Biggest Loser - What Are Your Thoughts?

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1FitBabe
1FitBabe Posts: 111 Member
in Motivation and Support
It is amazing how much the contestants on the Biggest Loser lose in a week. 14 pounds in a week is not uncommon. 100 pounds over the course of a few months is the norm.

So let's say you could commit full time to weight loss. Do you think that you could strip off the kind of weight the BL's do in a week on your own or would you need a personal trainer/coach?
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  • myshell26
    myshell26 Posts: 113
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    I would definitely need a trainer to push me to those extremes. If I had the trainer then I think I would be able to do it. The business I work for is closing by the end of this month so I'm hoping to use the 3 months of severance to see how much weight I can lose in between job hunting. I'm hoping to be able to do this without a trainer. : )
  • sm423
    sm423 Posts: 210 Member
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    I think if I had no other responsibilities and can focus on just ME, I would be able to do it. Although I think a trainer would get me there ten times faster, lol!
  • katatak1
    katatak1 Posts: 261 Member
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    I think that The Biggest Loser is a terrible show. Many, possibly most of the contestants don't keep the weight off because they learn how to lose weight in an unhealthy way. I WAS able to devote myself fully to losing weight while I was finishing my Masters. Only a couple of hours a week teaching, a couple a week writing... the rest was spend focusing on losing weight. I lost about 50 pounds in 6 months. It was too much, too fast. And here I am again, a mere 5 pounds away from my highest weight before I determined I had to start losing again. Those contestants lost a lot of their weight in water, and many of them have called the experience "dangerous."

    Slow and steady my friends. It's not about weight loss, it's about a lifestyle change. We have to change our relationship with food and exercise slowly.
  • ignatiusreilly
    ignatiusreilly Posts: 411 Member
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    It is a ridiculous show. MFP is the real deal.
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
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    I love watching it on Netflix for motivation. I watch atleast 2 episodes a week!
  • vxmittyxv
    vxmittyxv Posts: 122 Member
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    I agree. The biggest loser is a sham. I read an article once, where past contestent where revealing what really happens on that show. They where basically tought trick to cheat the scale. Let dehydrating the night before a weight in to get rid of water weight. Ridiculous if you ask me.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Funny people call it unhealty but they do everything that is taught on MFP. Healthy eating, excercise and rest. They just get LOTS of excercise, burn lots of calories and lose lots of weight. If everybody on MFP could stick to healty eating and burn 4-5K calories a day, they too could drop 10-15 lbs/week. But thats just not realistic for most people in normal life so they throw stones at others results and call it unhealthy. If the losers stuck to the lifestyle they are taught on the ranch ie: healthy eating and excercise then they wouldnt gain back the weight. Just like the rest of us that struggle. Its not the program thats flawed, its the lack of self disipline. And no folks, these folks aren't losing 100lbs of water weight. Did you see Koli and Sam at the end of the show. Do yo usee how much muscle mass some of those folks pack on? Thats not water muscles...
  • PoochPottery
    PoochPottery Posts: 205
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    I am always amazed at how much the contestants change! I just love watching the show, it is so inspiring! I would for sure need a trainer. I also wish some people I love could have an opportunity to just go to the ranch for a month!
  • katatak1
    katatak1 Posts: 261 Member
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    Funny people call it unhealty but they do everything that is taught on MFP. Healthy eating, excercise and rest. They just get LOTS of excercise, burn lots of calories and lose lots of weight.

    It's not safe to lose that much weight so quickly. Doctors say so, nutritionists say so, physical trainers say so. But you watch a show and believe that the people who are making exorbitant amounts of money are the ones we should trust? I work on a military post, so I have constant access to a nutritionist, a doctor, a physical therapist, and a weight training coach. You know what the ALL told me? You have to change your lifestyle, and doing anything too quickly is bound to fail.

    All things in nature struggle with dramatic shifts in the environment. We're no different, we need to lose weight in a steady and controlled manner. Besides, if you lose it too quickly, you get all flabby because your skin can't recouperate. You can go all gung-ho and lose 100 pounds in 6 months if you want, but I'm going to stick with what medical professionals have told me.
  • raige123
    raige123 Posts: 352
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    Under their conditions, anyone could pull it off. Jillian Michaels said that some contestants are on as low as 800 calories a day ... you read that right ... 800. But they are all Doctor supervised all the time. They also work out 8 hours a day and are on supplements. I don't know how any of them function on so few calories and that much exercise.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I too work as a civilian on a military installation, my wife is the aquatic center manager, a liscensed nutrionist and has a masters in wellness management so I have all the professional input I need (sometimes more than I need LOL) . People dont fail because they lose weight too quickly. They fail because they revert back to their old life choices. Its crazy to think that someone couldnt lose 100 lbs in 3 months and keep it off. There is absolutely no reason they cant. It can be done and people do it all the time, even here on mfp. If they commit to change their life choices about eating and excercise, anybody can be successful. Somebody can lose 100 lbs in 12 months and are just as prone to failure IF they dont continue to make good choices. The time it takes to lose is irrelevant.

    The mainstream of thought tho is slow and steady wins the race. And thats true for the majority of people because thats what life dictates for most of us. But there are those who can lose fast and maintain. I'll throw a whole bunch of P90X graduates out there who lose weight in a short period of time because they watch their nutrition AND they build cardio and muscle. The two main keys to any weight loss program.
  • Sassia
    Sassia Posts: 460 Member
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    I find watching the show very motivational. They work very hard. Putting aside the speed they lose weight and any concerns about that, I find it motivational as there's always an emotional side to their lifestyle. I might say that my issues are pure greed, but I bet there's an emotional reason behind it.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I enjoy the show alot too and yes it is motivational. I personally (please dont flame me) hate the emotional parts. I'm just an old school biker I guess and probably not the most sympathetic person in the world. I hated watchin Jillian work her dime store psychology on folks just for the ratings. I know there are emotional issues that go along with it but I hate it when people blame their weight problems on other things. My dad was 38 when he had his first heart attack and died having bypass when he was 39. He was overweight and smoked and I was only 14. His death although tramatic for me is not the reason I'M overweight although if I was on the show, the could sure spin that. I'm over weight because of the choices I make, not because of somebody else.
  • Sassia
    Sassia Posts: 460 Member
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    No flaming from here. I suspect you don't do what I do and sob through parts of the show though ;)

    I think I eat for other reasons as well as greed (I will admit there's a lot of greed!). No idea what, which is probably why I haven't beaten it yet :|
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    They are medically supervised and get intense one-on-one support, not to mention hours a day to dedicate to exercise.

    The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to consistently feed your body nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions, stay hydrated, and move your body.

    Even if the weight comes off more slowly, you are getting healthier each and every day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,574 Member
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    It is amazing how much the contestants on the Biggest Loser lose in a week. 14 pounds in a week is not uncommon. 100 pounds over the course of a few months is the norm.

    So let's say you could commit full time to weight loss. Do you think that you could strip off the kind of weight the BL's do in a week on your own or would you need a personal trainer/coach?
    I've done competitions so I know I can get down to single digit body fat %'s again. What you will notice though is that many of BL contestants gain back quite a few pounds after the comp is over. Only about 10% keep the majority of the weight off.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,574 Member
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    Here's what I do know. They do exercise up 4-6 hours a day. They eat on the lowest end of their profile to cover BMR and possibly 1/2 of their exercise calories. They do dehydrate the day before and leading up to the weigh in. They are responsible for their eating. So some may not be eating enough, while others may be eating too much.
    As a show, I think it gives motivation to the obese population to see the transformations, but in retrospect, many WOULDN'T do anything unless they were on the show itself or their life was threatened by something like hospitalization.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Its certainly a harsh way to lose the weight. And then to get thrust back into real life when you have to take care of family, jobs etc. Thats why people fail. Its just a constant life struggle.

    I learned a long time ago that once you have the fat cells in your body, they never go away sans liposuction. You can shrink them by losing weight but they are always there, ready to be filled back up with some goo. And when you run out of cells.. dont worry your body will make more!!! How convienent! Tough to keep those little suckers depleted but thats what its all about.
  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
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    I read an interview that they did with one of the winners and she described what they had to go through. She stated that a "week" could be 5 to 14 days not an exact week, and when it comes to workouts and weighing in, the trainers dehydrate them. But we only can see what the is shown on tv and not backstage... I still love the show though.:bigsmile:
  • Sassia
    Sassia Posts: 460 Member
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    I learned a long time ago that once you have the fat cells in your body, they never go away sans liposuction. You can shrink them by losing weight but they are always there, ready to be filled back up with some goo. And when you run out of cells.. dont worry your body will make more!!! How convienent! Tough to keep those little suckers depleted but thats what its all about.

    Does that really happen? No wonder it feels like an uphill struggle.....

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