I'm currently watching this new weight-loss reality show called "The Biggest Loser" on Global (in Canada). It's an American reality show. Anybody else watching this? It's UNBELIEVABLE. These people are losing in a range of 3 to 20 pounds / week.

There has to be something very unhealthy with this process. Some of these folks are starting around roughly 240 pounds and losing like 12-20 pounds.

Anybody got any ideas what's going on here? :)

I'm watching. I can't believe I'm watching reality TV. I've avoided it for over FIVE years... this one's got me effing sucked in. This is great!!

-R

I'm watching this show too. That one lady said she only ate 500-something calories that day and I think they said that they're working out like 5 hours in one day.

I'm watching it too right now. This one guy started at 310 and lost 22 lbs. in a week. He now weights 288. I can't believe it. It almost seems impossible. One of the ladies lost 10 lbs. She was crying at the table after a workout, saying something like she only ate 595 cals for the day. That can't be very healthy. One of the guys made a comment about having to work out for 5 hours a day. It'll be interesting to see how long those results last through to the end of the series. Isn't working out 5 hours each day too much? :spaz:

Yeah. I think they're burning more than they're eating. Like some completely HUGE caloric deficit.

I'm watching it and all I can think is that this type of EXTREME dieting is going to come back and bite them in the ass (regain of weight) I could be wrong but 20 lbs in one week!!! That can't be good for you :d_eek:

Most look like more than 240. Remember it is percentages of start weights that puts things in perspective. 22/310=7%. It will slow down from this point.

Obese people can lose that much and it will come mainly from fat.

Honestly though, is it really possible to lose over 20 lbs in ONE week?? I don't think it's *fat* they're losing, but water loss, etc. I know that obese people do lose weight easily, but come on, 20 lbs in one week???

The thing about this show is that we really don't know what's going on behind the scenes in terms of what they're eating, how much, how often, etc. We only see what makes for "Reality TV."

I bet you ANYTHING, that if they did a follow-up show a year from the end of the show, a lot of these people would've gained back some weight. It's a lifestyle change and once they get that is understood, then a permanent change can be seen.

Just my 2 cents.

Agreed- a lot of water loss there...

Just what we need- a show that will sucker folks into starving themselves to death.

I wondered if this would be talked about here.


I just watched and I liked the show. I, too, concerend about the 20lbs in one week. I just wonder if it continues and they lose the weight but have really loose skin from such rapid weightloss. Isnt there a reason you only loose a certain amount each week?
I also wondered whats going out because they are trainers and I dont see them making them work out for 6 hours. maybe it just seemed like 5. and the girl that had only eaten like 500cals for that day...i bet it was not late in teh day and they just got her to eat more.
but it was a cool moment seeing them weight in and to have lost weight....they were so happy. yet a few sad when they learned they didnt lose 20lbs like some. pft. I'm looking forward to a few weeks in where hopefully there are some physical changes.

I just wonder how this will appear to the mass public since it is on tv. will it motivate people or sink them deeper in their chairs as they watch the people work out 5 hours a day.....and think if thats what it takes theyll never make it.. I duno. I wanted to go for a run during the show cuz i was pumped lol.


we can only see

My husband and I were laughing at ourselves for watching yet another reality show. :eek:

I assumed they would lose a lot of weight from being so inactive and overweight, then really going at it like that for a week. I was worried one of them would collapse and have to be hospitalized or something. I mean, they are going from not exercising at all and eating junk all day to eating what I eat and working out harder than I work out and I've been at this 10 years. I'll be interested to see how they do as they go along. I hope they do well, however. I imagine it is life changing to go from being that out of shape to getting more fit. I was glad to see the girl they kicked off -- Dana -- had lost 15 more pounds. Go Dana! :)

I saw it, it was interesting, especially how one guy went for the doughnuts right at the beginning of their weightloss :)

If they work out 5 hours a day, let's say they push it hard and burn 800 cals / hour. That is 4000 cal. Let's say they don't eat at all and normally they burn 3000. That is 7000 cals / day burned. That is still only 2 lbs of fat, which could give them the max of 14 lbs for a week. Remember that is with not eating at all. (By the way a 4000 cal workout will wreck most generally athletic people for a day or so, so doing that day after day does not really seem possible for these guys.)

Because of this I also think that most of their loss is from water. Most unhealthy food has tons of salt, making your body hold water like a sponge. If they lower the salt intake and sweat a lot and if they drink enough, that will get rid of their excess water quick. I am almost sure that they won't be able to sustain these 10+ lb losses on the coming weeks.

Mostly water weight is what these people are losing. And I can guarantee you that 90% of the people who are doing severe calorie defecits will regain the weight back after the show. 500 calories a day is insane and working out for 5 hours is even crazier.

These people need to learn proper eating habits and normal exercise routines. They will yo-yo back to their lard asses if they don't make a complete lifestyle change.

Water weight.. and it will be less and less each week.. Heck I lost 14lbs my first month working out and 4-5 in the next month

What is going to happen to these poor people is as they lose less and less each week they will blame each other for not working hard enough and it will be a demotivator when they can't understand why they didn't lose as much as the first week or two.. And then they will start pointing fingers at each other.. Well anyway you see how the show will go.. It should be interesting as the temper flare from all that hard work and eating the little they are eating..and feeling drained and discouraged..

I know that this is a reality show and competition is the ponit of it, but I feel bad for those people who get kicked off just because they lost the least weight. Those people who lost the least weight probably were the healthiest and will keep it off longer, but they're booted because of game strategy. It's gotta be discouraging.

Sure the one girl who got kicked off last night lost some more weight after the show, but there would be many more I'm sure who'd feel failure and just eat more.

20 lbs in a week? God I was aghast at how unhealthy that would be. When I first started losing weight 3 years ago (at 200 lbs) I was concerned when I lost 5 lbs in one week. But 20?

And making people excercise until they throw up can't be good either. I thought someone was gonna have a heart attack.

Reality shows. Aaak. :p

Aaak. Reality shows.

You know, I've just had a revelation about this show. Once they're finished they should take the final two contestants and after giving the $250k prize, have a second quarter million for the biggest gainer. Give them a week and see how much weight they can pack on. That would be pretty fun, and equally as ghastly on their bodies as this mess.

It's disturbing that some TV executives have convinced themselves that they may be actually helping america by inspiring people to lose weight with this show. Although of course ratings would be there primary reason for airing the show. But some of them may think, wow were actually doing something for people here. I think it is fair to say that the average american has no idea how to safely lose weight and keep it off. I didn't before coming to this site. And now this show is just going to further enforce the wrong idea. But the train wreck effect may still draw me in.

It's disturbing that some TV executives have convinced themselves that they may be actually helping america by inspiring people to lose weight with this show.
I think there's a BIG difference between what TV execs say publicly and what they say in board meetings. While the TV execs have been patting themselves on the back over how they care about the weight problem in America, I bet there was a lot of cruel jokes made behind closed doors when this show was in the planning stages.

Exactly as slush_puppy said. The tv execs are happy, even people on this board are talking about the show and I am sure that more people will watch it next week just to check it out.

Lots of athletic guys are watching the show in disbelief and lots of fatasses are watching it while stuffing their face in front of the tv. ;)