Biggest loser intersting facts

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  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    My mind is boggled that Danni gained 19lbs of muscle in 11 wks....


    tracey-morgan-nope.gif
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Bump to read later.
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
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    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
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    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...
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    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!

    There are definitely some great success stories! There are a few like Dan Evans and his mom (who I met at a half marathon a couple years ago, they both looked terrific!) who run a charity organization for childhood fitness, Michael Ventrella (sp?) who is teaching fitness classes, and quite a few others who work in the fitness field, which probably helps them stay fit. While I don't like the "fast track" method that BL uses and I know it's just reality TV, I have followed a few former contestants on Facebook and through their fitness organizations, and many of them are continuing to stay active and fit. It's not really all that different than any of us losing weight and keeping it off--if you have mental/emotional issues about food/weight and don't deal with them, or if you don't continue to work out and generally eat smarter, you can easily gain weight back.
  • eloisemonteiro
    eloisemonteiro Posts: 59 Member
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    It is easy to have a show like Biggest Loser and just sit and wait for their "chance" to change, people should feel motivated to change their lives by themselves and not just sit and do nothing waiting until someone go there and "fix" them.
    (fix is not the exactly work i'm looking for, but you get what I meant)
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    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!!

    ^Now THERE'S a success story :)
    I read his autobiography a few years ago. Very inspiring.
  • Kamnikar64
    Kamnikar64 Posts: 345 Member
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    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 agree, I read through the whole thing as well and most of them have put some weight back on but are living active healthy lives.
  • 4_Lisa
    4_Lisa Posts: 362 Member
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    It is easy when you are removed from the lifestyle and the surroundings you were in that made you heavy to begin with. Anyone can go to rehab and get clean, but the challenge is once you are back in the real world and your real life.... I prefer watching shows where they go in and help them in their regular surroundings (X weighted being one). If you don't learn in your real surroundings, with the stress of everyday life, you won't be successful in the long run.
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
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    It is easy to have a show like Biggest Loser and just sit and wait for their "chance" to change, people should feel motivated to change their lives by themselves and not just sit and do nothing waiting until someone go there and "fix" them.
    (fix is not the exactly work i'm looking for, but you get what I meant)

    This is my "walk a mile" speech - for many of US that are OBESE for a lot of our live it is a continuous struggle - a lot of times with our own heads - if you have just 30 lbs to lose - great for you! BUT if you have never faced having to lose 100+ pounds - please don't parrot the "its easy" or "quick fix" - you do not know of what you speak. If you WATCH the show the trainers are also part-time psychologist that try to get inside of the contestants heads too to "fix" the old tapes we play in our heads - the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. They have have "back stories" to their weight gain. Fixing these old tapes and telling ourselves different stories is the real struggle. Not the weight loss.

    The Biggest Loser inspires many many people.
  • RiversideBabe
    RiversideBabe Posts: 75 Member
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    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.

    If you are ONLY looking at scale numbers then I can see why you think only 6 kept the weight off. I feel like I read a different article than what you described. I see way more success stories than 6.
  • xraygrandma
    xraygrandma Posts: 11 Member
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    I agree with you but just wanted to share. I don't know what season he was in but I go to church with Jarron. I think he came in second. They did do a show about him at some point even though he did not win. He lost well over a hundred lbs and has kept it off. He became a personal trainer and has really done well. I remember not seeing him at church for a long time then I saw his wife with this guy that looked liked he walked out of GQ Magazine. I thought she had divorced and this was the new guy. I saw an article in the paper about him and realized it was the same guy. That explained his absence. I was blown away. He still looks awesome. Although she looked good she lost some weight also. Very cute couple and family that love the Lord.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    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 find it incredible that people would be so docile as to accept that kind of treatment willingly. It is no wonder that at least one of them developed an eating disorder, as the self-loathing that makes them accept this type of treatment is exactly what eating disorders are made from. The producers of the show and the network should be sued into oblivion if someone dies as a result of this type of treatment (and someone could have easily died as a result of the punishment they endured in 100 degree heat). Disgusting.
  • sammie121403
    sammie121403 Posts: 49 Member
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    I think its mostly because its such a quick turn around time...i mean currently, Joe has lost 125 pounds in 11 weeks...thats 1 week less than 3 months! They do work out 4-6 hours a day, so its their full time job while they are there, but when they go home, they have to balance the working out with their real job and the pressures of every day life. Its a good jump start to be on the ranch, but sometimes, if they are an emotional eater, they never really come to terms with that, they are just pushed to workout. Thats why, when they do the update, the person went home and didnt lose that much more than they had lost when they lef the ranch. Since normal weightloss is about 2 pounds a week.

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