Are we doomed?

emdeesea · May 2016

What does everyone think of this article? Sounds pretty depressing to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=1

TavistockToad · May 2016

He lost 239lbs in 7 months... that may have had something to do with it.

JeromeBarry1 · May 2016

I haven't read the article. Journalists fall in love with their work and forget to consider alternative realities.

sunnybeaches105 · May 2016

I can't help but think one of the main reasons there is so much hand wringing over this article is that people are looking for excuses. Read the thread linked above for some thoughtful responses regarding why this is not much of a surprise and why you needn't worry.

Lounmoun · May 2016

I think the lesson is that losing a lot of weight quickly is not the way to go. I think it is hard on the body and that type of intense dieting and exercising is unsustainable long term.

UpEarly · May 2016

NO - we are not doomed. I lost 60 pounds over 14 months in 2011-2012. I've had a relatively easy time keeping it off by being mindful and consistent. When I lost weight, I only did a small 250 calories/day deficit. I lost weight slowly and easily. I just had to be patient. On 'maintenance', I have been able to eat cake, drink beer, enjoy a couple pieces of pizza, etc. I don't feel like my metabolism took a huge, damaging hit. I feel normal.

Biggest Loser is cheap entertainment for the networks to produce, but I think it damages the mental and physical health of each and every contestant on the show. I think the rapid weight loss paired with overtraining/overexercising might be the cause of their metabolic damage.

There is a right way to lose weight - and Biggest Loser does pretty much the exact opposite of that.

ReaderGirl3 · May 2016

3 years into maintenance here and doing ok so far

Ready2Rock206 · May 2016

TavistockToad wrote: »

He lost 239lbs in 7 months... that may have had something to do with it.

This. They lost a HUGE amount of weight in a very short time using very extreme measures - they ate a VLCD and exercised like 6 hours a day. When you go through such drastic measures to lose weight like that you have to expect it will mess with your body in some ways. Also that's completely unsustainable - once you're off tv and have to work you can't keep up the pace of starving yourself and exercising so many hours a day. Its not at all surprising they regained the weight. They didn't deal with any of the issues that caused them to gain so much in the first place and didn't learn the skills needed for long term weight loss.

I'd like to see what happens with people who lost the weight in a more reasonable fashion.

Hornsby · May 2016

It's poo

Meganthedogmom · May 2016

sunnybeaches105 wrote: »

I can't help but think one of the main reasons there is so much hand wringing over this article is that people are looking for excuses.

Agreed. The first thing I thought of when j saw this article is, "great, yet another BS thing for people to point to as an excuse as to why not to lose weight."

Carlos_421 · May 2016

Wait...are we taking a study on the possibility of metabolic damage in individuals who engaged in ridiculous levels of calorie restriction during periods of intense physical activity to the degree of risking their health on The Biggest Loser and extrapolating that to the general dieting public to say that anyone who loses weight at a moderate rate through reasonable calorie restriction will permanently jack up their metabolism???

...seems legit.

vismal · May 2016

No because journalists misinterpret studies all the time. Remember the study that had journalists claiming the "one minute workout" was the key to fitness success just a week or two ago? They manipulate what a study actually says to get an interesting, click-baity, article.

upoffthemat · May 2016

Then again look at all the success stories on this site from people that lost weight and have kept it off for years following a sensible plan. That is what I am going to prefer to focus on.

eyeshinebright · May 2016

vismal wrote: »

No because journalists misinterpret studies all the time. Remember the study that had journalists claiming the "one minute workout" was the key to fitness success just a week or two ago? They manipulate what a study actually says to get an interesting, click-baity, article.

Exactly! My alma mater did that study and I was confused why all the headlines said one minute workout, when in fact it was really more of a 10 minute HIIT workout. You just can't read or watch anything in the media anymore haha.

RosieRose7673 · May 2016

eyeshinebright wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

No because journalists misinterpret studies all the time. Remember the study that had journalists claiming the "one minute workout" was the key to fitness success just a week or two ago? They manipulate what a study actually says to get an interesting, click-baity, article.

Exactly! My alma mater did that study and I was confused why all the headlines said one minute workout, when in fact it was really more of a 10 minute HIIT workout. You just can't read or watch anything in the media anymore haha.

Ha! That's funny! I actually just saw a short news clip of this today! The news really does manipulate the information for more views!

DrewMontoya · May 2016

Here's the actual study, not some pop rag's interpretation of it.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.21538/epdf

Now, look at Table 1. Enter those average stats into your favorite TDEE/BMR calculator. 3. Compare your calculated numbers with the RMR values in Table 1. The 30 week numbers are surprisingly close, and in fairness, the 6 year numbers are quite different once you enter the 6 year stats into the calculator. However, the article makes it sound as if a 1900 kcal BMR means you'll be on an unhealthy restriction to keep the weight off.

elisa123gal · May 2016

yeah..one of the best "weight loss" shows I saw was years ago.. I think the first one. It was a documentary style series that showed individuals over a year learning how to eat right..grocery shop..and exercise. it was very realistic and helpful. The Biggest Loser is fun to watch.. but the extreme exercise is so unrealistic of course they can't keep it up.

rollerjog · May 2016

weight loss shows LOL after the people lose there weight, i bet the show dont show them how to maintaine and educate the people how to keep the weight off, i bet a small percent of people stay at the weight that they ended up at the end of the show, the rest are right back to the see food diet

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx · May 2016

I choose to believe my own results. 150 lbs lost over 2.5 years and I've maintained it for 2 years so far. My maintenance calories are more or less what the calculators say they should be for height, weight and activity level.

CoffeeNCardio · May 2016

They kept saying "have slower metabolisms when they lost the weight" when I think what they were really talking about was the completely normal situation where being thinner means you need fewer calories.

What the heck did the author think was gonna happen? That a 190 lb man and a 430lb man can have the same calorie needs?

And everyone here knows exactly why they gained back the weight. NBC just pushed them to lose as many lbs as possible as fast as possible and as a result they learned NOTHING about sustainable weight loss techniques. That's just what happens when you lose weight by using tactics you don't intend to use for the rest of your life.

I may not log for the rest of my life, but at least when I'm at goal, I'll know how to stay there: by watching my intake.

Are we doomed?

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