The Biggest Loser League

The Basics

• What is The Biggest Loser League?
• What are the basic rules and regulations of The Biggest Loser League?
• How do I create an account?
• How do I verify my email address?
• How do I create a profile once I've registered?
• Can I make my profile either public or private?
• How do I set up my own blog?
• How do I change the avatar image?
• How do I delete my account?
• I'm having trouble with my account and my questions aren't answered here. Where should I go for help?
• How do I earn points on TBLL?

League Information

• What are Personal Goals?
• What's the deal with Teams?
• Can users issue challenges to each other?
• How do I keep track of my Challenges?
• What do I earn points for?
• What do I do with my points?
• How do you determine the calorie deficit for my weight loss goal?

Video Tips

• Getting Started
• Shooting the Video
• Getting the Video Off Your Camera
• Uploading the Video

The Basics

What is The Biggest Loser League?

The Biggest Loser League is a social networking site for fans of the NBC show, The Biggest Loser. The League is designed to help fans meet their own weight loss goals. On this site, users can interact with other fans, compete in league challenges, share tips and track their weight loss progress.

The goal of the League is to be a supportive and helpful community for those trying to make positive lifestyle changes and drop pounds along the way.

What are the basic rules and regulations of The Biggest Loser League?

As we said before, the goal of the League is to be a supportive place for people to express themselves. Because this site deals with the sensitive issues of weight, weight loss and body image, it's imperative that members speak to each other in a respectful tone and with a mutual understanding that everyone is here for the same reason: to make their lives better through positive lifestyle changes.

Any member who is found to be purposefully malicious towards other users will have disciplinary action taken against their account.

How do I create an account?

Go to http://tbll.nbc.com and click "Join Now" to register. You'll be asked for some basic information and asked to verify your email address. Once your email has been confirmed, you can customize your profile by adding photos, videos and other information about yourself.

If you're already a member of another NBC.com Community, click "Join Now" and enter the email address you use to sign in to other NBC.com sites. You'll be prompted to log in using your email and password.

How do I verify my email address?

Once you sign up, a message containing a confirmation link will be send to the email address you listed during registration. Once you receive this message, click on the link and your email address will be automatically verified and you can begin using The Biggest Loser League.

If you don't see the email verification in your inbox, check your spam/junk folder. Sometimes the little electronic postman gets confused and accidentally delivers our emails there. If this happens, be sure to add us to your "Safe Senders" list.

How do I create a profile once I've registered?
You can update your profile information by clicking the 'edit profile' link in the red menubar at the top of the screen. There you can change your avatar, current weight, target weight, etc.

Can I make my profile either public or private?
No, all profiles on The Biggest Loser League are viewable to public. Users must be registered with The Biggest Loser League in order to leave comments and send messages, but your profile homepage is always visible. However, you are able to control what other users see by editing your account settings.

How do I set up my own blog?
Every League profile includes a blog module. Your blog will be displayed on your profile page. To add a new blog post, click the "Edit" link at the bottom of the blog module on your profile page. Follow the on screen instructions to write, edit, and post the blog to your profile.

How do I change the avatar image?
You can update your avatar by clicking the "edit profile" link in red menubar at the top of the screen. Here, you'll be able to upload your own photo. Photos that are 146x146 pixels work best for avatar images.

How do I delete my account?
We're working to improve the flexibility of the site to give you more control over your account. In the meantime, please click the "Feedback" link to contact us.

I'm having trouble with my account and my questions aren't answered here. Where should I go for help?
Please click here to visit our myNBC FAQ. It should help you find answers to your general account questions, which aren't specific to the League.

Members earn points for completing challenges and interacting with the site. The points earned for each type of interaction decrease the more you do the same activity over the duration of a week. Basically, the first time (or first few times) you do an activity during a given week, earns you the most points.

Here is a detailed list of point earning activities:

Signing Up

• You get 50 points for completing registration.

Uploading Photos

• The first 10 photos uploaded every week are worth 5 points each.
• Additional photos are worth 1 point each.
• Point values reset each week.

Uploading Videos

• The first 10 videos uploaded every week are worth 10 points each.
• Additional videos are worth 1 point each.
• Point values reset each week.

Posting Blogs

• The first blog post of the week is worth 10 points.
• Additions posts are worth 1 point each.
• Point values reset each week.
• Streak Bonus: If you post at least one blog per week for a month, you get 25 bonus points.

Personal Goals

• Adding to or editing your personal goals is worth 5 points per week.
• Limited to one addition or editing session per week.
• Resets each week.

Ratings

• Receiving a rating on a piece of content you've posted to your profile (photo, video or blog) is worth 1 point.
• No limit.

Comments

• The first comment left for another member's profile is worth 5 points.
• Additional comments are worth 1 point each.
• Resets each week.

Invite New Members

• Each new member invite sent is worth 1 point.
• Maximum of 25 new member invite points per week.
• Resets every week.
• Each new member invite accepted is worth 5 points.
• No limit on new member invites accepted points.

Adding Contacts

• Each member who confirms you as a friend is worth 1 point.
• No limit.

Joining a Team

• Joining a Team earns you 25 points.

Becoming a Team Captain

• Becoming a Team Captain earns you 50 points.

Captain's Salary

• As a Captain of a Team, you earn 10 points for every 30 days you remain Captain.

Point Deductions

• If a moderator must remove inappropriate content from your profile or forum posts, you will lose points.
• First offense is -5 points.
• Second offense is -10 points.
• Third offense is -20 points.
• If a moderator, for any reason, suspends your account, your user points are reset to 0.

League Information

What are Personal Goals?
Your Personal Goals module is a place for you to keep track of your own weight loss and lifestyle goals. The module works like any text editor, and you can add and remove goals as necessary. Your personal goals are not tied to the League challenges in any way.

What's the deal with Teams?

The league commissioner will occasionally set up teams. It's just another way to group people so that they can interact. Also, in addition to the League-down challenges, team leaders can issue challenges to their team members. You can join a team if you want, but don't feel like you have to. You do not have to be on a team to complete the League Challenges or vie for a spot on the leaderboard.

More team related information is on the way, so check back to the site and the message boards for updates.

Can users issue challenges to each other?
Yes! Right now we're in the process of launching a challenge wizard, which will enable user-to-user challenges. When it's up and running, you'll be able to issue challenges to your contacts and track their progress.

How do I keep track of the Challenges I've started or completed?
Click the "Challenges" tab at the top of the screen. If you're logged in, this will take you to your Challenges pages where you can view new challenges and track your progress on the ones you've already accepted.

What do I earn points for?
The short answer is everything. You earn points for completing a challenge, uploading photos, posting comments...pretty much all activity on the site earns you points. Poke around and try out different areas of the site to see what all the different activities yield. (We don't want to just give it away!)

What do I do with my points?
For right now, points earn you a spot on the leaderboard. In time, you'll be able to trade-in your points for goodies on the site.

Check back to the site and message boards for an update on points.

How do you determine the calorie deficit for my weight loss goal?
Creating a calorie deficit in your diet can help you lose fat. A calorie deficit simply means that you burn more than you intake. According to the National Institutes of Health,* it takes a calorie deficit of 3500 calories to burn a pound of fat. To figure out the calorie deficit for you total weight loss, we take the pounds you want to lose, and multiply it by 3500. For example, if you are 10 pounds from your weight loss goal, that would equal a 35,000 calorie deficit to burn those 10 pounds of fat. It's impossible to come close to meeting your deficit in a day or even a week, but it will help you determine how many calories you need burn each day to hit your goal in time. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001940.htm

Video Tutorial

Getting Started

• First, to make a video, you're going to need a camera. There are several types of cameras that will work for shooting web videos, including webcams, point-and-shoot digital cameras, camera phones and traditional and/or digital video cameras.
• Every camera is different and you should consult your owner's manual for the details on how your particular model works.
• Some phones with cameras only shoot still photographs. Make sure you read the manual or contact your service provider to find out the capabilities of your phone.
• If you own an older camcorder, check to see that if it has a digital output. If it does, you'll be able to get a cord that can connect the camera to your computer.

Shooting the Video

• Once you've consulted your camera's manual and figured out how to get it to record video, set up the shot. Make sure you take into consideration the lighting and background.
• For webcams, you're going to be confined to the area around your computer. However, with other cameras you can shoot your video wherever you'd like. Regardless of where you shoot the video, keep in mind that you want good lighting and framing.
• If you're shooting a video indoors, try placing a lamp next to you, just out of the frame, to light your face. Avoid shooting under florescent lights, they will make your beautiful face look drab and pale.
• Plan your shot so that everything you want to be in the frame is in the frame. A tripod will probably help (they sell little ones for webcams and digital cameras), but be sure to check the framing of the shot before you start filming.
• Keep your video to less than 30 seconds. This is important for two reasons: one, uncompressed video files are generally very large and depending on your camera, more than 30 seconds may exceed the digital storage you have and two, we have a 100 MB upload cap for each video.

Getting the Video Off Your Camera

• Like we said before, every camera is different. However, except for traditional video cameras, they will all save your video as a digital file. Some common file types for video are MPEG (.mpg), QuickTime (.mov), AVI (.avi), Windows Media (.wmv), Flash Video (.flv) and Real Media (.rm). Your video must be in one of those formats in order to be uploaded to NBC.com.
• If your camera records in a format not listed above, try a Google search for a program that will convert your file type to one of the acceptable formats listed above. An example search might be "Convert [enter your file extension here] to AVI."
• For Webcams: Most webcams will save video directly to your hard drive. You can use your webcam's software to designate a save destination for the video file. Remember what file you select so that you can locate it on your hard drive.
• For Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras: Connect the cable from your camera to your computer. Your computer should recognize the camera and allow you explore the camera's memory. Find the video file and drag it to your desktop.
• For Video Cameras: Connect the cable from the digital output on your camera to your computer. Consult your manual for specific instructions. For digital video cameras, you should be able to explore the camera's memory and drag the file to your desktop from there. For older, traditional video cameras, you may have to get software that will allow you to capture the video (via the cord) on to your desktop.
• For Camera Phones: In general, you should be able to get video off your phone in two ways: by using a cord that connects to your computer or by emailing yourself the video directly from your phone. If you're using a cord, you should be able to explore your phone's memory just like you would with a digital camera. If you're emailing yourself the photo, there may be an option right when you shoot/save the video to email it. You can also try composing a new message and attaching the video by browsing your phone's hard drive.

Uploading the Video

• Once you have the video on your computer's hard drive, uploading is a piece of cake.
• Make sure your video is 100 MB or less by right clicking the file and selecting "Properties."
• You can also check your video's format in the Properties screen. Our accepted formats are MPEG (.mpg), QuickTime (.mov), AVI (.avi), Windows Media (.wmv), Flash Video (.flv) and Real Media (.rm).
• In the video upload screen, click "Browse" to find the video on your hard drive.
• Enter in a title and description and hit "Upload."
• It'll probably take a few minutes for your video to upload and then it'll be put into a queue to be approved. We like to take a look at all our video content to make sure no one's being naughty. After it's approved, it'll be available in your "Live Videos" section.