The Biggest Loser show seems to contradict what were taught

QuietBloom

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=askhole

Bwahahaha!!

fvtfan

I have a friend that was a contestant on the show - and he ended up having skin removal surgery after the show was over - which he paid for himself, not by the network. So....they don't all end up without extra skin.

One_Last_Time

Well how are food/ diet companies going to make money off you if you can simply restrict your intake?

One_Last_Time

Their food is mostly protein. It's a myth that you need as much protein as usually advocated to retain muscle mass. 500-600 calories of protein would be enough. Don't forget that these are people who work out for hours every day, people who didn't work out before, so you can expect some newbie gains too

I think you are saying it wrong because 500/4= grams of protein.

You are right, I did mean 125-150 grams, but I chose to use calories to put it into perspective that it is entirely possible to get enough protein on a 800-1200 calorie diet.

Most women only need 40-60g unless you're an athlete. I lose about 2-3 pounds week sticking to 800-1200. I do light home strength training and walking. That's it.

Siege_Tank

Well how are food/ diet companies going to make money off you if you can simply restrict your intake?

=( but, if people won't spend more and more of their income on our over expensive foods, (or things marked gluten free, or now have the protein content per serving on the box, or whatever the current trend is..) how will we make money and beat the quarterly estimates on wall street?

If enough people stop buying them, companies won't produce them. @_@

And seriously, I laughed so long and so hard about slacker babies not getting their fiber. Thank you for that one.

brower47

Their food is mostly protein. It's a myth that you need as much protein as usually advocated to retain muscle mass. 500-600 calories of protein would be enough. Don't forget that these are people who work out for hours every day, people who didn't work out before, so you can expect some newbie gains too

I think you are saying it wrong because 500/4= grams of protein.

You are right, I did mean 125-150 grams, but I chose to use calories to put it into perspective that it is entirely possible to get enough protein on a 800-1200 calorie diet.

Most women only need 40-60g unless you're an athlete. I lose about 2-3 pounds week sticking to 800-1200. I do light home strength training and walking. That's it.

What you do and claim is working for you would not work for many women here and in general. Please don't use the term 'most women' when you're just using yourself as your evidence.

CyberEd312

I use to sit in my recliner and shovel pizza in my pie whole while watching the Biggest Loser and criticizing the contestants. Yeah all while weighing 500+ pounds... Once I was losing weight and learning the proper way to lose the weight to keep it off long term, I seen the show for what it's worth which is nothing more than I game show where they force these contestant to lose massive amounts of weight doing crazy marathons of exercise all to win a cash prize.... Can't stand that show anymore........

Brianne333

There's a lot of people who were on the show who came forward after being on it talking about the physical ramifications of doing that. It is done for entertainment purposes and should never be used as a guide to losing weight or getting healthier.

People talking about not lowering your calories is a bit of a misunderstanding here on MFP. Not everyone understands WHY you shouldn't lower your calories to 800-1000 a day but the idea is still correct. Starvation mode isn't the issue with that - it's that you are not fueling your body properly to function efficiently, let alone build and maintain muscle.
Yes, if you stop eating you will lose weight. That doesn't mean that it's the way to do it or that you will be healthier afterwards.

Someone on the first page of this thread linked just one article about a contestant on that show. She was losing her hair and she developed an eating disorder from going through that. It was very unhealthy. It's a good place to start to understand why that show is absolutely not a benchmark of any kind of losing weight or getting in shape.

CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

You are right, the contestants on the biggest loser are able to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time without very many consequences it seems. So it would seem that there is nothing wrong with losing that much weight that fast and people here are just being killjoys with their continuous chanting of 'just exercise and eat at a deficit, don't starve yourself, and don't try to lose too fast.' That is how it seems.

Here is the truth, life is not a reality tv show. Those people on that show have their diets pretty rigidly planned out for them and they have celebrity trainers and weigh ins every week. They don't have to go to work and they don't have to go to school. Normal people don't get that. Real life is not like that. If we all lived in a biggest loser world, then I would see nothing wrong with the biggest loser approach to weight loss. But in the real world, that approach is pretty much destined to fail after a while, which is why people advise you not to go down that route. They don't want you to set yourself up for disappointment. That approach works on the show, but it is not sustainable in real life.

dbmata

This is the reason I love this forum.

From the OP

I want to be clear that I am NOT claiming the Biggest Loser way to be healthy, or the "right/ideal" way to lose weight. It just seems like they have sorta disproved some of the theories that get repeated on this forum.

First post in the thread... was...

Never mind, I skimmed your post before replying. So you're insisting that the show is actually a healthy way to lose weight?

Ding ding ding.

srsly?

Back to more important things, I find the show interesting, in that some people are capable of so much mental toughness, and so little. Some people break down during the show, others fight.

TutuMom41

I have a friend that was a contestant on the show - and he ended up having skin removal surgery after the show was over - which he paid for himself, not by the network. So....they don't all end up without extra skin.

If you have a large amount of extra skin insurance companies pay for tummy tucks. Mine did

PikaKnight

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=askhole

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

lindsey1979

Sorry but you are wrong. Insurance companies don't pay for it just because. If you are developing complications due to the excess skin that that's different but not for vanity reasons.

In reference to the insurance company issue, it really depends on your insurance company and the plan your company chooses. Some insurance plans do cover all or partial elective surgeries, especially for issues that arise as a result of pregnancy -- so a tummy tuck may very well be on certain plans. Others won't at all.

WalkingAlong

Their food is mostly protein. It's a myth that you need as much protein as usually advocated to retain muscle mass. 500-600 calories of protein would be enough. Don't forget that these are people who work out for hours every day, people who didn't work out before, so you can expect some newbie gains too

I think you are saying it wrong because 500/4= grams of protein.

You are right, I did mean 125-150 grams, but I chose to use calories to put it into perspective that it is entirely possible to get enough protein on a 800-1200 calorie diet.

Most women only need 40-60g unless you're an athlete. I lose about 2-3 pounds week sticking to 800-1200. I do light home strength training and walking. That's it.

What you do and claim is working for you would not work for many women here and in general. Please don't use the term 'most women' when you're just using yourself as your evidence.

The general rec for women is usually 46-50g.

gotolam

You are right, the contestants on the biggest loser are able to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time without very many consequences it seems. So it would seem that there is nothing wrong with losing that much weight that fast and people here are just being killjoys with their continuous chanting of 'just exercise and eat at a deficit, don't starve yourself, and don't try to lose too fast.' That is how it seems.

Here is the truth, life is not a reality tv show. Those people on that show have their diets pretty rigidly planned out for them and they have celebrity trainers and weigh ins every week. They don't have to go to work and they don't have to go to school. Normal people don't get that. Real life is not like that. If we all lived in a biggest loser world, then I would see nothing wrong with the biggest loser approach to weight loss. But in the real world, that approach is pretty much destined to fail after a while, which is why people advise you not to go down that route. They don't want you to set yourself up for disappointment. That approach works on the show, but it is not sustainable in real life.

And how exactly would you know that? Are you assuming that because The Biggest Loser doesn't put out an update letting us know that certain people did have complications? I mean why, wouldn't they? All that would do is make them look better. Right? Oh wait, It Wouldnt.

I have a friend that was a contestant on the show - and he ended up having skin removal surgery after the show was over - which he paid for himself, not by the network. So....they don't all end up without extra skin.

If you have a large amount of extra skin insurance companies pay for tummy tucks. Mine did

Sorry but you are wrong. Insurance companies don't pay for it just because. If you are developing complications due to the excess skin that that's different but not for vanity reasons.

They regularly bring back finalists from previous seasons to act as inspiration for the current season's contestants. They also have updates about many of them on their website. Some of them are actually working as fitness instructors themselves on the Biggest Loser Ranch resorts around the country.

LiftAllThePizzas

They told us in school that turtles can't speak. But then I see the previews for TMNT movie and it shows turtles really can talk!

AnswerzPwease

Never mind, I skimmed your post before replying. So you're insisting that the show is actually a healthy way to lose weight?

Did you honestly miss the entire paragraph where I said:

"I want to be clear that I am NOT claiming the Biggest Loser way to be healthy, or the "right/ideal" way to lose weight."

AnswerzPwease

This guy again.

That guy again.

AnswerzPwease

1. Starvation mode doesn't happen until a person is literally starving, under 5% BF for men and something around 8% in women. So yeah, no starvation mode for Biggest Loser contestants.

2. Genetics and age.

3. They were obese with a large amount of muscle mass to begin with, worked out a ton, had specialized diets and they dropped a lot of fat. They have celebrity trainers for a reason.

4. You do not need proper nutrition to lose weight. You need a calorie deficit. You know this because you've asked this exact same question 10 times in the last month.

5. They are on a television show. It would not be popular and renewed if contestants didn't lose exciting amounts of weight. Health isn't the concern, ratings are.

Are you really basing proper weight loss and nutrition on a sensationalistic television show?

Good stuff. I appreciate you actually commenting on the points!

AnswerzPwease

This guy again.

My thoughts exactly.

You're pretty damn hot so I have nothing negative to see in response.