close it might be, still inherently inaccurate, and 2) I don't think LT's problem had anything to do with any inaccuracies of the bodybugg; I was implying that he was sneaking snacks. We've seen just this behavior in previous seasons.

I don't doubt that you understand basic physics. That was more directed at anyone who claims that the calories in vs. calories out model is flawed. There are plenty of people who claim that the model does not work, and try to convince others using anecdotal evidence that flies in the face of what we know to be true.

Should they be able to prove that the calories in/calories out model does not actually work they would be due a pair of Nobel Prizes, one in Medicine and Physics each.

So Ryan....L.T. was using the BodyBugg.....do you THINK that the Bodybugg was off, or do you believe it was giving accurate information to L.T. and the 3lb was not a surprise to him on the weigh in? In my opinion, he did not appear to be shocked at all.

Then honestly, you are not counting correctly, or you're off on your estimating your exercise levels.

I have analyzed and helped a large number of my friends get into shape and diet, and in the large number of cases where "it's not working" occurred, I found that the numbers being used were not accurate.

If you burn more than you take in, you _WILL_ lose weight.

No ifs, ands , or buts about it.

How many starving fat people do you see?

ME! It is so past lunch time and I am STARVIN' Marvin!

Not Ryan, but the bodybugg certainly was giving him accurate data on burned calories, but the bugg can't tell how much you took in. If he took anything in and didn't report it to the computer, then there's no way anyone would know.

I directed the question to Ryan because he owns the Bodybugg....making me believe, if L.T. was truly shocked about the gain, then this would be a flaw with the BB. (with the understanding that L.T. did plug in the appropriate stats)

1. The BodyBugg was inaccurate
or
2. L.T. did not program the BB correctly
or
3. The gain was intentional

I agree with those who said he didn't appear surprised. He looked more like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, literally. Not trying to take anything away from the obvious hard work he did in the following 4 months, which has been great, it just seemed like he knew he'd done, or not done, something to cause the gain.

When Paul gained last season, was that 1 pound or 3?

The Bodybugg is claimed to be 96% accurate. That is based on a claim by the maker, but I actually believe it given my observations.

I believe that he intentionally manipulated his weight. Given the extraordinary amount of and length of exercising that goes on at the ranch, I don't think he could have mistakenly over eaten or snacked enough to gain 3 pounds of fat. Just not possible.

When I walk to work every morning my bodybugg shows that I burn about 9 calories a minute. LT was being made to do more than walk, plus he is moving more weight than myself so expends more energy, but for the sake of argument lets say he walked for six hours a day. That would mean he burned over 3,200 Calories during just those six hours. Base line BMR for any person is about 2 Calories per minute sedentary, 1.5 Calories per minute sleeping.

3200 Calories for six hours of walking +
720 Calories for eight hours of sleeping +
1200 Calories for all other times if he is sitting around
5120 Calories per day (with no exercise beyond walking and exclusively sitting around once his session with Jillian is done)

Most people don't realize how hard it is to actually eat that many calories in a single day. That would require five Chipotle burritoes (1.1k Calories each) be eaten each day just to stay even. 35 Twinkies, Two huge bags of chips, Five Marie Calendar's Alfredo meals, or any combination of massive amounts of food. To put it as a more practical meal considering some one would notice him wolfing down junk food, 8 oz. Sirloin steak, Baked potato (no toppings), and a cup of broccoli would all only cover 750 Calories... He would have to have eaten that meal seven times every day to STAY EVEN. To gain weight... oh man that would have been noticed.

The likelihood that he gained (or even stayed even) weight through poor diet is slim to none. Some one would have noticed if he had been doing something like that. On the other hand, 1 Gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. I'd assume that after the last chance workout most contestants avoid water not to gain back the weight they lost in sweat before the weigh in. All he had to do was start drinking water and he could have easily accounted for any weight he actually lost and the gain in weight as well.

Maybe LT splurged with salty snacks (i.e. potato chips, fritos) or that is how he attempted to waterload (by increasing his sodium intake). It could have created a temporary water gain.

It just makes more sense to me that he craved some of his usual bad foods.. and indulged when given an opportunity.

2 seasons ago, I really liked the casting blog that NBC had for the show. It really helped with some of the behind the scenes understanding and putting together how things were done and the other things that may or may not have influenced outcomes. At least from the staffs perspectives.

I think you mean ifs, ands, or butts.


Remember that soya sauce from Season 4 that was high sodium? Jillian was reprimanding someone (a guy, I forget who) about using too much of that stuff in his food - low calories, but high sodium. Add waterloading to that and you got yourself a gain.

I don't think any of them splurge on potato chips, Fritos, etc. much, because that would cause a more permanent weight gain.

Oh Well now. If the manufacturer says it's true then of course I believe it.

The guys that were on Jillians team during season 4 were Jim, Bill and Jez.. (the women, Isabeau, Holly and Julie) I think it might have been Bryan and Kim... Bryan had some eating problems that season. She had to keep after him about eating enough and eating the right kinds of stuff. Apparently he was a picky eater too.

Maybe someone can correct me if I pegged the wrong guy from that season.

But yeah, I think it had to do with how he seasoned his food or chicken or soemthing.. She was trying to figure out what in his diet was causing the lull in his weight loss.

I think it was Jez, maybe?

I wasn't sure so I did a quick search...

did find a blog / recap site.. Never heard of it.. but it was fun to read..

If you go to the entry title 'poles over troubled water' you will see the recap episode and it did happen to be Bryan and Kim regarding the soy sauce.. I remembered her having to spend extra time with him because he wasn't eating right.. and very a picky eater. He apparently had been marinating his food in it.

I had a good chuckle reading the recap as it was the one where Nicole chipped her front teeth or tooth! That was pretty darn funny... although it could have ended on a serious note had she hurt her neck from diving in the shallow end of the pool. Boy, does she have a permanent momento of her time on TBL.

http://sillyreality.film.com/the_biggest_loser/

In regards to L.T.'s comment about the promise, you can't always predict how the game is going to play out. It's pretty much a given that alliances will exist between the contestants, and promises will be made between Team A and Team B. But when the game plays out, promises are worth exactly what they cost: nothing!

Also, I don't always agree that the largest men/women are always the biggest threats. If you rank the percentage of weight lost in each season by the contestants in order of the largest percentage lost to the least, there is an even spread of men and women throughout. In season 4, Kae was a tough competitor and seen as a big threat, and she was one of the lightest women in the house.

Overall, it takes time to know your body's metabolism. For example, Jillian said in her interviews from last season that she wasn't able to pinpoint Brittany's issue with her slow weight loss until late in the game.

In L.T.'s case, I think his weight gain could have been caused by either drinking too much water or gaining muscle. For me personally, I can workout until I drop and still gain weight due to the muscle gain. I can relate from speaking with others who are struggling with their weight that generally men with darker features (dark hair, olive-tone skin) have bodies that soak in water like a sponge. That's not always true, but the point being, I don't think there was any game play involved in L.T.'s three-pound weight gain. His body put on the "brakes" from the rapid weight loss, and he simply had an unfortunate second week.

It's impossible to gain 3 pounds of muscle and lose no fat. This whole "Muscle weighs more than fat" is just an excuse for people to throw around, and has no real basis in reality. Muscle _IS_ more dense than fat, but that density comes at a cost, and the energy expenditure to turn protein into a pound of muscle is greater than the energy used to expend a pound of fat.

He gamed. Everyone knows it. He watered up.

Or he secretly ate 2 pounds of potato chips every day. *shrugs*

Thanks!

I'm with you on this one. Something rotten went down and they were up to no good. It just doesn't make any sense for him not to lose some weight. If he kept his caloric intake below his caloric output, he had to lose weight.

Congratulations, Tom and LT! You both look great, and it's wonderful that you are having a positive influence on your entire family. Keep up the good work!

Well done!

The maturity and restraint shown by Grey in not clobbering Ed is the stuff of legends. Keep up the great work!