BIGGEST LOSER B.S. !!!!

albayin

It's not a documentary.

Even documentaries could be very biased. We just have to learn how to be selective when it comes to information.

mfpcopine

As once said on House:
I like to watch biggest loser and eat ice cream and imagine that they can see me

I miss House

So do I. I also loved his fascination with the hospital-oriented soaps.

mfpcopine

The only show like that I've ever watched was "Too Fat for Fifteen," a show about a special school for obese teenagers. Some of them did lose weight, but it was often depressing.

jhgreer

Well I agree a little bit with what you are saying, I think you are a little off with what you say. If you watch the show you can see that they teach them a healthy way to eat, and then they actually cook for themselves while they are in the house, and they are suppose to take what they have learned home with them. Also once you have lost that much weight there is no need to keep working out that much, because you can actually eat more. Almost every year they have past contestants on the show, and they have seemed to keep most of the weight off, and then they have the at home challenge where the contestants that get kicked off still lose a significant amount of weight while at home. I think the only thing wrong is that it might set up false hope for people trying to lose weight, but if you aren't smart enough to see that these people are working their butts off at least 6 hours a day than that is your own fault. There does seem to be a lot of hate for The Biggest Loser on these boards, but there are plenty of people on these boards that have lost weight, and put it all back on by supposedly doing it the right way.

Agree with all of this ^^

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

I appreciate that you've been around those syringes all of your life, and you probably have a different perspective from someone who hasn't, but how many of them have you had to shove into your gut?? Not so much fun. Did you ever have to jump rope for 2 hours because you ate a piece of pie? I've been watching every single morsel of food for the last 16 years. I don't even remember what its like to open a fridge and just eat something.

If weight gain were the main cause of type 2 diabetes, how is it possible that only a handful of contestants are diagnosed each season? If that were true than they would ALL be diabetic. Obviously other factors are at play there.

Also, this comment was made in reference to a specific comment made to a contestant. Maybe you didn't see that episode, or maybe you didn't notice because diabetes doesn't really have anything to do with you. But it's not right to tell someone fighting a manageable disease that it's their fault and imply they deserve it. (Which the doctor did. He told the young man that he had diabetes because he was fat - though he used the word overweight.)

People should be warned - but there are a LOT of contributing factors that they should be warned about - not just weight. It's easy to talk about preventing a disease that you don't have.

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...

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.

no i dont dehydrate the way they have been taught to do.. the way they will not drink any liquid for a day before.. how they will work out in full on sweats and hoodies up etc etc.. or sit in the sauna suits... they are doing on a weekly ( or every 14 days or so) what proffessional fighters do as a last resort once a year..

they are dropping as much as 4 lbs in a day of water to get lower weights.. do you know what this does to your kidneys?????

for a split second to believe that those people are taught healthy ways of living in just naive. In fact unless you think eating 1200 and burning about 1800 a day is healthy.. and if it is so healthy and ok for them.. why are they constantly checked by the drs.. why is there heart rates monitered and there blood sugars etc... if it was a healthy weight loss then they would not have to be concerned that way.

eliza46142

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.

no i dont dehydrate the way they have been taught to do.. the way they will not drink any liquid for a day before.. how they will work out in full on sweats and hoodies up etc etc.. or sit in the sauna suits... they are doing on a weekly ( or every 14 days or so) what proffessional fighters do as a last resort once a year..

they are dropping as much as 4 lbs in a day of water to get lower weights.. do you know what this does to your kidneys?????

for a split second to believe that those people are taught healthy ways of living in just naive. In fact unless you think eating 1200 and burning about 1800 a day is healthy.. and if it is so healthy and ok for them.. why are they constantly checked by the drs.. why is there heart rates monitered and there blood sugars etc... if it was a healthy weight loss then they would not have to be concerned that way.

Agreed!

cloud2011

Also, you know what's strange...about half of the contestants on the BL have gallbladder surgery if you believe reports (on the internet lol).

Extreme weight loss can lead to gallbladder problems, and this might be one negative side effect of BL.

longleggedgiraffe

Im sad too that house is over!!!

JessLLoser

I prefer the show Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. They don't have at training there after the first month I think it is, they spend a year basically doing it on their own.

This is a great show! As for Biggest Loser, I like to watch but it totally is not realistic weight loss. You mean some people actually believe they can do that too? You never see the old contestants. They should have another all stars edition like they do with all the reality shows. Then we can see the originals suffer again. And this time they do it the right way. Not the Hollywood way! And they really get their lives back. Not for just 2 or 3 months. But forever!

CallieM15

I dont really think biggest loser is there to say "HEY THEY CAN LOSE 12+ LBS IN A WEEK WHY DONT YOU???". Its more to say, these people lost weight, you can too. It motivates people. Those who think they will lose like the biggest losers are stupid.. Some will stall or gain some weight when they go back to thier normal life, but they do not gain all the weight back. Hardly any of them gain ALL the weight back.

I had a friend who was 424 pounds, and he did a low carb lifestyle, walking only 15min-1hr a day. And in a month he lost ~50 pounds, and in 4 months (usually the length of the show, he lost almost as much as the biggest losers. He ate around 1500-2000 calories. and just walked. he didnt run, he didnt spend hours. But at 4 months he lost around 97 pounds. Its possible. The reality is most of the people there are very heavy and lose faster in the beginning. The smaller girls on the show dont usually have ridiculous weight losses. In the begginning yes, but not towards the end...

wk9t

As I am reading this thread there is a Jillian Michaels banner ad on the right hand side of my screen. LOL!

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.

no i dont dehydrate the way they have been taught to do.. the way they will not drink any liquid for a day before.. how they will work out in full on sweats and hoodies up etc etc.. or sit in the sauna suits... they are doing on a weekly ( or every 14 days or so) what proffessional fighters do as a last resort once a year..

they are dropping as much as 4 lbs in a day of water to get lower weights.. do you know what this does to your kidneys?????

for a split second to believe that those people are taught healthy ways of living in just naive. In fact unless you think eating 1200 and burning about 1800 a day is healthy.. and if it is so healthy and ok for them.. why are they constantly checked by the drs.. why is there heart rates monitered and there blood sugars etc... if it was a healthy weight loss then they would not have to be concerned that way.

Well I can tell you that professional fighters do that a lot more than once a year, because I was one, plus I was a wrestler. I never said they were doing it in a healthy way, I said they learn a healthier way to live once they get off the show which is true, and why some of them keep the weight off. Just because they do it that way on the show doesn't mean that carries over.

FlaxMilk

I love this show. It doesn't bother me that some (many) regain weight--that happens all the time outside of the BL. Also, it's not up to BL to permanently change anyone's life, anymore than it is up to WW or MFP. Even your therapist and psychiatrist and social workers can't take responsibility for changing peoples' lives. Weight problems can be chronic like depression can be chronic--gotta keep trying, do what you can.

My stance on reality TV involving adults: anyone after the first season shouldn't complain about what they signed up for. Even if I weighed enough to get on the BL, much as I love it and would love all the personalized attention to get into great shape and the outdoors atmosphere, there is tons of other stuff I wouldn't trade for it. But the contestants that sign up make that trade--in exchange for the chance to win a lot of money, cars, vacations. I think Jillian once said people show up asking how to get agents. Let's face it--if weight loss is truly your one and only goal, there are other ways to get that accomplished that don't involve cameras and six hour workouts.

meshashesha2012

I dont really think biggest loser is there to say "HEY THEY CAN LOSE 12+ LBS IN A WEEK WHY DONT YOU???". Its more to say, these people lost weight, you can too. It motivates people. Those who think they will lose like the biggest losers are stupid.. Some will stall or gain some weight when they go back to thier normal life, but they do not gain all the weight back. Hardly any of them gain ALL the weight back.

this is the way i see it as well. the show inspires people who watch who think they are too big to work out, they can't lose weight or that they HAVE to weight loss surgery, etc that they can do it the old fashioned way (diet and activity).

it's also nice to see the where are they now specials too because you get to see those who have kept the weight off, those who have regained and those who are somewhere in between.

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

I appreciate that you've been around those syringes all of your life, and you probably have a different perspective from someone who hasn't, but how many of them have you had to shove into your gut?? Not so much fun. Did you ever have to jump rope for 2 hours because you ate a piece of pie? I've been watching every single morsel of food for the last 16 years. I don't even remember what its like to open a fridge and just eat something.

If weight gain were the main cause of type 2 diabetes, how is it possible that only a handful of contestants are diagnosed each season? If that were true than they would ALL be diabetic. Obviously other factors are at play there.

Also, this comment was made in reference to a specific comment made to a contestant. Maybe you didn't see that episode, or maybe you didn't notice because diabetes doesn't really have anything to do with you. But it's not right to tell someone fighting a manageable disease that it's their fault and imply they deserve it. (Which the doctor did. He told the young man that he had diabetes because he was fat - though he used the word overweight.)

People should be warned - but there are a LOT of contributing factors that they should be warned about - not just weight. It's easy to talk about preventing a disease that you don't have.

That is right. I didn't notice because diabates has NOTHING to do with me. I have never had to call 911 to help my mother or had find my brother at the hospital after he was in a car accident due to low blood sugar. ::sarcasm::

My original sentiment stands. "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."

Good day sir! I said good day!

bm99

I like the biggest loser. I never once thought I could lose weight at that rate, but it did motivate me to try to lose weight at whatever rate I could. I do not like that they dehydrate though, and I regret the day I googled to find out more about the show, because now I don't enjoy watching it.

And type 2 diabetes is absolutely preventable. It's silly to have type 1 and be butthurt that the dr said type 2 is preventable. I'm pretty sure everyone knows there is a difference between the 2 and type one can't be prevented...

mcrowe1016

I like the biggest loser. I never once thought I could lose weight at that rate, but it did motivate me to try to lose weight at whatever rate I could. I do not like that they dehydrate though, and I regret the day I googled to find out more about the show, because now I don't enjoy watching it.

And type 2 diabetes is absolutely preventable. It's silly to have type 1 and be butthurt that the dr said type 2 is preventable. I'm pretty sure everyone knows there is a difference between the 2 and type one can't be prevented...

:flowerforyou:

eliza46142

This was a rude response to something someone said above, which isn't a right thing to do. Hence the edit.

eliza46142

I like the biggest loser. I never once thought I could lose weight at that rate, but it did motivate me to try to lose weight at whatever rate I could. I do not like that they dehydrate though, and I regret the day I googled to find out more about the show, because now I don't enjoy watching it.

And type 2 diabetes is absolutely preventable. It's silly to have type 1 and be butthurt that the dr said type 2 is preventable. I'm pretty sure everyone knows there is a difference between the 2 and type one can't be prevented...

Type 2 is not absolutely preventable. That's a myth. Now, I do agree that In many cases it CAN BE PREVENTABLE, but not every case. We are only aware of the risk factors of diabetes, but the actual cause of Type 2 Diabetes is unknown. Believe it or not, there are some skinny people with type 2 diabetes who eat right. There is still a lot we don't know. However, if people can reduce some of their risk factors (i.e. diet, weight, physical activity), they can work to prevent it. Some factors (i.e. race, genetics) obviously cannot be changed.

Also, it's obviously not hurtful to say Type 2 diabetes is preventable, becase that's ridiculous. Also, in some cases it is correct (again I riterate - not all cases). What concerns me is deliberately trying to make a person just diagnosed with diabetes feel - 'you deserve this 'cause you're fat' in an effort to shock him/her into changing his/her lifestyle (whether or not it is true for that contestant), that's just mean.

One last thing - most people don't know the difference between type 1 and type 2. I've spent my entire adult life explaining the difference to people who had just finished saying, "But you're not fat enough to be diabetic..."