Biggest Unrealistic Loser
 

I wasn't sure where to post this but here goes...

I'm watching Biggest Loser at the moment. I think it may only be the second time I've watched it this season. I understand that someone on this program does a ridiculous amount of exercise, and I've read articles about old contestants saying it wasn't unusual to starve themselves. One contestant went as far to eat nothing but asparagus for a week. I noticed the contestants this season were losing 7lbs a week! The one woman who only lost 2lbs had a look of complete devastation on her face. I'd be absolutely thrilled to have lost 2lbs!

Is this discouraging to anyone else?

I feel like this show puts pressure on me to drop an unrealistic amount of weight in a short period of time. I feel like if I don't lose 7lbs a week, society will consider me a failure. That if I tell someone how long I've been exercising and eating better they'll say, "...and you've only lost how much?!! Maybe you should cut more calories or work harder at the gym.." Deep down I know that taking my weight loss day by day is the right thing to do. I know that this is a life style change and as long as the weight is coming off, and I am doing things that are good for my body I am a success. Still - if I step on the scale and lose anything less than a pound I feel like I'm not trying hard enough.

At least for now, I'm DONE watching the Biggest Loser.

I absolutely HATE loathe and despise this show for the exact reasons you've described. I know some people find it inspirational, but the idea of kicking someone off the show because they "only" lost 3% of their bodyweight makes me want to throw up.

All the information that's come out about how the contestants lose weight - the not eating, the water fasts before weigh-in days, the eating canned asparagus for 2 days straight as a diuretic ... all of that is just disgusting to me.

Then again, I hate all these staged reality "kick em off" shows.

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i am watching the program right now too...i do feel that this program can be very devistating for those without realistic goals. I too was sad to see how disappointed someone was for loosing 2lbs. Holy cow..i jump for joy when i see a 1/2 lb lost. i personally don't feel pressure from the show...i guess becuase i realize this is a program where people aren't doing things "normally". You can't lose weight and exercise like them if you actually have a life. I guess i'm more realistic and realize it would never happen for me with my life and situation. But i do worry about some who have unrealistic expectations. I can see how it would be horribly disouraging.

This is my first season watching this show and those are my thoughts exactly. That's Hollywood for ya! Bigger, better, more ... whatever!

7 or 8 pound weight loss ... REALITY show? Not my reality!!! I will gladly take a 2 pound loss any week!

I think most of us know the show isn't "real" but I think we can also learn a lot from it and I will say Angie and I love to see the improvement they have made.

It is about as real as the daily news/paper these days but entertaining...

just wish they made it a 1/2 hour show!

Thank goodness for dvr!

Being a TV show, I don't feel any pressure from it. But I also cannot see how it relates in any way to what I am doing and will be doing for the rest of my life, so I can't see why I would watch it.

I am very split on this issue;
Firstly, yes it is unrealistic for us to lose that much a week. But they are doing that all day long, eat, sleep, workout, workout, workout... There are some people on there to win 250,000 $ but others are on there to save their lives.

Why I love the show and watch is because I need the motivation. I see people 200, 300, 400 lbs on there that are BUSTING THEIR butts, it often brings me to tears. They do things I can't do and won't do. It is so amazing to see what people can do when they are pushed and motivated. I love hearing how they are off their medicines, and have no more symptoms of diabetes, things like that. That's why I love it! Yes, it all might be in fast forward when we compare it to our lives, but that's part of the motivation, for me.

I had mixed reactions to the show from the start, but I have to say they've become more negative with each season, as the risks the show takes with people's health seems to rise. Reality shows in general seem to be getting more and more unsafe as seasons progress. If the trend continues, it won't be long before we see "Running Man" come to life, and even sooner before deaths occur.

I was reading that eating disorders among teens and preteens are on a dramatic rise again, and in some of the cases young girls are running their own amateur "Biggest Loser" contests, mimicking what they see on tv, without medical or adult supervision or even knowledge. In part, I think this is a parental problem, in not being responsible in teaching your children what safe weight loss should look like, and discussing why the show is not showing safe, realistic, or responsible weight loss. And on the other hand, when I was a teen, it wouldn't have mattered - if I saw it, I would have tried it, because of the social pressure just to be "normal." An overweight teen is often desperate enough to gladly risk their lives to be thin.

Heck, a lot of adults are too. Many of the parents may have no idea that there is anything unsafe about the show. Because the show doesn't show the health screening process for potential contestants, nor publish the releases the contestants have to sign, I think the general impression is that the activities on the show are "perfectly safe." The super quick "don't try this at home," disclaimer at the tail end of the show doesn't really communicate the risks of attempting to do so. Especially when contestants are shown being not just encouraged, but bullied into ignoring and working through serious pain, a person at home could definitely get the impression that not being able to breath, chest pains, vomiting, excruciating joint or extremity pain is perfectly normal, and to be expected during exercise.

I think it's possible to watch the show, know it's limitations, take the good and ignore the bad. I just stopped watching it at the point that for me, there seemed to be more bad than good.

i havnt watched the american version in a couple years, but i do watch the australian version on youtube. its a television show and i use it for entertainment purposes. what Does motivate me is seeing the changes their bodys go thru and knowing that mine can do the same albiet at a much slower pace lol...on one of the australian shows there was a contestant named John. he had had a heart attack and couldnt do any training other than walking.. and then only for 40 mins three times per day and couldnt let his heart rate go above 100... he had to wear the monitor every waking hour. he still lost weight.. that was inspirational to me as im so big i just can not do much exercise ...
if the x factor or american idol took 52 weeks to find the Winner i think we would all get bored with the contestants long before then and quit watching. if dancing with the stars took a year to find a winner i think we would get bored watching that as well... as for biggest loser, we had to wait 1 year to see a 80-100 lb weight loss with only 1lb -2lbs per week, i think it would get wayyy too boring... its a show, it has ratings, it has to keep an interest, which means in this day and age, it has to go fast.. i still think even tho their weight loss isnt the 'norm', we all know that going in (for the most part) anyway, so ..i take from it entertainment, and yes, motivation.. if they can do it in 2-4 months i KNOW i can do it since i dont have a time limit:)

Entertaining? yes. Motivating? yes.

However ...

Yep. All about the ratings. It's like how far can they push it? (In the name of entertainment.) :rolleyes:

I guess my opinion is that not everything has to be a TV show. Some things ARE too boring for TV. Making them "TV-worthy" is not necessarily an admirable goal - or the right thing to do.

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They need to seriously realize thats its not about who "WINS" its about changing your life to the better!. I think they should have rules and regulations for people not to starve themselves, and i think they should get kicked off the show if they do.

I try to watch the show without thinking about time. Although each episode is only a week, they are doing the amount of work and calorie cutting that most of us do over a few weeks or a month. If you just ignore the fact that its a week, it becomes much more enjoyable and then, you can think

wow, that could/will be me!

If only I could lose 7lbs a week. Its not even possible for me. Those people are there to lose weight and to lose weight only. Nothing else. We have lives and other things to worry about. :(

I stopped watching it because I get depressed seeing how much they work out and keep to a good eating plan and only lose 2 pounds a week.

It made me want to quit trying to lose the weight because if these guys who's job it is to excercise in a top-of-the-line gym, eat what is prepared for them and have a personal trainer and they aren't losing every week, how am I supposed to be able to lose weight when I'm working full time and don't have a good gym or a personal trainer or a cook that plans and prepares my meals for me?

So, I find it easier not to watch at all.

Sarah in MD