I hate the Biggest Loser!

grnice
grnice Posts: 96
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
That show has inspired a lot of people to lose weight but it has also put a lot of unrealistic expectations in people's minds. I was excited this week, I had around a 10,000 calorie defecit and only lost a pound. I actually burst into tears on the scale. I don't want to live like that!

I told a friend I lost a pound and they said, "omg, what did you eat this week?" Implying that I must of eaten my way through all the fast food chains since I didn't lose 5 lbs this week. What happened? Who the heck knows. Maybe I ate too much, maybe I didn't eat enough, maybe it's water weight since I'm sore, maybe I have the metabolism of a snail, I don't really know but I really am trying.

It's funny though, on Biggest Loser they never (very rarely) only lose a pound. Why is that? Probably because even if they have water weight it's offset by the thousands of calories they are burning working out 8 hours a day. I am not working out 8 hours a day.

I'm tired of hearing, "you should be losing more weight." I hear it from my family, my friends and even my doctor. This would be the point in my weight loss journey where I would give up, go back to eating junk and never exercising but I'm going to keep chugging along and hoping for the best.

Oh, and Biggest Loser, you can kiss my a**!
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Replies

  • NMJosephs
    NMJosephs Posts: 185
    I can't believe that people are telling you that you should be losing more weight. That's crazy! Slow and steady wins the race, in my mind.

    Push those people's comments out of your head and do what you can do. If you give it your best then that's what you'll get back!

    good luck!
  • Charice
    Charice Posts: 188 Member
    Ditto!
  • Marig0ld
    Marig0ld Posts: 671 Member
    +1. Not to mention that the people on that show are (usually) morbidly obese, so of course they drop huge amounts of weight. There's a difference between them and a person who has a lot less to lose.
  • ashditty2
    ashditty2 Posts: 7 Member
    good luck! keep up the good work, i'm of the motto that sustainable weight loss comes over time and any time you lose anything, whether it be .5lbs or 3, its a good week! keep it up!
  • xYumzx
    xYumzx Posts: 953 Member
    A pound lost is better then a pound gained. =) think positive
  • katy4399
    katy4399 Posts: 136 Member
    Please don't get discouraged, I bet next week you will have lost a lot more.
  • bobbinalong
    bobbinalong Posts: 151 Member
    Get a 1 lb bag of sugar, a 1 lb brick, a 1 lb anything and give to whomever and say this is what I lost you can have it, you will feel 10 lbs lighter...

    ps,,I lost one pound this week, one pound one week at a time adds up!
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I'm not a fan either. I think they engage in dangerous and unhealthy practices all in the name of showmanship. People that unfit should not be pushed that hard in the gym when they're first starting out. And *no one* should drop weight as rapidly as their contestants do. I also don't like the 'gaming' aspect - people chugging water to throw weigh ins, competitions that tempt contestants with donuts and fried chicken to win an extra edge in weigh in, etc. It's all so physically and mentally unhealthy!

    I think you're right - the show sets up unrealistic expectations for weight loss for the general public.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
    On the Biggest Loser their one week is more like 2. The show has become a 2 hour long infomercial for all sorts of processed foods. That life style is NOT sustainable or healthy. Unless you are morbidly obese if you are losing 1-2 pounds a week you are doing great. To hell with any of the naysayers!
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
    Well, like you said...If you had an unlimited amount of time to work out every day, then you'd be dropping 5+ lbs a week. We, unfortunately, do not have the ability to stay in a gym for a few hours a day. Most of us have jobs/school, kids/family, etc. There on the ranch, they have no distractions! They have a ton of healthy food options and tons of equipment to use.

    I love the show, but I found that I was constantly comparing myself and what I would/wouldn't lose every week to the women that I would see step on the scales. I finally stopped watching.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    What they do on the show is very unhealthy and puts a lot of strain on the body. Remember these contestants are being monitored all day by doctors. Due to the unhealthy nature of what they are doing they need to be monitored closely.

    Here is a guide for setting appropriate weekly weight loss goals that are healthy and sustainable:.
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • MNA76
    MNA76 Posts: 1,541
    YAY!! You lost a lb!! And you're dedicated and working hard. Good for you!! It shouldn't be a race to drop lbs. It should be a process to getting healthy and feeling good.
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    You know... another thing that bothers me about that show?? Nobody ever has hanging or excess skin. How is that possible for the amounts of weight they lose? I quit watching a couple seasons ago. At any rate.... a pound is great. But I am like you, I want to see the big numbers. I keep telling myself that losing slowly really is the best way, and it gives your body time to adjust! Good luck!
  • NYCDutchess
    NYCDutchess Posts: 622 Member
    On the biggest loser they work out 2x a day for hours at a time. They have healthy meals prepared for them are monitored by physicians. You cannot compare you life to living on the ranch.
    A pound is GREAT!!! Keep up the good work!
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 388 Member
    Get a 1 lb bag of sugar, a 1 lb brick, a 1 lb anything and give to whomever and say this is what I lost you can have it, you will feel 10 lbs lighter...

    ps,,I lost one pound this week, one pound one week at a time adds up!


    ^^^^^^^^^ LOVE THIS!!!!^^^^^^^^^
  • dragonsheart84
    dragonsheart84 Posts: 75
    You are not going to drop weight on a dime. It takes time. It takes your body to adjust to what you are doing. This show is crazy. I am glad that it helps people make the decision to lose weight but the goals are unrealistic to a normal person. So unless you are in the gym for hours at a time, do not give up. One pound is a good goal for each week. It is realistic. Anything else is unsafe and probably dooming you for failure.
  • RLeighP
    RLeighP Posts: 232 Member
    The kind of rigorous working out they do on that show is just not feasible for the average person. So, logically, the average person is not going to lose that much weight, and they absolutely should not lose that much at one time. Even though losing a pound a week is definitely slower, it's going to be much easier to maintain that weight loss, and it's so much healthier. Not to mention, your body adjusts so much easier. Of course, being morbidly obese to begin with, a person WILL lose weight very quickly, For the first few months after I started exercising and counting calories (I stupidly was at 1000 cal a day) I lost 20-25 lbs a month. Once I learned that this wasn't healthy, I changed my habits and began losing at a much healthier pace.

    And look at it this way, losing a pound is much better than gaining it!
  • ARMom8251
    ARMom8251 Posts: 194
    Its a good show to motivate, but people have to know thats all they do workout, eat right, they have doctor supervision, they have people telling them what to eat and how to workout, and if you have watched the show they sometimes fail despite all of that. Being healthy takes a lot of time and dedication, and a lot of trial and error, what works for some does not work for all. It could be your eating to few calories or not enough, and yes it could be water weight from exercise or to much sodium. You shouldn't be discouraged because it is something that doesn't happen over night. A pound lost is a pound lost, and that pound is a wonderful thing to lose. Try eating more calories if that doesn't work, eat less. Watch your sodium and drink plenty of water. It will take time to find what works for you, but when you do wonderful things will happen. Don't worry about what other people say to you, and if your doctor is telling you you should have more of a loss, then tell your doctor to enlighten you as to what you need to do to fix it. The only thing I would say is don't quit, you can do this. There is so many people on here that will be happy to help you, surround yourself with those people, and you will find that helps a lot! Good luck!!
  • sdrawkcabynot
    sdrawkcabynot Posts: 462 Member
    "Remember, 1-2 pounds per week is 50-100 pounds in a year. Is that really so slow or is that an astounding transformation? You don’t gain 50-100 pounds over night, so why should anyone expect to take it off overnight? " - Tom Venuto
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
    This was the first season I watched, I cancelled it on the DVR midway through. Like you said, the lofty numbers and the shaming on those that didn't achieve them is ridiculous. Also I'm not really a reality-drama type of person, it seemed like there was more of that than good weight loss knowledge.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Your doctor tells you that you should be losing more weight but offers no suggestions? Has s/he tested for disorders that could slow weight loss? Given you diet suggestions (it's not all about calories for everyone)? Anything other than offer inane comments?
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    1lb is NOT slow weight loss. It's normal.

    I don't watch it anymore but I caught it at the gym this week. (Aussie version) They had morbidily obese individuals perform a MARATHON. 42km on machines. (bikes, ellipticals, rowers, treadies) After the second round three people went down with low blood sugar. One passed out. I was so mad I was ready to break the TV. This is not something people of a 'heathy' weight should do without intense training and they want morbidly obese people to do this off the cuff?
  • sdrawkcabynot
    sdrawkcabynot Posts: 462 Member
    PS - I love the show. They sometimes do exercises that I want to add to my routine. Plus I am competitive and like shows like that... but I am also realistic and understand that my goal of losing 0.5 lbs per week works for me.
  • atrjohnson
    atrjohnson Posts: 77 Member
    I don't hate the show but I definitely have issues with it. First of all, those contestants go from not working out at all to working out 2-3 hours in the morning to 2-3 hours in the afternoon. One of the previous posters was dead on, if you didn't work you could devote that much time to working out. Secondly, the players that make it to the finals sometimes use dangerous methods to win. The winning takes away the focus from health. There have been contestants that stopped drinking water a day or two before weigh-in so that there will not be water weight to effect the scale. We all know that water is a daily necessity especially if you are working out.

    I am morbidly obese and I have never dropped weight in those numbers without starving myself. Lastly, by the final weigh in you don't see a lot of extra skin because of all the tucking and binding that goes on behind the scenes. The contestants are not supposed to get plastic surgery to reduce skin until after the airing of the final episode.
  • hanna6774
    hanna6774 Posts: 225
    By the time you read all the responses to your post I am sure you will realize you are doing fantastic! Pretty much ditto on what everyone else said - slow and steady. One pound a week is ideal for a permanent and maintainable weight loss. I fall in that "morbidly obese" category (god who came up with that name?!!!) and yes it would be amazing to see results like they have on that show but it is not real life and in my opinion not healthy. We are doing the one thing they all couldn't and living at the same time. Biggest Loser is not a reality tv show - it's just a show for show. We are living the reality - and I find the results on MFP more inspirational than anything! Thank you everyone!
  • swekmom
    swekmom Posts: 28 Member
    I used to watch it but it is so unrealistic I quit. Those folks are doing nothing but working out 8 - 10 hours a day and they have people cooking food - or at least telling them what to cook! Last time I looked, I have a job which takes my 8-10 hours a day, a family to take care of and no one cooking or helping me cook! I think if any of us went on that show we would lose a ton of weight but what it has done is make people expect unattainable weight loss.
    Stop telling your "friends" and family how much you are losing until they start to notice on their own. Don't get down about not losing a lot. I am relatively new to the whole losing game (3-4 weeks) and understand the frustrations! I have only lost about 4 pounds and want to cry sometimes too but then I realize, hey, I HAVE lost 4 pounds!! Good for me!! :). Keep up the hard work and it will pay off for you. Every pound - or ounce - counts!!
  • Kagard11
    Kagard11 Posts: 396 Member
    Celebrate your 1 pound!!! You're doing GREAT!!!
  • 4flamingoz
    4flamingoz Posts: 214 Member
    Ditto for me-one pound in the RIGHT direction-this isn't the biggest loser-more support and realistic goals are the mainstays of this site. You hang in there, and we're all in this together!
  • ngott
    ngott Posts: 2 Member
    Congratulations on losing 1 pound! Keep it up & you will drop a clothing size in no time! Remember muscle is more dense than fat - you could be gaining muscle, losing fat & never see the needle on the scale move!

    I started working out (on & off) 2 years ago, I was surprised how quickly my body adjusted/ become stronger with each workout. It took about 1 week of 4 workouts per week - when I could see the definition change in my muscle tone! Our bodies are amazing! Stay positive & keep moving forward.

    Good luck!

    P.S. This week, I started back to tracking my daily exercise & food intake. I have spent the last 4 years, since my youngest daughter was born - teetering between 10 lbs - losing, gaining, losing....! It's time for a change. I think MFP is a great tool to help make healthy changes (BTW I didn't see a setting, in "weight loss goal," to select lose more than 2 lbs per week on this program!)
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
    Maybe instead of listening to your goofball friends and family, add some more MFP friends. We're all in this together and I can't imagine ANYONE on here EVER saying, "1 pound? that's it?"
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