The Biggest Loser vs Starvation Mode
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I really don't know why they are not required to eat back their excercise calories. I think I read somewhere that the contestants are restricted to 1500 calories a day. It's extreme - but that's what the show is all about. The contestants are under constant supervision from trainers and doctors so they must be able to go into "stravation mode" safely???
Remember, most people who lose that amount of weight, that quickly, will gain it back.
The funny thing is, I can't think of once contestant who lost a significant amount of weight who has gained it back. I think they did it a very healthy way, just on fast-forward for the purposes of television.
Actually a lot has gained their weight back, and honestly from the articles I have read it wasn't healthy weight loss at all.0 -
I wanted to win so bad that the last ten days before the final weigh-in I didn’t eat one piece of solid food! If you’ve heard of “The Master Cleanse” that’s what I did. Its basically drinking lemonade made with water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, pure maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The rules of the show said we couldn’t use any weight-loss drugs, well I didn’t take any drugs, I just starved myself! Twenty-four hours before the final weigh-in I stopped putting ANYTHING in my body, liquid or solid, then I started using some old high school wrestling tricks. I wore a rubber suit while jogging on the treadmill, and then spent a lot of time in the steam room. In the final 24 hours I probably dropped 10-13 lbs in just pure water weight. By the time of the final weigh-in I was peeing blood.”
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He claims that as soon as the show was over, he regained “32 pounds in 5 days simply by drinking water.” This is incredible and points to the fact that when any person loses weight rapidly, (faster than 1-2 pounds a week) normally the weight loss is mostly due to water loss.
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The article went on to say that last season’s runner-up winner, Kai Hibbard, consumed only sugar-free Jello and asparagus for several days along with jumping in and out of a sauna for six hours prior to the final weigh-in.
That gave me chills.
For regular weight loss, there is no way I'd do any of that.
To win top prizes and lose weight on national tv..... sadly, I'd succumb to the pressure.:frown:
What bothers me most is how unhealthy it is to lose the weight and then gain it back so quickly! That does a number on your heart, not to mention your other organs.0 -
Exactly. I agree with you on this. This is why I'm considering not eating all my exercise calories, just whatever makes more sense.I don't think they eat all their exercise calories. They probably only consume calories for a highly active person at their weight. And quite frankly, I dont' agree with eating exercise calories in a 1:1 ratio. It's true you'll need the extra fuel as you increase your activity level, but personally, I think you should only increase your calories to match those recommended for your level of activity. If you are eating your exercise calories 1 for 1, then you are only breaking even on expending the number of calories you are burning.
As far as exercise calories go for me, I have lost 35+ pounds and yes i must say it:blushing: I did not do hardly any exercising, but I dod stick to not going over 1200 calories a day, so I do not eat my exercise calories, this way I can lose more when I do exercise. and yes I do lose more but the drawl back to not exerciseing is i can gain it all back because my body will get comfortable with 1200 and it will start to gain, and the skin from being fat will hang and not get firm so I will exercise but I will not eat those calories but if i go ove 1200 but stay below my exercise calories I know i am still good for the day.0 -
I agree wholeheartedly with shorerider... You must stay above your 1200 calorie a day... At least our bmi for some people... You don't eat the calories your body will start to burn muscle instead of the unwanted fat that is stored...And your body will hoard all that fat because it feels it is starving... It is just trying to survive... you may think you are loosing fat but it just may be muscle..
I have all those links on my blog to keep handy for whenever I feel like I need to refresh... More or less a bible for me...
Don't take me wrong we are all here to get healthier but be want to do it right... Everyone may not eat all of the calories I just suggest to keep the amount in or around your bmi...
Sorry if i stepped on toes but Gosh...
Melissa0 -
bump for reading later:drinker:0
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i always though that there was something wrong with the whole picture of that show.. i mean i find it very entertaining but i know not to hold back all the info that i get from the show...because i am well informed (at least i think i am ....lol) but i feel sorry for the people that dont know any better and expect the same kind of result as with the show...
its a good motivational tool though ..
although i really wish i could loose that much in a week !!! .lol
may0 -
I have never thought it possible to loose like that in the real world. We dont have nutritionist, personal trainers and doctors on hand 24/7 but I do consider it motivating to watch these people go through this. I also think that they have some good tips about eating right and getting in little bits of exercise when you least expect you could. Scientifically it makes sense that your body needs the extra caloric intake if you are pushing it. Eventually you will stop loosing. You can loose weight on exercise alone, you can loose weight on eating right alone but we all know that the best way is to have a healthy balance of both. Exercise is not only about loosing weight but it can help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesteral, reduce blood sugar levels, etc... the list goes on and on!
Just putting in my 2 cents!
Amy0 -
All said and done, most if not all have gained back at least some of the weight. Susie and Matt have and flat admit that if they don't watch every calorie and get an hour of exercise in the morning and another hour in the evening they start to gain.
the show is an extreme weight loss program and the contestants are monitored through out the process to help should the amount of exercise and lack of food get to them. If you want extreme weight loss you most definitely need to see your doctor a nutritionist and hire a trainer to kick your butt everyday.
With the amount of weight you have to lose, and I am near the same amount as you, it didn't go on overnight and it won't come off over night. there is no magic pill (believe me I wish there was :happy: ) It is going to take time and a lot of paying attention.
Besides, do you see what emotional wrecks all those people are by the second week, they are all hungry, sore and tired, I am sore tired and hungry all ready, I don't need to add to that! :laugh:0 -
I tried to get our own WL to pitch a show about people losing weight the healthy way and all the trails we go through to do this. I would much rather watch someone at a plateau figuring out how to break it or someone that has to go out to eat every meal while on a business trip, than a bunch of people in a fake setting with someone that feeds them and exercises them like work horses.
That said, I do find myself drawn into the show.0 -
I tried to get our own WL to pitch a show about people losing weight the healthy way and all the trails we go through to do this. I would much rather watch someone at a plateau figuring out how to break it or someone that has to go out to eat every meal while on a business trip, than a bunch of people in a fake setting with someone that feeds them and exercises them like work horses.
That said, I do find myself drawn into the show.
that would make a great tv reality show !!! i'd be all for that,,
it would also be much more beneficial to people actualy trying to loose weight with a good dose of reality....
but i know, someone loosing 25 lbs in a week is much more fun to look at then someone going a happy dance over 1/2 lbs (like i did this morning) lol
hope you all enjoyed it !!!!!!! (biggest looser that is..)
may0 -
I tried to get our own WL to pitch a show about people losing weight the healthy way and all the trails we go through to do this. I would much rather watch someone at a plateau figuring out how to break it or someone that has to go out to eat every meal while on a business trip, than a bunch of people in a fake setting with someone that feeds them and exercises them like work horses.
That said, I do find myself drawn into the show.
Now were talking! A show that is in "real" time and follows someone through a whole year or something would be great. I agree that the biggest loser is incredible and a bit crazy to watch but a more realistic show would be great too. Seeing that most of us don't have 5 hours a day to workout!0 -
This is how I was explained about the biggest loser results---- kind of like anorexia -- your body still needs a certain amount of calories to survive before it eats itself- if you are not eating the cals to balance what it needs to basiclly survive - it's not starvation mode its way under that - and then you add the exercise on top -- forget it -- soooo bad for the health!0
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My understanding is that the calories that you burn while exercising are not the ones that really count at the end for weight loss. I have read that the strategy behind it is to get the body in a condition that it burns faster even at rest, soooo, if you burned 10 calories while reading before, after you get healthier through exercise you may be able to burn 50 doing the same exact thing. That goes for sleeping, sitting, etc, Just anything you do every second of your life, the body burns more when you condition it through exercise. Makes sense to me! A higher metabolism will be more eficient at burning calories. How do we get higher metabolism? EXERCISE!!!!
LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!! My body always responds so well when I exercise it actually makes me cry because I think of the mistreatment I have put it through but yet when I do the right thing it gladly responds to me in a positive way. Do I sound crazy? :laugh: 0 -
To get the ratings they do and the advertising dollars the show has to be extreme. I think that anyone who uses their brain will realize 'IT IS A TV SHOW!!!".
No this is not realistic in real life, no you cannot lose 20 lbs in a week in the real world with jobs, kids, spouses, and other commitments.
I don't think the show gives people false hope or unrealistic expectations if they actually watch the show and see how much they work out and how much support they have.
There are other shows out there....X Weighted....Last 10 Pound Boot Camp...etc that do show real people in real life losing weight the right way. These shows don't have the ratings that Biggest Loser does so they are on less known networks.
I think anyone blaming the show for for making unrealistic expectations is a cop out. We need to quite blaming TV shows, movies, commercials, etc, for our wrong thinking. It's TV and it's entertainment. Sorry a bit of a rant there and I appoligize for anyone I may have offended. Just my opinion!0 -
The National Body Challenge on Fittv is more like real life. These are people in the real world trying to lose weight. There is a doctor there for them and most of them do get a personal trainer but other than that they have to do it on their own. I like watching that show.
Connie0 -
no, no, no, you've got it confused. The exercise calories don't count as food you eat. Your base calories do. The reason this site self-adjusts to add your exercise calories as base calories is to keep you at the level of weight-loss that you told it you want. If you want to lose more, don't eat your exercise calories. I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but when you eat 1200 calories, whether or not you work some of it off, the information about eating dangerously low levels of calories on your home page goes away.
YOU'VE GOT TO EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES. I really don't understand why this comes up so often. It's simply--you can starve your body. You can do damage to your body.
I can see not eating ALL OF them if you're burning large amounts of calories up every day (some of us burn up 1000 calories a day and up exercising) but you need to be eating most of them.
Many of us on here eat our exercise calories, we've lost weight, we continue to lose weight, and we're doing it in a healthy manner.
Once again, please read the posted linked below:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20035-just-because-you-can-have-a-2-pound-per-week-goal
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/9614-newbies-please-read-me
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad
Thank you so much for posting this information. I've only been a member for a couple of weeks, and it amazes me how often this subject has come up in such a short period of time. I am under the guidance of both a nutritionist and a personal trainer and BOTH encourage me to eat the majority of my exercise calories (I usually eat about half). My BMR is 2099. There is no way that I could eat only 1200 calories per day when I exercise 6 days per week and burn around 800 calories per workout. If I did that, my body would only have 400 calories to survive off of. That is counterproductive to weight loss...and I know that from personal experience. When your body is starving, it starts to save fat and burn your muscle, which will ultimately slow down your weight loss because muscle burns more calories than fat. If you're using your exercise calories by eating "good" foods (vegetables, fruits, lean meats) and not junk food, I don't see the problem. On the rare occassions that I do not eat my exercise calories, I find that I have very low energy the next day and it is very hard for me to workout.0 -
I think the conception about "starvation mode" is a little misguided. YES if you are eating under 50% of your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calories + exercise calories your body's metabolism will slow down but I think a lot of peoplk ar under the impression that it will basically stop.
For example, my BMR is about 1800 calories per day (meaning if I ate that and didn't exercise my weight would stray constant). Let's say I went for a long run one day and burned 700 calories. So I should be eating 2500 if I want to stay at the same weight. If I eat only 1200 calories my body's metabolism will slow down about 10% (bringing my new BMR to about 1600). With that 1600 plus 700 form calories burned (2300) I'm still at an 1100 calorie deficit even with not eating enough. Also, the body's metabolism won't drastically change from one day of undereating. Studies have shown it's actually good to fast for 24 hours occasionally and that fasting or skipping meals (OCCASIONALLY) will help you lose weight.
So, YES if you are eating under 50% of your total calories burned (BMR + exercise) over a significant time period your metabolism will slow down but you will still be losing weight. "Starvation mode" does mean your metabolism will slow down but it will take a time period of eating drastically under what you should. I'm not trying to advocate anything other than MFP's solid, scientifically-backed number system (which includes eating exercise cals back) BUT those wanting to lose weight faster (or those with more weight to lose) should realize that thier body's metabolism isn't going to automatically shut down!0 -
They truly have amazing weight loss, but I'm not sure it is really unhealthy. They are being monitored by medical team and supervised by professional trainers. They also work out full time. This really isn't something that can be duplicated in real life.
I honestly think the bigger problem is what appears to be a lack of support and follow up in the maintenence of the weight loss. When you lose weight that fast you really aren't learning how to eat and exercise for a lifetime.
That is why slow and steady is better for sustained weight loss. When you make smaller changes you are learning eating and exercise techniques which can be sustained for the rest of your life. And lifetime changes is what this is about.0 -
came upon this thread and found it most interesting... so thought I'd bump it...in case anyone else cares to read some of the posts....:drinker:0
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no, no, no, you've got it confused. The exercise calories don't count as food you eat. Your base calories do. The reason this site self-adjusts to add your exercise calories as base calories is to keep you at the level of weight-loss that you told it you want. If you want to lose more, don't eat your exercise calories. I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but when you eat 1200 calories, whether or not you work some of it off, the information about eating dangerously low levels of calories on your home page goes away.
YOU'VE GOT TO EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES. I really don't understand why this comes up so often. It's simply--you can starve your body. You can do damage to your body.
I can see not eating ALL OF them if you're burning large amounts of calories up every day (some of us burn up 1000 calories a day and up exercising) but you need to be eating most of them.
Many of us on here eat our exercise calories, we've lost weight, we continue to lose weight, and we're doing it in a healthy manner.
Once again, please read the posted linked below:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20035-just-because-you-can-have-a-2-pound-per-week-goal
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/9614-newbies-please-read-me
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
If you decide not to eat your exercise calories, then fine! But why keep asking about it if you have all the information you need right here?
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0
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