How do they do it on Biggest Loser?
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http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40423712/ns/today-entertainment/t/biggest-loser-where-are-they-now/#.UOCOn-RZWqg
I found this. It seems like alot of them gain weight back, some of them alot of weight.0 -
"The Biggest Loser" is actually a show on how NOT to properly lose weight. It is a "reality" show which means it is based in drama and ratings, not in reality....0
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They do not have there family, work or any other distractions.
This is what I was thinking. Plus they have meals prepared for them I'm sure. Healthy, high-energy meals.0 -
Thank you for this excellent information.
Editing is what I do for a living.There is a lot of creative editing I'm sure :P
Scenes of vomiting may work on certain cable channels, but they don't work on prime time broadcast channels. If a contest gets sick from over exerting themselves, that scene is cut out.
A contestant may be curled up in the fetal position bawling for 45 minutes because they can't take it anymore. The producer and editor will select about 10 seconds of the crying and then choose a good take of Bob yelling at the contest to get moving. The time is magically compressed to tell the story in a compelling way.
If a contest nearly passes out due to dehydration and is tended to by medical personnel the scene is edited out. Because this sheds a poor light on the show itself. Dehydrating contestants getting ready for a weigh in is dangerous.
All shows on television have been altered in some way to craft the story line. Reality type shows are the most altered shows on television today. The shortest trip to craft reality television is the careful placement of the reaction shot (aka cutaway shot). Reality shows involve recording hundreds of hours of footage to put together a single one hour show. That footage is carefully logged resulting in a library dozens of reaction shots from the various characters. The reactions range from joy to sadness to everything in between (anger, fear, curious, confused, etc.).
Consider two versions of a scene:
version A
Sally: "I just can't take it anymore - I'm thinking about quitting"
***cutaway to Larry (sad) ***
version B
Sally: "I just can't take it anymore - I'm thinking about quitting"
***cutaway to Larry (laughter) ***
In version A, Larry is a caring and sympathetic person. In version B, Larry is a shallow insensitive jerk. The producer and editor have the power to present Larry to the audience in whatever form they choose regardless of Larry's true nature. This is what reality television really is, the producers altered version of the story.
I don't understand why some users here on MFP hold up the Biggest Loser as some sort of real life example of how to lose weight. The show is so far from the truth is should be labeled as fiction. On this site you'll find real people with real lives (not a game show) that have found reasonable, healthy ways to lose weight. Stop looking to reality television for motivation.0 -
i thought the exact same thing after my first bootcamp class!!!!!0
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If a gunman held a gun to your head and said "if you don't complete this workout today, you're dead"...........................you'd find a way to complete it. That's their mentality. Unfortunately, most people don't feel this way about their life which is why they got very overweight or obese in the first place.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Among the many problems with the show is the over-emphasis on exercise as a weight loss tool. Exercise is for fitness and is an important part of health, but losing weight is mostly about eating at a calorie deficit. I see the effects of the exercise thinking all the time, especially here on the MFP boards among some of the users who can't understand why they aren't losing weight with the hundreds of hours of high intensity cardio they are doing.0
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I found this interview with one of the former contestants interesting:
http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/0 -
They workout like 7 hours a day.
I love that show.0 -
$$$$$$$0
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Among the many problems with the show is the over-emphasis on exercise as a weight loss tool. Exercise is for fitness and is an important part of health, but losing weight is mostly about eating at a calorie deficit. I see the effects of the exercise thinking all the time, especially here on the MFP boards among some of the users who can't understand why they aren't losing weight with the hundreds of hours of high intensity cardio they are doing.
Have you ever seen the show ?
They emphasize life style change...which includes exercise, healthy eating and portion control. They show some exercising, but they never touch on it like they do healthy eating and lifestyle change. They often get to the root cause of why those people got so big.
It's a shame you don't see that.0 -
Editing. For sure. And I recall seeing injuries in that show.
They probably have them workout before the main shooting to ensure they can do the bare minimum. They might tell the contestants in the months prior to start walking or biking. Then even if they lost weight before the show starts, they'll still use the weight they wrote down when they first signed up so the first weigh-in sounds like lots of weight lost.
That's just my theory, no proof to back it up though. I just know that when you try out for the army, to become a cop or an ironworker, you have to pass a physical test to even START training with the facility/group. They must do the same thing. You can't guarantee your producers a good show when you don't know if your contestants can even walk 10mins or do a sit-up.0 -
They are on an isolated ranch for the duration of the show. The only thing they really can do is exercise. Plus, there is a lot of editing. A LOT of editing.0
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I know for sure i would not be able to handle a BL type workout. Remember though that 250 k should be a HUGE motivation! plus they are not distracted by work, school, etc.0
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Just quick note:
There have been more than 200 contestants on the show. About 20 have kept the significant weight off. This is about the average for ANY dieting and exercise program out there on the market.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
"The Biggest Loser" is actually a show on how NOT to properly lose weight. It is a "reality" show which means it is based in drama and ratings, not in reality....
Bob and Jillian say ALL THE TIME that people at home can't lose that amount of weight in that amount of time. People who watch the show know this. What they DO show is that losing weight is possible if you are willing to sacrifice and change your lifestyle.0 -
I wonder how they can PHYSICALLY do it the next day. I mean I did the BL workout video with bob harper.. I did the whole thing including the warmup cool down.. I was CRYING the next day. I literally couldn't sit down or climb stairs or do anything that involved moving my quads. This lasted for a FULL WEEK! I'm not a baby, I have a pretty high threshold for pain but clearly this is beyond simple soreness that you feel after a good workout. All I could think is How do the contestants do it? I mean if my house was on fire and I had to go down the stairs to get out, I don't think I could have done it THAT'S how sore I was. Muscle soreness comes with the territory when you're hypothyroid, but this was a WHOLE NEW LEVEL of pain.0
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I watched several early seasons of Biggest Loser, and I noticed several things: At first I was inspired and awed by the contestants' dedication. Then I felt bad because there was no way I could lose 6 or 10 or 15 pounds in a week (c'mon). And finally, I wanted to eat and eat while watching (lol). I stopped watching.0
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I found this interview with one of the former contestants interesting:
http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/
I was about to post this as well. Explains a lot.0 -
Does it motivate people or discourage people?"The Biggest Loser" is actually a show on how NOT to properly lose weight. It is a "reality" show which means it is based in drama and ratings, not in reality....
Bob and Jillian say ALL THE TIME that people at home can't lose that amount of weight in that amount of time. People who watch the show know this. What they DO show is that losing weight is possible if you are willing to sacrifice and change your lifestyle.
I think those that are willing to put in the hard work are going to do what it takes regardless of their choice in television viewing. For those that are on the fence - trying to decide if they should exercise, the show could discourage them because it makes exercising seem far too intense. Exercise doesn't have to be intense to be beneficial. An obese person can benefit from a simple walk everyday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/biggest-loser-viewers-turn-off-exercise_n_2059208.html0 -
I've never seen the show, but I'd imagine they do some training before the televised bit begins, same for any reality TV I guess. I'm sure for X Factor for example, one they've chosen the final 12, they have a few weeks before the live shows begin.
I guess the contestants are motivated and also they're on TV so they'd want to try harder. Plus do they win something at the end?
I'd love to have an intense workout every day!0 -
If a gunman held a gun to your head and said "if you don't complete this workout today, you're dead"...........................you'd find a way to complete it. That's their mentality. Unfortunately, most people don't feel this way about their life which is why they got very overweight or obese in the first place.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Exactly0 -
Does it motivate people or discourage people?"The Biggest Loser" is actually a show on how NOT to properly lose weight. It is a "reality" show which means it is based in drama and ratings, not in reality....
Bob and Jillian say ALL THE TIME that people at home can't lose that amount of weight in that amount of time. People who watch the show know this. What they DO show is that losing weight is possible if you are willing to sacrifice and change your lifestyle.
I think those that are willing to put in the hard work are going to do what it takes regardless of their choice in television viewing. For those that are on the fence - trying to decide if they should exercise, the show could discourage them because it makes exercising seem far too intense. Exercise doesn't have to be intense to be beneficial. An obese person can benefit from a simple walk everyday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/biggest-loser-viewers-turn-off-exercise_n_2059208.html
I guess it depends on the person and what part of the show touches them. If I were someone that big, and they showed me the amount of fat that was deposited around my heart and other organs, which they do show, that would scare me bad and motivate me to do whatever I had to so that I would not die prematurely. There's way more to that show than the exercising. That's just a small part. They show the mistakes that people make everyday, educate them on healthy eating/living and show you what can happen if you do not change.0 -
I've never seen the show, but I'd imagine they do some training before the televised bit begins, same for any reality TV I guess. I'm sure for X Factor for example, one they've chosen the final 12, they have a few weeks before the live shows begin.
I guess the contestants are motivated and also they're on TV so they'd want to try harder. Plus do they win something at the end?
I'd love to have an intense workout every day!
They do. Once they learn they're on the show they have to start a program until they get to the show.0 -
10% success rate....ouch....I never knew that.....:huh:Just quick note:
There have been more than 200 contestants on the show. About 20 have kept the significant weight off. This is about the average for ANY dieting and exercise program out there on the market.
The same principle applies with finances.
Whatever...I want to be counted among that committed 10%.0 -
10% success rate....ouch....I never knew that.....:huh:Just quick note:
There have been more than 200 contestants on the show. About 20 have kept the significant weight off. This is about the average for ANY dieting and exercise program out there on the market.
The same principle applies with finances.
Whatever...I want to be counted among that committed 10%.
I have read that somewhere before as well. The after show success rate is pretty low. Isolating them in the ranch helps them during the show, but in the long run, it does them no good.0 -
There is a lot of creative editing I'm sure :P
This. ^0 -
They get 250 grand if they win.0
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so true!! I run 4 times a week and regularly do half marathons yet I have at least 30lb to lose. my own fault since I eat so flipping much! and another reason I like MFP as I can track how much I SHOULD be able to eat after a 6 mile run...never an entire pizza, for some reason...!!Among the many problems with the show is the over-emphasis on exercise as a weight loss tool. Exercise is for fitness and is an important part of health, but losing weight is mostly about eating at a calorie deficit. I see the effects of the exercise thinking all the time, especially here on the MFP boards among some of the users who can't understand why they aren't losing weight with the hundreds of hours of high intensity cardio they are doing.0 -
Biggest Loser pushes the contestants to lose weight in an unhealthy way. They eat under 1,000 calories a day. They work out with injuries. They are treated badly by the staff, not the trainers, but the TV crew. I read an interesting interview with one of the contestants. She also said that their weigh in weeks are anywhere between 5 and 14 days.0
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