I hate the Biggest Loser!

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grnice
grnice Posts: 96
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
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    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
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    Ditto!
  • Marig0ld
    Marig0ld Posts: 671 Member
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    +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
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    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
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    A pound lost is better then a pound gained. =) think positive
  • katy4399
    katy4399 Posts: 136 Member
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    Please don't get discouraged, I bet next week you will have lost a lot more.
  • bobbinalong
    bobbinalong Posts: 151 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 12,293 Member
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    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
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    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: 392 Member
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    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
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    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: 392 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 466 Member
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    "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
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    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.

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