Biggest Loser Question.

plaingirly

I am watching series 11 of Biggest Loser - the one where there are two new trainers in addition to Bob and Jillian.

In one episode it said that the Ridge contestants had all their food prepared for them and were told how many calories they were eating. On a white board was a meal list that came to about 1080 calories.

Is that really the level that they were eating at? How many calories a day were they burning?!

I am just thinking that they were doing WAY more exercise than I am and I am eating much more than that! I get that it is a game and that they were all competing but it seems odd that they would be advised to do that and that MFP is totally different.

BigGuy47

MFP is totally different.

Of course MFP is different. It assumes that people have relatively normal lives. They have to go to work each day, raise their family, etc. We all have a limited amount of time to get our exercise in - the people on Biggest Loser have all day, every day to exercise.

Using Biggest Loser as some sort of measure for how you should go about your weight loss is misguided. Unless of course you have no job, family or anything else to get done each day.

The information/advice offered up on the MFP boards is far more practical than anything the Biggest Loser has to offer.

TazzytheMotivator

Remember this is reality tv not , the normal life for most people. Do what is best your lifestyle andfor your body. I wish you best.

bcl003

They aren't doing it the really healthy way, they are burning way more than they should and not eating near enough which cause their huge weight losses every week. MFP is for everyday people, not a contest, so they tell you what you really should be doing.

MsDover

I've always questioned the tactics in both exercise and nutrition for that show. Huge weight losses equal huge ratings, but for most people what they are doing isn't realistic. 25-30 pounds lost in a week? Being disappointed because they only lost 5 pounds in a week? I think shows like this are sending the wrong message, especially to people who have a lot of weight to lose. I would love to see a show where they bring ALL of these people back after a year or two and see how well they've maintained. This is definitely one of those circumstances when I would say "don't try this at home!"

plaingirly

I've always questioned the tactics in both exercise and nutrition for that show. Huge weight losses equal huge ratings, but for most people what they are doing isn't realistic. 25-30 pounds lost in a week? Being disappointed because they only lost 5 pounds in a week? I think shows like this are sending the wrong message, especially to people who have a lot of weight to lose. I would love to see a show where they bring ALL of these people back after a year or two and see how well they've maintained. This is definitely one of those circumstances when I would say "don't try this at home!"

It is scary to see people disappointed and mad at themselves for "only" losing 6 pounds in a week!

It doesn't seem sustainable to me - when they go home they will have jobs and families and responsibilities.

Does losing the weight that fast leave you with more spare skin?

honkytonks85

I've always questioned the tactics in both exercise and nutrition for that show. Huge weight losses equal huge ratings, but for most people what they are doing isn't realistic. 25-30 pounds lost in a week? Being disappointed because they only lost 5 pounds in a week? I think shows like this are sending the wrong message, especially to people who have a lot of weight to lose. I would love to see a show where they bring ALL of these people back after a year or two and see how well they've maintained. This is definitely one of those circumstances when I would say "don't try this at home!"

This basically sums up why I do not like this show at all. It advocates very low calorie diet with excessive exercise and excessive weight loss.


It really sends the wrong message to people. A lot of people sit at home and watch and think that they want to go on this diet and expect to lose all this weight. Not taking into consideration that they are not in a controlled environment
It pretty much sets people up for failure. I am pretty sure many of the contestants re-gain the weight back too (sometimes more). Extreme/yo yo dieting is not a good example to set.

I'd be far more interested in seeing a show about weight loss where they live at home with families and deal with preparing their own meals and doing exercise in between work or study or raising a family. I know it's not nearly as thrilling but that would be far more inspiring to see them succeed facing the challenges we all face on a daily basis.

plaingirly

I like watching Biggest Loser as I find it interesting but found Losing it with Jillian to be more inspiring. That show made me want to exercise! x

AllTehBeers

Have a look at this before you measure any kind of progress against the dangerous reality tv show.

http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/

JustPeachy044

I agree the show is not realistic. Here are people with tons of weight to lose, dedicated trainers, 24/7 focus on their weight, doctors probably only steps away at any moment. For them, I think it is a similar scenario to those choosing to go the surgery route. Their weight is at a level that is endangering their health to an extreme degree. It is not a situation or setting that anyone should try to copy in the "real world".

This is not to say that I believe no one should have weight loss surgery. I do believe that sometimes drastic situations warrant drastic measures. I have both a brother and sister-in-law that had the surgery and it has led to them losing a large amount of weight that was impairing their health and cutting their life expectancy very short. Each person is responsible for his/her own choices.

marycmeadows

Um yes, that is why I hate biggest loser. it's not realistic. Those folks are working out for like 8 hours a day -- instead of going to work and raising families like the rest of us do, and they eat at a ridiculous deficit -- THAT'S so unhealthy - which is why they constantly have a huge staff of doctors/medics on hand at all times.

LorinaLynn

And you know what else? I can't make money as fast as they do on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." :grumble:

SheilaG1963

I watch Biggest Loser, but also realize that they are highly supervised and we don't see what goes on behind the scenes. I liked Losing it with Jillian and also Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.

Everyday people aren't made to lose 12-25 pounds a week. I guess if I starved myself, I might! But no, I want to do it slowly.

However, I will be tuned in to the Biggest Loser in January!

MoreBean13

They're using every trick in the book under highly medical supervised conditions to push the body way beyond safe or healthy limits and expectations, with zero effort directed at long term success in maintenance. They even lie about the time frame (a 'week' is not 7 days but more like 12, I think) to make it play out more dramatic on TV. On one hand I am glad it inspires people, on the other hand, I think its wildly irresponsible to give people unreasonable expectations for entertainment. Unfortunately there's no money to be made from moderation, and its not all that exciting.

Gettingthin67

Yeah in "The biggest Loser" i heard tha they were undereating and over exercising, so it's not something we should look at, it's very unhealthy!

krhn

I don't get how the biggest loser is a healthy approach to getting to the aspirated targeted partly because after the contestants come off the show they just gain the weight straight up...
It's almost as if they eat so low on kcal that when they hit the real world their bodies have adapted into something worse because they are so sensitive and react weirdly to fatty foods where we normal people would occasionally eat - on the show they have been restricted to almost the bare minimum close to starvation.

MsDover

Have a look at this before you measure any kind of progress against the dangerous reality tv show.

http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/

I wish I could say this surprised me.... it's all about the ratings. They don't care how their tactics effect the contestants. The only way to stop them is to not watch. I know I never will again.