First there was NBC’s The Biggest Loser television show, where grossly overweight contestants competed for a prize money of $250,000. After that a resort in Utah presented a similar weight-loss competition, followed by one in Malibu.

The UK soon had its own The Biggest Loser show, which started in October 2005 on the Living channel. It subsequently moved to ITV in 2009.

Now the franchise is expanding to less solid ground: the first ever Biggest Loser Experience cruise will depart from Miami early in November.

If you are interested in weight loss, getting more exercise and finding out more about the wellness industry and how to cook healthy meals, you have the opportunity to join the first group of weight loss pioneers on a cruise embarking from Miami on the 12th November this year.

The cruise ship chosen for this unique cruise is the 2,850 passenger Celebrity Eclipse.

Bob Harper, a Biggest Loser trainer, will be present. He will deliver a keynote speech about the role of motivation in adapting a healthy lifestyle. Other popular contestants from the show, whose names have not been released yet, will also join the cruise.

According to Harper, the biggest obstacle people face on the road to healthy living was the habits they fell into over the years. He continued "We hope that people will jump at the chance to take a fun vacation and learn about how easy it is to adopt a healthy, active life-style."

Not all passengers on the cruise will form part of the Biggest Losers group. While Loser cruisers will follow a special diet, ordinary passengers will have the usual everything-you-can-eat meals and snacks whenever you want – posing a huge challenge to their self-discipline.