Biggest Loser?

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jellybaby84
jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There's probably a million threads on this but so much comes up in search that I can't find what I want.

I've only recently discovered this show so am a week or so behind still but I am stunned by the sheer amount these people can lose in a week.

I've just watched 1 guy lose 2st 3lb in a week. ONE WEEK?! Seriously, is this even possible? Surely the show is rigging numbers for effect? He certainly didn't look any different.

And then they all get so disappointed with 5lb weight losses more than double what we would expect to lose in 1 week. I just don't get it.

I feel like it has to be either faked or terribly dangerous. ANd that either way it shouldn't be on tv. If neither of the above then it's a total miracle and we all need to know how to do it NOW!

Any thoughts on the show? Anyone ever experienced losing more than half a stone in just one week?

Replies

  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    It's important to remember that the contestants on that show have time to eat right and work out from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep. No work, no family, no distractions.

    I don't doubt people on here could lose much more if someone took care of all of our money issues, and if we had no family, friends or loved ones around us - just a gym open 24 hours a day, and professional trainers watching us like hawks.
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
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    It's important to remember that the contestants on that show have time to eat right and work out from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep. No work, no family, no distractions.

    I don't doubt people on here could lose much more if someone took care of all of our money issues, and if we had no family, friends or loved ones around us - just a gym open 24 hours a day, and professional trainers watching us like hawks.

    I can definitely do that for a few weeks of the year at a time. I'm a teacher in a boarding school so work 70-90 hour weeks in term time BUT I have long stretches of up to 6 weeks at a time when I am on a totally felxible schedule and go to the gym for 3 hours a day. I have no family relying on me, have the money to pay healthy food and live alone. I guess it makes a difference that I'm not overweight but I still find that level of weekly progress compared to mine incredible.
  • jonbairam11
    jonbairam11 Posts: 37
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    yes they are 100% focussed on this, they train 3 times a day I think and are on strict diets that will promote weight loss. they have nutrition guidance and trainers on hand. They have the chance to change and the good ones grab it and do really well.

    Also the more you have to lose the more you do lose, the body is amazing at knowing when its in good and bad condition. They are extreme and although some of the numbers seem really high, they will level off and after about 3 or 4 weeks it will get back to levels that seem less extreme, although should still be great by our standards...
  • rainedays86
    rainedays86 Posts: 105 Member
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    The more wieght you have to lose then the faster it will come off at first. At least this was true for me. During the first 2-3 months of losing weight I was losing anywhere from 3-8 lbs a week. No joke! It definately helped to see it come off so fast, made me realize that I COULD do this. Now I lose 1-2 lbs per week. Sometimes I will plateau and remain the same but not very often.
  • the_incredible_shrulk
    the_incredible_shrulk Posts: 72
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    Im rooting for Sarah (yellow team) I hope she pulls through and wins the competition
  • Learning2LoveMe
    Learning2LoveMe Posts: 1,430 Member
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    If everyone worked out 6-8 hours a day, every day while eating carefully chosen meals that promote weight loss... then we could all put up crazy numbers like that. Unfortunately, we all have real lives, distractions, temptations, etc.
  • fordster99
    fordster99 Posts: 181 Member
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    I have been watching this show for years and have read several articles on it as well and the reason why these contestants drop this extreme amount of weight is because they work out 6 to 8 hours a day hard and also have a very strict diet. They burn several pounds a day just in exercise and also the deficit in their caloric intake makes them lose even more weight. I have to say though that once these contestants go home, many of them gain some of the weight back because they can't keep up with this regimen. Its unrealistic for an average person to lose this amount of weight.
  • JeffJohnson26
    JeffJohnson26 Posts: 77 Member
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    Like many above have pointed out, these constestants live on that ranch for six months with nothing on the agenda, but eat, train, sleep, ect...

    As for the dramatic weight loss you see them achieve, it's not unhealthy for someone to lose amounts like that if they are morbidly obese. You'll notice contestants weighing 350 to 400+ pounds can do it. Pay attention to their percentage of weight loss though. It ranges from 1 to 3 percent for some of them, which isn't uncommon.
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
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    I hadn't thought about the percentage thing, that's a good point.

    Didn't realise it was 6-8 hours either. How ...boring! ;P
  • taylorbrown1792
    taylorbrown1792 Posts: 129 Member
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    Sure its possible in the first week they all lost about 8-15 lbs. But they are being worked hard!! 6-8 hrs a day working out! That is a lot of work right there. I lost 5lbs on my first week of dieting. I feel that im not going to be as lucky this week but I will get something. Their diets are watched.
  • samdot
    samdot Posts: 12
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    on the uk's biggest loser they work out for 4 hours a day with a personal trainer and then they can do extra if they want to!! on last weeks show some only lost 1lb even with all that support some weeks it just doesnt happen lol plus u got to remember its a competition at the end of the day so not getting big numbers means they may be out of the running for winning
  • Learning2LoveMe
    Learning2LoveMe Posts: 1,430 Member
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    I have to say though that once these contestants go home, many of them gain some of the weight back because they can't keep up with this regimen. Its unrealistic for an average person to lose this amount of weight.


    Yea, and the ones who are able to keep it off usually end up having surgery to get rid of all that excess skin they have from losing weight too fast.
  • annabelle125
    annabelle125 Posts: 5 Member
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    If this is the first time you have ever seen the show, then you don't know the even scarier thing about this season. The weight loss is SLOWER this season than in prior seasons. It is not uncommon to see people drop 15-20 lbs in the first week. However, I also think the people (or at least most of them) are not AS heavy as in previous seasons.

    I do love to watch it as motivation, especially to see the at home transformations. But, I know I can't lose that fast.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    The Biggest Loser is an encyclopedia of what NOT to do for healthy, LASTING fat loss.

    Ignore that show and just do it right.
    There are no short cuts except in the world of TV titillation.

    If you want the real story, see how these dupes do after they leave the show.

    Did they keep the weight off?
    Ryan Benson — Season 1 Winner

    Starting Weight: 330

    Ending Weight: 208

    Before going on "The Biggest Loser," Ryan Benson was an actor with very small roles in such movies as "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Eight Legged Freaks." Then he got his big break, becoming the first "BL" winner. He lost 122 pounds (37 percent of his body weight) and won the $250,000 grand prize in December 2004. But by Season 6, trainer Bob Harper was citing Ryan as a warning to new contestants, revealing that the former winner had gained back all his weight. Ryan has admitted in interviews that he'd starved himself and lived on "cleansing beverages" in the weeks leading up to the finale and that immediately after the show he gained 30 pounds just by hydrating. Ryan doesn't discuss his weight much these days, but in 2008 he starred in the indie film "DISfigured" about a few friends in a fat acceptance group. Ryan was cast as "an overweight man." Sounds like he's probably not sticking to his ranch regime.

    Is this the example you want to set for yourself?

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