NY Times checks into Ivins' "Biggest Loser" resort

It's the most grueling week you'll ever pay $1,995 to experience — and it's all in Utah.

That's the appraisal of New York Times travel writer Jennifer Conlin about The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge, the Ivins, Utah, health spa/resort.

Conlin describes checking in with her friend Teresa:

"When we checked in on a recent Sunday afternoon, neither of us had any idea that weight loss was a 12-hour-a-day job. Certainly, our first impressions of the resort gave no indication of what we were in for. Following the winding paths that led to the red brick, Southwestern-style hotel building, we were relieved that the place looked more like a luxury resort than a fat camp."

Then Conlin and her friend discovered the resort's regimen included a 1,200-calorie maximum daily diet, no caffeine or alcohol, 6 a.m. wake-up calls, three hours of exercise, a two-hour mountain hike, and lots of lectures on food and fitness.

And, on Tuesday nights, you get to watch "The Biggest Loser," the NBC reality-competition show that has licensed its name to the Ivins resort and another one in Malibu, Calif.

Conlin reports that her friend Teresa's reaction to the show was: "Honey, if I had seen this show a week ago, I never would have come here."