Thoughts on the biggest loser?

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13

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,527 Member
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    Great for ratings, great for entertainment, not so great on how to lose weight realistically. And believe it or not, of the prior contestants on the show, 90% of them have regained a significant amount (30% or more of what they lost) back on. Just like other quick fix diets.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • kathystrauss1
    kathystrauss1 Posts: 142 Member
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    It's unrealistic, misleading and possibly dangerous...and I never miss an episode!
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
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    Unrealistic, but motivational.
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
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    I used to watch it with a bowl of ice cream in hand...

    I enjoyed it actually.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Never heard of it.

    I assume it reality tv or a game show?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    never watch it and never will
  • klaff411
    klaff411 Posts: 169 Member
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    I think the show is dangerous and borders on bullying.

    No one needs to exercise that hard to be healthy. A solid workout shouldn't make you vomit. And the challenges that play mind-game with contestants (like eat as many cupcakes as you can, and get an advantage!) are no way to learn healthy habits.

    I would love to see the show pulled from the air. It is not entertainment and it is not healthy.

    Wow. We have a term for that in my language: schadenfreude. It means feeling good when watching another person suffer. To me, that's what all american reality tv is. I cannot stand watching people scream and argue. I suspect that if what you say is true regarding the show - I have only seen small snippets - then its not something we should all get behind.
  • baconandwaffles
    baconandwaffles Posts: 11
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    I like watching clips of the workouts and the challenges. I wish someone would be tough on me like that. I hate all the emotional stuff though. I'm not a touchy feely type of person.
  • carblover79
    carblover79 Posts: 29
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    I have seen the show a few times and agree that the losses on a weekly basis are completely unrealistic. I had a chance to meet with a former contestant and she said flat out that there is no follow up after the show and that there are behind the scene games that are played such as drinking a few gallons of water just before a weigh in to distort actual loss. While it is interesting to see how people change themselves over the show, I am not a huge fan.
  • AisforAmazing19
    AisforAmazing19 Posts: 68
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    I saw a promo for this season where everyone was wearing shirts with their weight on them, and that's why I don't watch it. I think focusing that much on weight loss and not on health is a huge disconnect, and reinforces the idea that a lower weight always equals better health.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    I think the show is dangerous and borders on bullying.

    No one needs to exercise that hard to be healthy. A solid workout shouldn't make you vomit. And the challenges that play mind-game with contestants (like eat as many cupcakes as you can, and get an advantage!) are no way to learn healthy habits.

    I would love to see the show pulled from the air. It is not entertainment and it is not healthy.
    I think you are missing the point.
    People do not vomit because they are being bulled, they vomit because the grand prize.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    I don't bellieve there is any bullying on the show.. Encouragement yes.
    Lets be honest, if you don't looose any weight, guess who is going home.
  • ladyshipp
    ladyshipp Posts: 14 Member
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    I enjoy BL. I enjoy the competitions, getting to the root of why one may be unhealthy or obese, and it gave me a visual that if that person can do it at their size/weight, i know I can do it. I like the show! i like Jillian (who has struggled with weight issues) The fact that Jillian stuggled with weight issues and has overcome it, lets me know it can be done (not just her but others in my life that I have seen and are doing the thing). Also, i'm not looking to lose 12lbs in a week. Ii just want to lose and get healthy and because I am an athelete...i dont mind the crazy coach yelling to get you pumped or hyped.. so get your motivation and lets get it!!!!!.
    So that's my thoughts take it or leave.. enjoy your day!.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I love it! Its so motivating and i just love seeing people lose weight... That show usually makes me cry lol. They might not be losing it the best way, but they are learning how to be more healthy than they were!

    really...

    http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    I'd make a completely off-the-cuff wager that more than half the people who come to this site, and others like it, and rant that they're "ONLY" losing 1 - 2 pounds a week get their expectations from The Biggest Loser and similar fonts of unrealistic expectations. People seem to think that, despite the fact that it took them years of an unhealthy relationship with food to finally get to a point where they needed to make a change, they should be able to achieve their goal weight within, oh, about 17 days, give or take. The Biggest Loser encourages this mentality.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    Like everything else it's best taken with a grain of salt. I watch it, don't know that enjoy is the right word, at the very least I am intrigued. The ONLY time I wanted to be a contestant was when Anna Kournikova, just because she's hot.

    It motivated me to get off my *kitten*. But I also use my brain as a free thinker and know I'm not going to lose weight the way they do because it is unhealthy and I don't have 150 pounds to lose.

    As long as people take it for what it is and are able to sort out the good from the garbage I don't see the big deal.

    And to those posting the links to Kai Hubbard's "interview," just stop. That is ONE persons version of a 15 season long show. She didn't win, she's bitter.
  • FirecrackerJess
    FirecrackerJess Posts: 276 Member
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    I was about to make a new thread asking this very thing, and searched first instead. I had never seen this show, heard of it? Yes. Seen it? No. Not until this season. I haven't seen any "bullying" but it has really confused me. I mean, what I have seen time and time again on this board is losing more than 2 lbs a week isn't the best thing, or the safest. Then I watch this show and see them lost I think up to 20lbs on one ep. HOW can they lose so much in one week?? Sometimes its only 3lbs but many times its been 6+. How are those results reached, and how is it safe?

    At first it motivated me, and now, it borders on motivation and depressing, because it is so hard just to lose 1lb, let alone 20lbs.
  • SlinkyAndHerAmazingBunsOfSteel
    SlinkyAndHerAmazingBunsOfSteel Posts: 434 Member
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    I like it for the "before and afters". That's all. :smile:
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    It encourages an all or nothing mentality and a focus on losing as much scale weight as possible in the shortest time. This is about the worst mentality to have for long term success at fat loss, and also likely to lead to people pursuing unhealthy methods to lose fat. There's enough of the quick fix mentality out there already, this show just encourages more of it. Additionally, people who lose fat the healthy way can be (and are) discouraged when they don't see big losses on the scale. 1-2lb a week fat loss is ideal for long term success, yet people who watch that show and lose that much in a week think they've failed miserably. That's the main issue I have with it. Plus all the allegations from former contestants about them being encouraged to do unhealthy things like dehydrating themselves for weigh-ins, carry on exercising after the doctor advised them it wasn't safe, and general mistreatment of the contestants.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    I was about to make a new thread asking this very thing, and searched first instead. I had never seen this show, heard of it? Yes. Seen it? No. Not until this season. I haven't seen any "bullying" but it has really confused me. I mean, what I have seen time and time again on this board is losing more than 2 lbs a week isn't the best thing, or the safest. Then I watch this show and see them lost I think up to 20lbs on one ep. HOW can they lose so much in one week?? Sometimes its only 3lbs but many times its been 6+. How are those results reached, and how is it safe?

    At first it motivated me, and now, it borders on motivation and depressing, because it is so hard just to lose 1lb, let alone 20lbs.

    That's exactly why I have a problem with it. Firstly, the big losses you see are not in just one week, a "week" on the show is actually quite a bit longer than a week, plus contestants are encouraged to do unhealthy things like dehydrating for the weigh in, so they see the big scale weight losses. And a lot of that will be water, not fat. You can see big losses in scale weight by deliberately depleting yourself of glycogen and dehydrating yourself, but it'll be mainly water and the amount of actual fat you lose will be no more than someone who lost 1-2lb the healthy way.

    Focus on losing fat, pure fat, nothing but fat, and that changes the whole game. What's a 6lb weight loss worth, if 4lb of it is water? If you go about it the healthy way, i.e. sensible deficit, exercise, sustainable lifestyle changes, you might see only 1lb a week weight loss, maybe even less than that, but if what you're losing is pure fat and it's not going to come back because you can maintain the lifestyle that's making you lose fat slowly, then does it really matter that it's only 0.5-1lb on the scale each week?

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