biggest loser promoting health? hahaha

I noticed that too. I was wondering if anyone else caught the low calorie intake....

Wow, I love BL and I didn't notice that last week! I would have been all over it too. That's ridiculous, 1097 calories? For a what, 300lbs man? Yikes. I probably will stop watching after Jill leaves too. I love her, despite her slightly annoying shift to the supplement & fat burner market. (eek)

I love the show. reguardless of what goes on behind the curtain the people that have been on the show are real people with real challenges like all of us. Taking it to such extremes is crazy but in the real world when everything is said and done life is hard and people really do want to be healthy. Some just dont know how. You can not count on a TV show to give you all the answers. Real life does not happen on tv. Real life happens at home...And about Jillian selling out, oh well!! The chick is not God and needs to make the money while she can lol. Her chosen career will not last her life time just saying <giggle giggle<< and one more thing.. everyone knows 20 pounds lost in one week is crazy and unhealthy. The contestants signed up for the show to lose large amounts of weight. They knew they would be expected to push the limits of unhealthy weight loss. I dont think the show would have done as well if people were only losing the Healthy 1-2 pounds a week. its sad but true. . . follow me around with a camera and expect to be bored out of your mind. lol

I absolutely despise this show and what it's doing to people. The Biggest Loser "method" is unsustainable, dangerous, and absurd. Yet, people here are always so excited by the show, and even more excited to try The Biggest Loser workout DVDs. YOU CANNOT LOSE WEIGHT BY WATCHING TV.

The Biggest Loser has NOTHING to do with what is reasonable, responsible, or sustainable. It's not based on medical science, and is based only loosely on any science at all. The contestants are required to attest to the fact that they are "in excellent physical, emotional, psychological and mental health," at the time they sign the contract regardless of what the truth may be.

They're also required to sign the contract knowing that “no warranty, representation or guarantee has been made as to the qualifications or credentials of the medical professionals who examine me or perform any procedures on me in connection with my participation in the series, or their ability to diagnose medical conditions that may affect my fitness to participate in the series." Basically, the "professionals" on this show have been told by the network NOT to act as professionals, but only in the best interests of the show.

Here's a quick summary of what happens to these contestants:

1. Extremely unhealthy people come to the show;

2. They sign a contract aggreeing that they are in excellent shape;

3. They are forced into excessive workouts despite readiness, or physical ability to handle the sudden stresses;

4. They are put on dangerously restrictive diets which CANNOT support their bodies and activities which has led to exhaustion, dehydration, severe cramping, and hospitalisation;

5. They lose massive amounts of weights in a very quick period of time which can lead to shock, gallstones, arrhythmias, electrolyte, mineral and metabolic imbalances, low blood sugar, reduced bone density, and rapid blood pressure changes--all of these can be life threatening;

6. They are NOT given the knowledge needed to maintain a healhty weight;

7. They leave the show, and rapidly gain back a lot of weight because rapid loss leads to rapid gain because it decreases the metabolic rate increases through the breakdown of more lean tissues.

Now, let's see what the show does to the people who watch it:

1. It implies that rapid weight loss is "healthy" or can lead to "health";

2. It causes people to remain sedentary for an hour that they could be active;

3. It DOES NOT properly warn the viewer of the medical problems that arise due to rapid weight loss;

4. It presents an absurdly unrealistic perspective on weight loss;

5. It DOES NOT teach about proper nutrition;

6. It promotes its method as being safe, and increases the chances of a viewer being injured due to mimicry.



The Biggest Loser is a fraud. Plain and simple. Yes, the contestants lose weight, but they remain unhealthy because they are not given what they need to develop a healhty lifestyle. Real weight loss CANNOT be approached in this manner with a reasonable expectation of success. Most of the Biggest Loser winners have gained back all or some of their weight since leaving the show.

Season 1 winner.Ryan Benson, lost 122 lbs on the show, and has since gained back at least 50 as of the last update I could find on him.

Season 2 winner, Matt Hoover, has gained back most of the 157 lbs. he lost on the show.

Season 3 winner, Erik Chopin, has gained back nearly all of the weight he lost, and is the most notable of the winners for being The Biggest Gainer after the show.

Season 4 winner, Bill Germanakos, has gained back 63 lbs as of the last update I could find on him.

It won't be long now before I can add the rest of the winners to this list with the exception of one. Michelle Aguilar, the season 6 "Families" winner, is the only one of these Biggest Losers who seems to have actually changed her lifestyle to support her health.

Bottom line:STOP swearing by the Biggest Loser method. The only method they have is unsustainable absurdity. If you desire to lose weight and to keep it off then rapid weight loss is the most ludicrous thing you could do to your body. Instead of following a TV show you should follow your doctor's advice, or at least the advice of the majority of doctors which is:

For most people, a loss rate of 1 to 2 lbs per week is healthy, and anything more could lead to complications. The 1-2 lbs per week is recommended to most people who need to lose weight who aren't morbidly obese. Morbidly obese people can lose a bit more 3-5lbs per week until they are no longer morbidly obese at which point the loss rate is adjusted.