Biggest loser intersting facts

Maidofmer
Maidofmer Posts: 908 Member
in Chit-Chat
I have been a fan since the show started. always wanted to be on it since I was 16 I think. I had the chance last year, but had to back out of the audition due to personal issues. So, I'm still heavier than ever, living outta my pantry which is all junk food, and I wanted to look up some recipes from the biggest loser. I read one of the books, and I like the structure of the meals. So, it got me thinking, how many of them kept the weight off? I googled said question and wow........

6 people out of 57. 6 maintained and kept weight off. out of all the seasons, only 6. There was one that had a baby and was struggling, understandably so, but only 6.

I know the reason they get awesome results. Hell, if I had 8 hours to work out doing hard training with some of the best trainers and free healthy food, I'm sure I'd reach my goal in about a year or less.

One I seen, he weighed about 400+ and I remember watching him. He got down to 100 something, and now he's back to almost 400. I remember he was part of the mom and son. But wow. I mean, being there for a few months, learning how to eat right, learning how to exercise, and only 6 people. I could see gaining some weight back, fear of leaving the ranch, stress, etc, but only 6.

my mind is boggled.

ETA here's the site
http://www.today.com/id/40423712/site/todayshow/ns/today-entertainment/t/biggest-loser-where-are-they-now/#.UT6WJvfn99A
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Replies

  • IslandRider
    IslandRider Posts: 244
    I think that just provides more proof that it really needs to be a lifestyle change not a short term change. How hard must it be for those people to leave the structure of the program and go back to having to do it on their own? I'll just keep inching along...
  • TheConsciousFoody
    TheConsciousFoody Posts: 607 Member
    I think the real problem is most of those people aren't there to get healthy...they are there for the money and the fame. The people who REALLY want it, will maintain it.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    I think the real problem is most of those people aren't there to get healthy...they are there for the money and the fame. The people who REALLY want it, will maintain it.
    I agree. Plus it's not possible for them to maintain that pace at home. So they start regress and most of them say screw it and just let go.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    One girl developed an eating disorder after being on the show
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    reality television is NOT REAL. these people are put through hell, treated like animals, starved, dehydrated and anything else that can be thought of to get results for the cameras. They are not taught sustainable habits, the exact opposite in fact.

    Weight loss is not a game show, it's not something that should be put on display for ratings. I find that show reprehensible on many levels. One of these days they're going to end up killing some one.
  • sbussert
    sbussert Posts: 72 Member
    I think that just provides more proof that it really needs to be a lifestyle change not a short term change. How hard must it be for those people to leave the structure of the program and go back to having to do it on their own? I'll just keep inching along...

    Totally agree. For this to work, it's life long, not just 8 weeks (or however long the season is). And it will take work long after they are gone.
  • AmazonRDH
    AmazonRDH Posts: 203 Member
    awww. how sad :cry:
  • theshow4jsu
    theshow4jsu Posts: 380 Member
    Its like the contestants are in rehab. My biggest issue with the show is that they don't really teach people how to survive in a real life situation. I watch the show, but i take it FWIW, entertainment. And to be honest, some of their weights were not that far off the finale weight, in my opinion, they are trying to get a small as possible for the finale and then put weight back on that they can maintain living a normal life.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
    I went through the contestants...and most of them have kept the bulk of their weight off - which under the circumstances of the show VS. real life...im still impressed.

    :D And its good to see Matt and Suzy are still together, plus 2 kids!

    I hope Danni wins this season! :D
  • sowenby1984
    sowenby1984 Posts: 101 Member
    I'm confused..... I read the article you posted http://www.today.com/id/40423712/site/todayshow/ns/today-entertainment/t/biggest-loser-where-are-they-now/#.UT6tcxzrzp9 and the first thing I noticed was that it only had up to season 11, they are currently in season 14. Second I only counted maybe 10 of the contestants out of the 57 listed that had gained a major portion of their weight back . You have to keep in mind that their "final weight" is what they got themselves down to in order to try to either win the show or the at home price and not necessarily a weight they were comfortable with also they may have gained muscle weight since then as well (mainly the men) So for them to only gain 20 or even 40 pounds back once they are living in the "real world" again when they had loss 100+ pounds during the competition should be looked at as a victory and not defeat! IMO
  • cebiginalaska
    cebiginalaska Posts: 280 Member
    I wish that I could go on that show. Chance to win 100K to 250K. I am down. Also with being already here on MFP I think I would keep the weight off if I had the Biggest loser contest to help me with the process :wink:
  • lmsorrell1
    lmsorrell1 Posts: 15 Member
    I am a big fan of the show myself. I love it for the same reason I love reading the MFP Success Stories Forums every day. If other people - at any age - can change their lives - then so can I.

    I belong to the gym that Marci from Season 11 works at. She did a group fitness class that I was at over Christmas and still looked great. She looked like a healthy woman her age. (Forgive me - I want to say 57.) Her daughter Courtney, who was also on the show, did a 5K that I did in the fall. They both put on some weight from the season finale - but like previous replies say - they are living normal lives now. They looked healthy and neither was close to their starting weight since the few years they were on the show.

    My question would be - how many contestant go back to being morbidly obese? I am sure some. I have read some of the MFP posts about people who say they lost 100 lbs then gained back 80 lbs and are starting over. I am working so hard for every 1/2 lb at this point that I wonder how they slipped up - but then weight (or shall I say health) is an individual battle that we each must fight.

    Good luck to all of you on your path to, or staying in, good health. Enjoy the journey!

    BTW: I am voting for Danni too!
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    The biggest loser doesn't teacher people self control and accountability so its no surprise not fain when they don't have someone telling them what do.
  • mrsburghart
    mrsburghart Posts: 166 Member
    One thing I wish they would focus on more for the viewers is the diet & nutrition. They focus A LOT on exercise, and it seems the only time they focus on nutrition is when they have a product to endorse. It would be interesting to see what they typically eat in a day and how many calories they are consuming. I know, food doesn't sell as much as screaming and throwing up and having breakdowns...but it's something I think they should focus on more especially if they are trying to inspire us normal folk.

    BTW: Danni fan here, too! I was so happy that the two I wanted in the finale made it :)
  • dfennell0423
    dfennell0423 Posts: 6
    That was exactly what I was thinking, yes a few put on some major weight, but the majority of them have kept off the majority of their weight and should be applauded for it!
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    People do things for all of the wrong reasons. There was an article I read today (forget where) that stated money is the best motivator for weight loss. Big surprise there.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
    I think the trouble is with programs like this and to be honest a fair few people in the forums, they end up using meal replacement shakes, smoothies etc and don't actually educate themselves to make new eating habits that work in the real work.

    The show makes them over train which is just not possible in the real work if you have a job etc. It needs to be moderation and sustainable.

    It's also not just about counting the calories but making sure you are eating nutrient dense foods. Too many people relay on low fat "sugar free" diet foods which are full of crap and chemicals.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    6? I count over a dozen people who are within ~20 pounds of their finale weight, and some of the people who put on a moderate amount put on a lot of lean mass and appear to be fitness junkies. Look at Mark Wylie. Lisenby put on about 25 pounds, but he competes in triathlons and exercises 4-5 days a week. No idea how you only counted 6.

    edit: I actually counted 24 on that page who are maintaining their weight and apparently living active, healthy lifestyles. There are 8 people on that page who are competing in marathons!
  • shellma00
    shellma00 Posts: 1,684 Member
    I only seen 1 contestant out of all of these in the article that had actually gained back almost what he lost. I am thinking that they did not necessarily gain the 20 or 30 lbs back that it shows, but maybe because they do work out regularly, they could have gained muscle mass. They weigh more but look more fit than they did before. I think they all look great and their stories sound like they all have stayed on track and are still into nutrition and working out. With the exception of Eric.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/

    ^^^ Read that. I'd never want to be on that show, even if I was guaranteed the money!
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/

    ^^^ Read that. I'd never want to be on that show, even if I was guaranteed the money!

    I was going to say the EXACT same thing. I lost a LOT of respect for the trainers on that show after that. I pray it's not still like that and that changes were made after she spoke out.
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
    6 people out of 57. 6 maintained and kept weight off. out of all the seasons, only 6. There was one that had a baby and was struggling, understandably so, but only 6.

    Not sure i buy this lock, stock and barrell - if "keeping the weight off" is defined at being the weight they were at the finale, then yes - maybe only SIX people were able to maintain that weight (Helen was 117 lbs @ age 57 for crying out loud) - keep in mind the weights @ the finale are artificially low as they are trying to win a large sum of money.

    If we define success as being able to keep 80% of the weight off and be in a healthier place than when they started - I think this is more the case for the majority of the contestants.

    I smell sensationalist journalism.
  • HJMAYES
    HJMAYES Posts: 72 Member
    I don't believe anyone should be treated as "subhuman" because of their weight. We may as well start yelling at disabled folks and kicking puppies.
    That show (and most reality tv) just isn't right on so many sociological levels.
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
    My mind is boggled that Danni gained 19lbs of muscle in 11 wks....


    tracey-morgan-nope.gif
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
    Reading a few of the stories I wonder if some of the more minor weight gains aren't from maybe gaining muscle or whether the person is still relatively healthy regardless of gaining some. Just as an example it mentions Mark Kruger ended at 156 but is now 189. In his bio though it mentions how he's about to run his first marathon and he still works out 2.5 hours a day. Weight isn't the only measure of a person and how healthy he/she is.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    1. unrealistic situation - they're not learning new habits that will keep them thin in their daily lives

    2. very unhealthy methods used to get big losses of scale weight, with no focus on health or body composition.

    3. it is very much in the mindset of trying to get the scale weight off as quickly as possible, rather than focusing on the long term sustainable fat loss and keeping it off for life..............

    but watching contestants trying to lose a sensible and healthy 2-3lb a week (a reasonable rate of loss for someone with a very high body fat percentage) with portion control, healthy food choices and doing an amount of exercise you can sustain while holding down a full time job and looking after your kids, etc, then moving to 1-2lb a week as they get leaner, and later on to 0.5lb a week as they approach their goal weights and are doing the exact same things i.e. portion control, healthy food choices and a reasonable exercise programme all the while, then seeing how long contestants can maintain their goal weight for with the same portion control, healthy food choices and moderate exercise programme, and no drama because by this stage they're totally in the habit of it, enjoying the exercise and healthy food...... does not make interesting TV, does it lol....
  • LovelyLaura2321
    LovelyLaura2321 Posts: 56 Member
    I'm confused..... I read the article you posted http://www.today.com/id/40423712/site/todayshow/ns/today-entertainment/t/biggest-loser-where-are-they-now/#.UT6tcxzrzp9 and the first thing I noticed was that it only had up to season 11, they are currently in season 14. Second I only counted maybe 10 of the contestants out of the 57 listed that had gained a major portion of their weight back . You have to keep in mind that their "final weight" is what they got themselves down to in order to try to either win the show or the at home price and not necessarily a weight they were comfortable with also they may have gained muscle weight since then as well (mainly the men) So for them to only gain 20 or even 40 pounds back once they are living in the "real world" again when they had loss 100+ pounds during the competition should be looked at as a victory and not defeat! IMO

    agreed! most of them have either kept it off and lost more, or gained back less than 20 pounds (which could be muscle) ... after looking at it, it looks like most of them are actually successful!
  • chuckponygirl
    chuckponygirl Posts: 53
    Bump to read later.
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
    I think that just provides more proof that it really needs to be a lifestyle change not a short term change. How hard must it be for those people to leave the structure of the program and go back to having to do it on their own? I'll just keep inching along...

    Totally agree. Sometimes people have medical issues and thats understandable, but for many its about choices people make all day every day that eventually add up. Whether its in a good direction or a bad direction. You dont blow up from 100 something to 400 lbs in a week or a month. It takes awhile.

    Kudos to Jared from Subway for keeping it off!!
  • ifaber
    ifaber Posts: 195 Member
    I love the Biggest Loser show so I may be partial. However, the show has grown and matured since its first airings. TV is TV and opinions are opinions. I honestly believe that those contestants ARE taught portion control, what healthy food is, how to structure meals, etc. Because they work out excessively, I am sure that contributes to their weightloss in a major way, but we all know that there is no way to workout out intensely for 8 hours a day and turn around and not eat. If I could, I would work out all day too, but that's because I love working out and how I feel afterwards. The act of dehydration isn't new...a LOT of fitness competitors do it for their shows that they do each year. I understand that all forms of entertainment, whether TV, interviews, blogs, etc, are just that, ENTERTAINMENT. The Biggest Loser is just a show that is meant to INSPIRE people to change. We shouldn't look more into it than that. Weightloss is mostly a mindset, so yes, if their sole purpose was to lose weight to get the money and not because they know they are unhealthy, going to die, and want to lose weight for themselves, then yes, just like EVERYONE ELSE on this journey that feels that same way, the weightloss won't last. The success rate of sustainable weightloss is a low percentage period, not just on the Biggest Loser. Just my two cents...

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