Biggest loser intersting facts

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.

One girl developed an eating disorder after being on the show

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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!

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.

My mind is boggled that Danni gained 19lbs of muscle in 11 wks....

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....

Bump to read later.

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...