Biggest Loser contestants

Well, if comments by one of the former contestants are anything to go by it's not just extreme but dangerously unhealthy:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/biggest-loser-contestant-kai-hibbard-eating-disorder/story?id=11012666#.TzQsBSNQBZI

Thank you for posting this! People need to understand that it is not healthy to drop 10 pounds a week. It requires extreme exercise and extreme dieting even to the point of an eating disorder. You can do irreversible damage to your body by even trying this stuff. Why do you think all the doctors are there? Their job is to make sure the contestants don't drop dead in the middle of filming.

I love that show and have actually learned a lot from watching it. They give out a lot of tips. I could do without the added drama but then it wouldn't be getting good ratings because unfortunately that's what people like to see. I actually liked jillian michaels and I wish she was still on the show. Not sure about the new trainer yet though. I love Bob. Most the contestants do also. He's became harder I noticed since Jillian left. I think it's awesome that they have a chance to get away from their real lives and just focus solely on losing weight. A lot of people would love to have that chance. I would love for my mom to have that opportunity because someone like her needs that. A lot of people can't do this on their own and they need something like that show to help them. Yes they may work out unrealistic hours but that's why they went there so they could. I'm sure they realize that's not always how it's going to be and that when they go back home they will not have all that time to workout and there will be all the temptations again. They go on that show to learn things too though so they can bring that back home. Some people do great and some people fail but that's not just Biggest Loser contestants. That's anyone who has lost weight. They're are doing it the healthy way. They eat healthy and exercise. There's nothing wrong with that. I've learned a lot about eating watching that show. It's not like they starve them or put them on some crash diet. I completely agree with everything they do (except all the drama) and look forward to watching it every week!

I enjoy the show. I think they lose weight in a healthy way. Is it realistic for most of us - no because most of us have to work and raise kids and clean house and mow the lawn. But just because we don't have the means to devote all of our time to our health doesn't mean that those who do are unhealthy. I think having diabetes or high blood pressure is far more damaging that fast weight loss under constant supervision of a team of the most knowledgeable doctors.

Ironically, one of the best things about the show I think is the weeks that they *don't* lose weight or lose just a pound. It reminds me that the body is a very complex thing. You can be doing EVERYTHING right and sometimes your body just says "wait a minute".

Sure there are contestants that gain the weight back but you know what... 95% of the people who lose weight on a diet gain it back. That's the nature of the beast with ANY weight loss. There are a LOT of success stories with BL.

Also, you've got to understand the difference between achieving a weight and maintaining a weight. They try to achieve a weight for the finale to win the money (who wouldn't?) but then typically gain a few once they return to a more reasonable workout/diet regimen. Think of body builders - they do not stay at 100% peak, cut performance 365 days a year. They have different seasons where they bulk and cut. I can (and have) achieve 120-something pounds but I can't maintain it based on the effort I can realistically do longterm 130's is maintainable for me.

The people on Biggest loser are also very overweight and even though they look like they are being killed in the gym, I feel it would be a hard workout but not as intense as they make it look.

I started going to the gym on January 2nd 2012 and I have lost 25.5lbs since then by changing my habits (don't like calling it a diet because a diet is not long term). I changed the way I think and act about food and excercise. I have lost 3-4 lbs a week and I have a job from 7am-5:30pm. It is possible when you research and plan things out!

I feel if you do the surgery, you kind of bypass all the hard work, I don't think I could keep the weight off if I did the surgery, I have gained so much knowledge from working out and weighing all my food!