ABC's Extreme Weight Loss
Wookinpanub
Posts: 635 Member
Watched this show for the first time last night and they profiled "Bruce" - a 29 year old football coach who weighed 382. I would say he was 6 feet give or take an inch or two. He had a personal trainer and sent him to a weight loss facility in Denver for 90 days. Here's the results:
Phase I - 90 days (really 87 days bc he bonked his head in the pool and had a concussion) - down 121 lbs to weigh 261
After 6 months
Phase II - 6 months (total) and at his home - down another 49 lbs to weigh in at 212
Phase III - 9 months and final weigh in at 196 (5 lbs short of his goal). 186 lbs lost
He then has skin reduction surgery. The final weigh in after a year he is at 181 lbs 201 lbs lost in one year. That is 4 lbs per week.
Thoughts? Aside from some of the made for tv hokey ness, it was interesting to watch. I think they went over board with the feel good stuff and they played a lot on his abuse as a kid. His Dad was a football coach who abused him and other boys. Also he got a concussion in the pool then later showed him teaching a concussion safety class to his football players. He was a coach too. It's like they used the Jerry Sandusky story as a model for the show and the current hot topic of concussion in football. Seemed a little contrived to me.
Phase I - 90 days (really 87 days bc he bonked his head in the pool and had a concussion) - down 121 lbs to weigh 261
After 6 months
Phase II - 6 months (total) and at his home - down another 49 lbs to weigh in at 212
Phase III - 9 months and final weigh in at 196 (5 lbs short of his goal). 186 lbs lost
He then has skin reduction surgery. The final weigh in after a year he is at 181 lbs 201 lbs lost in one year. That is 4 lbs per week.
Thoughts? Aside from some of the made for tv hokey ness, it was interesting to watch. I think they went over board with the feel good stuff and they played a lot on his abuse as a kid. His Dad was a football coach who abused him and other boys. Also he got a concussion in the pool then later showed him teaching a concussion safety class to his football players. He was a coach too. It's like they used the Jerry Sandusky story as a model for the show and the current hot topic of concussion in football. Seemed a little contrived to me.
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Replies
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Anyone else see this show?0
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Yes I did.. I thought it was inspiring! Sometimes it can get a little hokey (and yes I think showing him at his dads patrol hearing was a little much) but all in all I find this show to be an inspiration for me.0
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I actually like this show. I've seen a number of episodes, and I enjoyed them all. It's not as annoying as the Biggest Loser, and honestly, the trainer is really nice to look at.
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I agree the show is a bit contrived. However, I watch the show regularly and was very inspired by Bruce's transformation and by his zest for life even after everything he's been through because of his dirt bag of a father.0
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I loved it, makes me want to work that much harder.....you can tell by the end result that he did something amazing. Who cares if it was hokey, beats 99% of the crap on TV these days. That was literally the only TV show other than the USA World Cup that I have or will watch this week.0
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I think it was a great episode. Bruce went through a lot, mentally and physically. He lost over 200 lbs and completely transformed himself. If he can do it, anyone can. Very inspiring!0
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I used to watch these sorts of things but now I don't because I don't want to reinforce in my brain the idea that some "Fairy Godmother Reality TV Producer" will suddenly appear on my front steps and solve my weight problem. For some, such shows are an inspiration. For others, like me, they're a procrastination enabler.0
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I love the show, very inspirational. I try to watch every week and the trainer seems really caring and motivational and his pretty wife. She just had a baby and she looked good during the pregancy , she is a trainer also.
The only thing about loosing so fast is the loose skin, so I think loosing it slowly most of us would not need surgery for the excess skin.
I do love the show, good luck to everyone . I love MFP for all the motivation on here!0 -
Yes, I watch the show. I also watch the biggest loser. I think Extreme Weightloss is inspiring because you follow the person for an entire year. The coaches set attainable - but difficult goals.0
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I had never even heard of the show, but that's not uncommon because I don't really watch tv. So I googled it, this is on the ABC's website: "Bruce, 29, is from Salt Lake City, UT. He is 5’10” and weighs 382 pounds. A high school football coach, Bruce is adored by his players and friends. He wants to set a better example for his team. However, he struggles with a dark secret from his past... " and then it goes on.. Definitely interested in watching at least this episode.
But I think from reading the comments and the little I know about it, his hard work is incredible and overcoming the struggles he did is inspiring whether it was displayed for a national audience or not.0 -
Great to see him transform himself outside and in. It was a little much watching the trainer trying to turn the fake tears on.0
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did you see the one with the 19 year old baseball phenom that quit and asked them to pay for college and/or a car? he was so freaking frustrating. He really did have pro baseball caliber hitting skills, and he had an agent telling him that if he lost the weight then he'd get a pro-baseball contract.
i really felt for the guy at first. the only thing standing in his way of a pro-baseball career was his weight. He seemed super motivated. then 30 min into it you completely understand why this guy fails at everything other then putting a bat on a ball. He kept talking about 'the contract' and how much money he wanted to make. never really said he loved the sport or anything like that. There was some issue with the agent, and the trainer convinced the kid that the agent was blowing smoke up his *kitten* (and he probably was). the moment that a pro-baseball career did not seem like a done deal, he quit0 -
and then he comes back in six months, ask for help, the trainers agree... then when they tell him they want him to go where they live (maybe even move in with them... i'm pretty sure thats what they said, but i'm not sure if thats really what they meant)... and he refuses to do it. he wanted them to come to him for 3 months.
which was stupid because he already did 3 months in denver0 -
I love all weight loss TV shows and try to ride my exercise bike while watching
You do have to realize they are on tv, but I find them inspiring and a lot of times you get some really good tips. 0 -
I've watched it once, where there were 2 contestants. One did really well, had a natural interest/ability in dance and ended up becoming a Zumba instructor. The other was a baseball player/young guy who quit.
I didn't like the way it was set up to fail goals. Its understandable that with major medical supervision, if you make fitness & weight loss your job for 3 months: you can expect bigger than average results. And I understand the 'prize' is to earn free skin removal surgery. But it irked me that missing the preset goals was such a negative scene - when they still had amazing results.0 -
Oh the show is back? I love watching it! I know it's TV but I just enjoy watching it so much 0
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I've watched it once, where there were 2 contestants. One did really well, had a natural interest/ability in dance and ended up becoming a Zumba instructor. The other was a baseball player/young guy who quit.
i guess you can't really tell from a tv show, but they made it appear that all that was necessary to become a 'zumba instructor' was to go to a single class0 -
He was a coach too. It's like they used the Jerry Sandusky story as a model for the show and the current hot topic of concussion in football. Seemed a little contrived to me.
There have been all types of people on this show in past episodes, so I don't know if I'd make this analogy because of one episode.0 -
I loved it, makes me want to work that much harder.....you can tell by the end result that he did something amazing. Who cares if it was hokey, beats 99% of the crap on TV these days. That was literally the only TV show other than the USA World Cup that I have or will watch this week.
I agree with this. Last nights episode was by far my favorite. Very inspirational. They do lose weight fast however, with most of them being 300, 400, 500 lbs, it's not that unhealthy for them to lose up to 4 lbs a week. It's quite normal for someone that large to drop weight fast. Plus you have to remember that they are under constant medical supervision.0 -
Yeah I watch it. I enjoy the fact that you follow them for a year and we get to see their ups and downs. I also saw the one with the baseball player. He was a mess and definitely not on the show for the right reasons. I imagine in 5, 10, 15 years from now he will look back and wish he had taken advantage of the opportunity.0
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I'm not a fan of reality tv, BUT...I like Extreme Weight Loss and My 600lb Life (which I think is on TLC).
I like these shows, b/c it follows the people for a year+. I used to watch The Biggest Loser, but the competition aspect started to annoy me...and it didn't cover enough of the "back story" of the contestants. I think the reason that some of Extreme Weight Loss feels "contrived" is that the show has a year's worth of material that has to be cut down to 2 hours; so you are going to get the highlights...it makes for better tv.
I was really happy for the guy on EWL last night.0 -
we all would be super fit and have perfect BMI's our jobs and lives were devoted to nothing but loosing weight and getting fit. Look how quickly celebrities loose weight after having children. Hey I had my kid so now I will work with my personal trainer, Personal chef and nanny so I can focus on my body!0
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I'm actually a really big fan of the show. I think that both Chris and Heidi have the right kind of attitude and they obviously care a lot about the people that they're training.
It is leagues better than The Biggest Loser in part because for 3/4 of their journey, they're at home and figuring out how to change their lifestyle (while they're still going to work) for the better and how to accomplish it on their own.
I also really appreciate that it appears that they have some sort of psychological training because they always address the psychological issues that allowed the contestants to climb to such a huge weight. It's also great that they pay for the skin removal surgery. So many people would just kill for that after losing so much and it's really nice of them to give them that opportunity.0 -
we all would be super fit and have perfect BMI's our jobs and lives were devoted to nothing but loosing weight and getting fit. Look how quickly celebrities loose weight after having children. Hey I had my kid so now I will work with my personal trainer, Personal chef and nanny so I can focus on my body!
So true..If I won the lottery I would pay some college football strength & conditioning coach to work with me for 2-3 years. Obviously college FB players are blessed to begin with but their bodies are transformed from age 17-18 to when they are 19-20. It basically their job to lift weights, train and eat right year round and throw in a little school here and there.0 -
I did watch part of this show the other night, I had never heard of it and just ran across it when I was flipping through channels.
I watched maybe 20 minutes and then flipped because I have a short fuse for sap and sob stories, especially when it goes on and on...and on.
The Biggest Loser annoys me a lot too because I feel like they take every effort possible to get the contestants and the audience to cry and blubber about their past and their psychological issues. It's tiring and most of the time I don't see the relevance of any of it.0 -
we all would be super fit and have perfect BMI's our jobs and lives were devoted to nothing but loosing weight and getting fit. Look how quickly celebrities loose weight after having children. Hey I had my kid so now I will work with my personal trainer, Personal chef and nanny so I can focus on my body!
So true..If I won the lottery I would pay some college football strength & conditioning coach to work with me for 2-3 years. Obviously college FB players are blessed to begin with but their bodies are transformed from age 17-18 to when they are 19-20. It basically their job to lift weights, train and eat right year round and throw in a little school here and there.
Oh this is the worst mindset ever. The brutal truth is, you're fat and weak because you are! The only reason you cant improve yourself is you. I had that mindset of "if I just had this or that then I would be perfect too" it was just a big lie I was telling myself and it kept me fat for 20 years. The faster you ditch that thinking the happier you will be.
I used to like shows like this but in a way it's bad because it reenforces that mindset of you need people to help you. When in fact if you look at most of the people on this site, they didn't have any of that stuff and they did just fine.0 -
I love this show!! Host Chris and his wife are an amazing examples of good health and fitness. As for Bruce and his story, how could you not feel for the young man. Not only did he lose 201 pounds he overcame his past!0
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Wasn't the baseball player also the guy who still lived with his Mom and cried when she tried to get him move out or was that another guy?
Anyway, I did really like this week's episode as Bruce was never negative, never wanted to quit and only worked hard the whole year. That's what sort of kills it for me and some of the others on the show who are given this opportunity and throw it away. Both of the trainers are really involved and know how to motivate!
The only thing that really bothered me on this episode was the parole hearing. Chris had his arm around Bruce and was comforting him (which was nice), but it was like that part was set up for TV as it should have been Bruce's family being able to comfort him. Not his trainer. Not that I don't think Chris cares, but this is a huge emotional event for this young man and we shouldn't be setting it up as a made for TV event. Truly, I don't think we should have watched it at all, but possibly Bruce wanted other victims of abuse to know it is all right to stand up for yourself. I assume showing this was his decision.
So all in all this week I was thrilled for Bruce and his progress for the year. He worked hard and stayed focused and positive and I can see him motivating others.0 -
I'll sometimes watch that show with my son (11 years old) and every commercial, we'll do sit-ups together...him pushing me. I like the show but sometimes just want to relax during those commercials 0
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http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/health-on-the-small-screen/former-extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition-cast-member-blows-whistle-on-shows-practices/
Just like all tv. fake, fake. fake. which is really quite sad.0
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