BIGGEST LOSER B.S. !!!!

belgerian

Maybe it is extreme weight loss but I started running cut my diet to 1600 calories a day ate only whole foods, cut out all processed foods and sweets and the weight came off farily qucik of course I was at about 260 or so. And I only excercised for about 1 to 1.5 hours 3-5 times a week. I am to the point now I run 8 miles 5-6 times a week and I splurge more than I care to admit lately. I do need to incorporate some weight training I will admint. If I keep saying it then evuentually I will.

jaxandmaksmom

I have looked into this show alot becuase i just didnt get how they heck they did it..

so from all the articles i have read and information i have gotten..... here are some facts about th eshow

1. they work out for 6-8 hours A DAY...
2 they have a very low calorie intake due to the amount they eat and the workouts
3. they are checked daily by doctors because of the huge risks they take to drop so fast
4. they are told they are lucky and should be happy to be there daily.. even when they dont want to stay
5. they are taught how to dehydrate for weigh ins...
6. the weigh ins are done at random times... not on a set day.. sometimes it is five days sometimes it is 2 weeks before a weight in (explains the high numbers hey)
7. they leave the ranch and 9 out of ten gain the weight back.. the one that doesnt.. either starts to work for there health ranches or is at a gym all the time


in other words.. if i didnt work and could go to the gym all the time.. and not eat back my calories.. i could do it too.. and before a weigh in i dehydrated myself and did all i could to ensure i had no weight on me.. i could drop 5-7 pounds in a week too.. but then reality comes in.. work happens.. kids happen and guess what life isnt a reality show thanks i will take my 2 pounds a week smile and wave at the poor dehydrated saps from the shows...

jennt_22

All i have to say about that show is....I MISS JILLIAN

^ AGREED!

meshashesha2012

I would like to see a season where it is about fat percentage drop, not weight. I think it would help because A LOT of people actually do use the show for factual information. Now, that is most likely never going to happen because it is exciting for people to see someone drop 15 lbs a week so the ratings might suffer with my version. I like seeing people's recomposition


edited for spelling :P

Actaully isn't it about fat % dropped? That's how you win, who ever drops the most fat %.

no it's percentage of total weight lost. the only time i've seen then discuss body fat% is when they meet with that dr. h guy. i think its safe to assume that most of the people (except the former athletes) at the start are starting with a relatively low percentage of LBM and high fat percentage, so most are probably gaining muscle due to newbie gains.

bmalone62

The show is staged from the beginning. They pick only the healthiest overweight people to be contestants. If you have any major medical issues you automatically won't qualify. I love Extreme Makeover Weight Loss because it's not a competition and they follow the person for one year. The trainer goes to the person's home and creates a healthy environment.

bagge72

I would like to see a season where it is about fat percentage drop, not weight. I think it would help because A LOT of people actually do use the show for factual information. Now, that is most likely never going to happen because it is exciting for people to see someone drop 15 lbs a week so the ratings might suffer with my version. I like seeing people's recomposition


edited for spelling :P

Actaully isn't it about fat % dropped? That's how you win, who ever drops the most fat %.

no it's percentage of total weight lost. the only time i've seen then discuss body fat% is when they meet with that dr. h guy. i think its safe to assume that most of the people (except the former athletes) at the start are starting with a relatively low percentage of LBM and high fat percentage, so most are probably gaining muscle due to newbie gains.

Ah gotcha ya.

bagge72

The show is staged from the beginning. They pick only the healthiest overweight people to be contestants. If you have any major medical issues you automatically won't qualify. I love Extreme Makeover Weight Loss because it's not a competition and they follow the person for one year. The trainer goes to the person's home and creates a healthy environment.

Why would you pick somebody who couldn't participate, because if they did they would get injured or possibly die? That would be like having a reality show about nascar driving, and being mad that they didn't pick the person with no arms, because he couldn't hold the wheel.

bagge72

I have looked into this show alot becuase i just didnt get how they heck they did it..

so from all the articles i have read and information i have gotten..... here are some facts about th eshow

1. they work out for 6-8 hours A DAY...
2 they have a very low calorie intake due to the amount they eat and the workouts
3. they are checked daily by doctors because of the huge risks they take to drop so fast
4. they are told they are lucky and should be happy to be there daily.. even when they dont want to stay
5. they are taught how to dehydrate for weigh ins...
6. the weigh ins are done at random times... not on a set day.. sometimes it is five days sometimes it is 2 weeks before a weight in (explains the high numbers hey)
7. they leave the ranch and 9 out of ten gain the weight back.. the one that doesnt.. either starts to work for there health ranches or is at a gym all the time


in other words.. if i didnt work and could go to the gym all the time.. and not eat back my calories.. i could do it too.. and before a weigh in i dehydrated myself and did all i could to ensure i had no weight on me.. i could drop 5-7 pounds in a week too.. but then reality comes in.. work happens.. kids happen and guess what life isnt a reality show thanks i will take my 2 pounds a week smile and wave at the poor dehydrated saps from the shows...

Don't most people on here weigh-in dehydrated since they weigh themselves in the morning after they go to the bathroom? I know it's not the same, but so many people are mad at the biggest loser when just as many people on here gain the weight back, and are unhealthy with the way they lose weight. I mean you have people on this site with goal weights of 87lbs, and eating 600-800 calories a day. I see a post every week from somebody who said that they are rejoining MFP because they gained all of the weight back that they lost the first time they used the sight. Don't be mad at the biggest loser people just because they are on a TV show.

bagge72

double post

EternalJourney

I read somewhere online that the tapings are actually every few weeks, and not every week as implied by the show. So if you see someone on there who has like 25 lbs in a week would most likely have lost that over 6 weeks.

tonyat483

I agree that it is not realistic for someone in "real life" to have an expectation to lose weight like the contestants on the Biggest Loser do. They basically make it their job to lose weight over the 12 weeks or whatever it is that they're at that ranch. However, it is inspirational/motivating to see the transformations in the contestants' bodies and attitude as they lose.

I actually work for the same company as Hannah Curlee (runner-up on Season 11). I haven't ever met her or seen her around - our company is very, very large - but occasionally there will be an email/newsletter or article on our intranet site from or about her. Her job now is a sort of advocate for health engagement for a division of our company that promotes health and wellness for communities and companies across the US. Recently, they did a "One Year After the Biggest Loser" article with her where she talked a lot about how she keeps the weight off (and she has kept it ALL off). She said in the article that even with a job that requires her to travel 90%, she still works out 1-2 hours per day and goes grocery shopping wherever she is so that she doesn't have to eat out for every meal. It is just cool to be able have watched her lose over 100 lbs on the show and then also get to see her progress on a regular basis after the show. And it does put it into perspective a little... meaning that even though she lost such a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, she still has to work really hard to keep it off even all this time later.

eliza46142

I'm a type 1 diabetic (which means, it's an auto immune problem - and I got it as a little and I might add really skinny, kid). I do NOT appreciate when the doctor on that show announces to contestants that they have diabetes with a condescending, judgmental attitude, under the guise of "helping" people. Diabetes is a life changing disease, and yes, while weight gain is a contributing factor to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, weight gain is just that CONTRIBUTING. There are a lot of other risk factors that can lead to diabetes, ethnicity, gender, age, family history, etc. I do NOT appreciate the Biggest Loser preaching a 'you gave yourself diabetes 'cause you're fat' message. I was a teeny tiny 97 pound 17 year old when I was diagnosed. And news flash EATING SUGAR WILL NOT GIVE YOU TYPE ONE DIABETES!!! Not to mention, there are skinny Type 2 diabetics as well.
I used to watch the Biggest Loser, but I refuse to now, due to this very one sided prejudicial attitude toward diabetics. Not only that - someone is diagnosed Every. Single. Season, and yet - NEVER do they show them get ANY kind of diabetes education. ALL diabetics need diabetes education. Obviously, the Biggest Loser execs care only about the almighty dollar. People are just their means of getting it.

albayin

I think the other show called "Ruby" or something might be more watchable...It follows this girl's journey to weight loss along with struggles, drawback, and everything else...I wonder how she is doing now...

BrianSharpe

Just one of the reasons I don't watch any of the "reality" shows.

mcrowe1016

I'm a type 1 diabetic (which means, it's an auto immune problem - and I got it as a little and I might add really skinny, kid). I do NOT appreciate when the doctor on that show announces to contestants that they have diabetes with a condescending, judgmental attitude, under the guise of "helping" people. Diabetes is a life changing disease, and yes, while weight gain is a contributing factor to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, weight gain is just that CONTRIBUTING. There are a lot of other risk factors that can lead to diabetes, ethnicity, gender, age, family history, etc. I do NOT appreciate the Biggest Loser preaching a 'you gave yourself diabetes 'cause you're fat' message. I was a teeny tiny 97 pound 17 year old when I was diagnosed. And news flash EATING SUGAR WILL NOT GIVE YOU TYPE ONE DIABETES!!! Not to mention, there are skinny Type 2 diabetics as well.
I used to watch the Biggest Loser, but I refuse to now, due to this very one sided prejudicial attitude toward diabetics. Not only that - someone is diagnosed Every. Single. Season, and yet - NEVER do they show them get ANY kind of diabetes education. ALL diabetics need diabetes education. Obviously, the Biggest Loser execs care only about the almighty dollar. People are just their means of getting it.

While I do get upset when it is implied that all diabetics are overweight, I never got this impression from BL. My brother and mother are both type 1, and I have been living around insulin and syringes for most of my life.

Being overweight does lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 is preventable for a majority (not all) cases, and people should be warned about it.

I think you are overreacting a bit - IMO

Crochetluvr

There is a new show called REVOLuTION... where they incorporate lifestyle changes and follow someone over the course of 6 months.

Unfortunately, REVOLUTION has been cancelled. Figures, right? They keep the FOOD show, the CHEW but ditch the healthy lifestyle show. They wont even give it a decent chance. Its all about the money.

chrystee

I agree.

What I do like about BL is that it shows that even severely overweight people (not to say ALL of them) can do some sort of workout. You see 400 pound people climbing up a hill on the first day--whether it's truly the first day on the ranch, or the first day they decide show us is irrelevant IMO. So when my uninjured 200 pound close friends tell me that they are too big to even WALK as exercise, I think about BL and what they do on the first days.

YES!

eliza46142

I'm a type 1 diabetic (which means, it's an auto immune problem - and I got it as a little and I might add really skinny, kid). I do NOT appreciate when the doctor on that show announces to contestants that they have diabetes with a condescending, judgmental attitude, under the guise of "helping" people. Diabetes is a life changing disease, and yes, while weight gain is a contributing factor to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, weight gain is just that CONTRIBUTING. There are a lot of other risk factors that can lead to diabetes, ethnicity, gender, age, family history, etc. I do NOT appreciate the Biggest Loser preaching a 'you gave yourself diabetes 'cause you're fat' message. I was a teeny tiny 97 pound 17 year old when I was diagnosed. And news flash EATING SUGAR WILL NOT GIVE YOU TYPE ONE DIABETES!!! Not to mention, there are skinny Type 2 diabetics as well.
I used to watch the Biggest Loser, but I refuse to now, due to this very one sided prejudicial attitude toward diabetics. Not only that - someone is diagnosed Every. Single. Season, and yet - NEVER do they show them get ANY kind of diabetes education. ALL diabetics need diabetes education. Obviously, the Biggest Loser execs care only about the almighty dollar. People are just their means of getting it.

While I do get upset when it is implied that all diabetics are overweight, I never got this impression from BL. My brother and mother are both type 1, and I have been living around insulin and syringes for most of my life.

Being overweight does lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 is preventable for a majority (not all) cases, and people should be warned about it.

I think you are overreacting a bit - IMO

Sunpoet

I agree with all that has been said. I think it would be a good idea if they dedicated a segment of the show to discussing nutrition and fitness tips for people at home and also discussing realistic expectations. Maybe some "real life" before and afters and their stories. I think it would still keep the ratings going because I think people want this.

I've always wondered why they don't do this. I use to love watching BL because it was inspirational to see these people work hard and reshape their bodies. However, I would get upset because the focus was on huge weekly weight loss and at no point did anyone say that it was unrealistic for most people to lose that much weight on a continual basis. I thought of all the research that suggests losing weight more slowly was more healthful and likely to be sustainable. I've even found myself wondering, if they can lose 75+ pounds in 12 weeks, why can't I? In short, I feel the show sends out the wrong message to many, even considering that it is "reality" t.v.

thrld

It's not a documentary.