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Biggest loser?

24

Replies

  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
    I used to feel motivated watching it, but I prefer extreme makeover now--mostly because the catty competitiveness and the artificial nature of the "week" sets unrealistic expectations.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    The Biggest Loser boils down to this:

    If people did it on their own at home, they'd be diagnosed with an eating disorder.

    an exercise disorder actually, exercise bulimia. Their food intake isn't ridiculous, but the exercise is.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member

    They weight the same. Muscle has more mass per surface area.

    oh gawd, now you're bringing shape into it as well.
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  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Saying that one substance is heavier than another is simply the common way of communicating that it is more dense because, given equal volumes, the more dense substance will weigh more.

    Seriously, if you say "muscle is more dense than fat" and I say "muscle weighs more than fat," the fact is that we both mean the same thing and everyone understands what we're communicating.

    The pointless argument over symantics on this issue makes me stabby.
    It's not like people are spreading derp and woo by using the common vernacular. They're simply stating a fact but doing so in such a way that leaves an unspoken assumption (equal volumes) yet that everyone understands.

    I could not agree more.

    No one thinks a lb of something has a different weight than a lb of something else. The same volume is implied when weights are compared (for other than specific objects/people).

    The reason "muscle weighs more than fat" is often a silly thing to say is that there's no reason to think you put on a lb or 2 of muscle in a short period of time (like a week), and people suggest that this is a possibility (usually from some mild cardio and at 1200 calories) all the time. Those people are wrong, but I'm sure they aren't confused about 1 lb=1 lb.

    Agreed. I roll my eyes when someone posts "help! I started drinking lemon water and taking walks but I'm not losing weight!" And derpers start with their "that's because you're putting on muscle which weighs more than fat!"

    But to me that seems like a misunderstanding about how muscle is built.
    I think that's where the misinformation should be called out but unfortunately the only argument anyone posts is "no, it's just more dense!" *eye roll*


    drinking lemon in water makes me feel hungrier and hungrier.......


  • derek1237654
    derek1237654 Posts: 234 Member
    moe0303 wrote: »
    >:) There's too much agreement in this debate. >:)

    I like the show, but I accept it for what it is. It's not really a show about weight loss as much as it is a show about desperation. It's an absurd contest, but it's interesting. It kind of reminds me of that Schwarzenegger movie, Running Man.

    That reminds me of the arnie quote from the movie sabotage. He tells the fat cop and the skinny cop "you cant talk to me like that you dumb *kitten*. Look at you with your 48% body fat and you ,you scrawny *kitten*".
    LOL gotta love Arnie
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    moe0303 wrote: »
    >:) There's too much agreement in this debate. >:)

    I like the show, but I accept it for what it is. It's not really a show about weight loss as much as it is a show about desperation. It's an absurd contest, but it's interesting. It kind of reminds me of that Schwarzenegger movie, Running Man.

    I would love to see someone stab one of the trainers *cough*Jillian*cough* in the back with a pen.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ93RLxHcjI
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited May 2016
    Am I the only one who actually likes the show? The only thing that bugs me is when they make those obese people RUN on treadmills (And there's always one who falls off!) Why put such stress on their joints when they could get just as good a workout on an elliptical with low/no impact?

    People say it's too hard and unsustainable. Well, they have nothing else to do all day so working out 4-6 hrs a day for a few months is not unreasonable. Construction workers and other hard manual laborers work all day long for years don't they?

    I don't see what's wrong with exercising hard for a few months in the luxury of the BL camp and learn how to implement lifestyle changes for the long term. Once they've lost majority of the weight at BL, they wouldn't need to workout so hard and would be able to maintain with an hour or so of daily exercise like most lean folks do. The problem of course is that most are regaining the weight because they didn't learn anything and went back to bad habits of overeating and not exercising.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Also people generally don't go from being completely out of shape and sedentary to being a full-time construction worker. I mean, not impossible, but not all that common, I'd imagine.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. I wish people would quit saying that. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound fat. Weight = gravity's pull, Volume = space occupied

    I wish people would quit saying this ^^ It makes them sound petty and silly.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I've never seen the show but ultra fast weight loss is rarely a long term solution to weight control. But I guess it might be a good way to earn some money (I assume there is a cash prize).
  • cardonne0810
    cardonne0810 Posts: 9 Member
    Whatever! Muscle feels better than fat. You feel toned your posture is better so you use your muscles correctly allowing you body to tone itself throughout the day. Who wants to be skinny with flab?
  • Dandelie
    Dandelie Posts: 153 Member
    The level of exercise and diet they push them through for "extreme" weight loss is unsustainable and unrealistic for normal life. The fact that the majority of those who were on the show gained the weight back shows just how unrealistic and unhealthy that type of action is. I thought about getting surgery or another quick fix, but in the end...it doesn't touch on the aspects of weight loss that needs to dealt with.

    One of the stories I read with those who regained showed that a man gained 32 pounds of water weight after the show. That is so dangerous...keeping your body at that level of dehydration just for ratings. The show shouldn't exist!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    pixiestick wrote: »
    I used to feel motivated watching it, but I prefer extreme makeover now--mostly because the catty competitiveness and the artificial nature of the "week" sets unrealistic expectations.

    That show isn't much better. They have had participants come out and talk about being put on VLCD's and dehydrating for weigh ins at the urging of producers. The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover are actually created and produced by the same person.

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Whatever! Muscle feels better than fat. You feel toned your posture is better so you use your muscles correctly allowing you body to tone itself throughout the day. Who wants to be skinny with flab?

    Feel toned? Toned is not a feeling. Well, toning isn't really a thing but whatever.Having good posture allows your body to tone throughout the day? I guess all the bodybuilders and heavy lifters should quit lifting and just sit around all day with good posture in order to build muscle.
  • fangedneko
    fangedneko Posts: 133 Member
    moe0303 wrote: »
    It kind of reminds me of that Schwarzenegger movie, Running Man.

    You should read the book, it's a lot darker and more dystopian. Then again, it is a Stephen King.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    pixiestick wrote: »
    I used to feel motivated watching it, but I prefer extreme makeover now--mostly because the catty competitiveness and the artificial nature of the "week" sets unrealistic expectations.

    That show isn't much better. They have had participants come out and talk about being put on VLCD's and dehydrating for weigh ins at the urging of producers. The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover are actually created and produced by the same person.

    Are they still on? I like Extreme weight loss but didn't love the last season I watched. Too many Heidi episodes. I tune in for Chris
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    pixiestick wrote: »
    I used to feel motivated watching it, but I prefer extreme makeover now--mostly because the catty competitiveness and the artificial nature of the "week" sets unrealistic expectations.

    That show isn't much better. They have had participants come out and talk about being put on VLCD's and dehydrating for weigh ins at the urging of producers. The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover are actually created and produced by the same person.

    Are they still on? I like Extreme weight loss but didn't love the last season I watched. Too many Heidi episodes. I tune in for Chris

    I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything about when the next season is supposed to start. They have been airing reruns on TLC though.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I can't even watch that. People submitting to humiliation and abuse? No way.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Reality shows in general are a form of entertainment that I'm not very drawn to. Too much drama for my taste. People like to see other people go through drastic changes they wish they themselves could do, so watching other people do it is the next best thing. Many kinds of entertainment capitalize on wishful thinking and needs/fears. I believe most people are smart enough to realize this isn't a healthy or a sustainable way to lose weight, and watch the show for entertainment/fantasizing value.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Dangerous, unhealthy and unsustainable.

    That seems to be the case, considering the poor results they've gotten over time. :s
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    Reality shows in general are a form of entertainment that I'm not very drawn to. Too much drama for my taste. People like to see other people go through drastic changes they wish they themselves could do, so watching other people do it is the next best thing. Many kinds of entertainment capitalize on wishful thinking and needs/fears. I believe most people are smart enough to realize this isn't a healthy or a sustainable way to lose weight, and watch the show for entertainment/fantasizing value.

    This is why I watch. I am envious of how these out of shape people go from not exercising to 4-6 hours of hard exercise a day. I don't think I could do it, cash prize or not. I am surprised that no one has died.

    I am also envious that these people have the self esteem to appear on a TV show focused on their weight. I could never do that, cash prize or not. Too embarrassing for me.
  • TashiBlue
    TashiBlue Posts: 86 Member
    My opinion is it is unhealthy and should only be viewed as entertainment. The food/exercise it portrays is unhealthy and unrealistic in the modern world. In the UK it lasted 2 series before it was pulled due to the amount of complaints to OFCOM, and that was after advocating CICO through a payed subscription website. I truly feel for the people that were 'contestants' on the show who's health is now worse than it was prior to participating.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    TashiAce wrote: »
    My opinion is it is unhealthy and should only be viewed as entertainment. The food/exercise it portrays is unhealthy and unrealistic in the modern world. In the UK it lasted 2 series before it was pulled due to the amount of complaints to OFCOM, and that was after advocating CICO through a payed subscription website. I truly feel for the people that were 'contestants' on the show who's health is now worse than it was prior to participating.

    I do wonder though, if their health is worse because years have passed and they have not made lasting changes to their condition of obesity
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    TashiAce wrote: »
    My opinion is it is unhealthy and should only be viewed as entertainment. The food/exercise it portrays is unhealthy and unrealistic in the modern world. In the UK it lasted 2 series before it was pulled due to the amount of complaints to OFCOM, and that was after advocating CICO through a payed subscription website. I truly feel for the people that were 'contestants' on the show who's health is now worse than it was prior to participating.

    I do wonder though, if their health is worse because years have passed and they have not made lasting changes to their condition of obesity

    Exactly! And throughout the series' there's always a doctor showing participants' improving health markers like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar management, reduction in medications etc. So if things fall apart long after the weight loss, it's because they went back to their old habits.

    I've lost weight super slowly with increased exercise but if I go back to sedentary living and eating a crap diet, I'll gain it all back, my cholesterol and blood pressure will go right back up etc. It doesn't matter how fast or slow someone loses weight, all that matters is that they maintain the habits of a proper diet and exercise.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    I used to watch it..Maybe the first 2 seasons but what do the contestants learn? That cruelty and deprivation are the only way to win? What happened to learning self love and self control? What about developing healthy habits that will last for a lifetime? Those work too. And the failure rates are a lot less.
  • Rob_in_MI
    Rob_in_MI Posts: 393 Member
    It's really a weight loss drama. The whole touchy feely "how did I get like this" with Bob is aggravating too. They ended up there due to *kitten* decision making. I actually enjoy the first few episodes where they are falling out and/or puking. It reminds me of basic training!

    I do give them full props for signing up and trying though.
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