Biggest Loser Resort among Popular Family Fitness Plans

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Byline: Jamie Sotonoff By Jamie Sotonoff

If you want to spend a week at The Biggest Loser Resort Fitness Ridge, near St. George, Utah, the earliest dates they have available are in July.

That's how popular the "Biggest Loser" resorts (another one opened last October in Malibu, Calif.), have become, thanks to the popular prime-time weight loss show on NBC it's named after where obese contestants transform into slim, healthy people through diet and exercise.

These types of resorts, camps and programs are growing in popularity as obesity rates remain high among both adults and children in the U.S. and families want to do something to jump-start a healthy, new lifestyle.

There certainly are a lot of places to do this, for children and adults.

While the Biggest Loser ranches are geared toward adults, parents are allowed to bring children over the age of 14 with them, said Reservations Manager Trevor Fenton, noting that Ron Morelli from Season 7 and his teenage son, Max, were there recently.

"When you have someone -- a family member or someone who's close to you -- that you can relate to, it's so much better of a process," Fenton said. "They can relate and they can help push you. They've seen you at your best and worst, and they know when you're making up excuses."

Former Biggest Loser contestants occasionally show up at the ranches, especially the Malibu location where Season 9 contestant Sam Poueu leads hikes and the show's trainers, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, are known to pop in, …