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Old 01-18-2010, 02:18 PM   #31  
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I don't think ONLY TBL is responsible for the rise in unreasonable expectations, we're an instant gratification society in more ways than ever before. I just feel that it's one of the largest barriers to lasting weight loss, because when you expect instant, and don't get it, that results in disappointment, and I think disappointment is the biggest source of failure when it comes to weight loss. People don't quit because they ARE failing, but because they feel they are failing (often interpreting success as failure because they think, for many reasons that it "should be" faster and easier than it is - so they must be doing something wrong).
Kaplods, this is so true! Especially the People don't quit because they ARE failing, but because they feel they are failing (often interpreting success as failure because they think, for many reasons that it "should be" faster and easier than it is - so they must be doing something wrong)
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Old 01-18-2010, 02:41 PM   #32  
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Great thoughtful comments ..... I still love watching the show though .... and I do admire the contestants for doing it .... good to see the ones that have had lasting success ....

Last edited by HMS; 01-18-2010 at 02:41 PM.
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Old 01-18-2010, 02:41 PM   #33  
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I felt that this article pretty well summed up my feelings about the show http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archiv...os_and_con.php
Wow. I wasn't aware that the contestants went through such extremes on the day before the weigh-in. Before I figured doing eliminations by weight as opposed to bf% was no biggie--especially because people at home can better relate to numbers on a scale than some bf% number. But now that I know the conditions they put themselves through, I do think it should be transferred over to bf%.


The first Biggest Loser season I saw was on YouTube and turned out to be Australia's Season 1. (Which is worth watching--there's so much unfair and so much "playing the game" drama in that particular season.) They came up with this strategy: if they were safe from eliminations (by winning a challenge or whatever), they decided to drown themselves with water to get those numbers as high as possible because they couldn't be eliminated. How cheap! Not only did they get immunity for that round, but it basically made them safe for the following week too! And the following week when they weighed in, free of their water weight, and it showed that they lost an incredible amount, the show actually praised them. What? They cheated! That's not something to praise! Smart, though
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Old 01-18-2010, 03:28 PM   #34  
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My husband KNOWS, from watching me lose and from me telling him so, that the BL losses aren't realistic. But when he started trying to lose during last season, he still found himself disappointed when he only dropped 3 or 4 pounds a week at first. I made him quit watching the show.
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Old 01-18-2010, 04:28 PM   #35  
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I think BL sends both the right and wrong message. I think it does make people think they can rip double digits off in a week, but I'm not sure people realize that the contestants work out for 6-8 hours a day.

Personally I find the show very motivational, and I never miss an episode now (just started watching 3 seasons ago).

I might have a different view because I listened to Jillian's radio show as well.
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Old 01-18-2010, 08:10 PM   #36  
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I have to say that I do like this show. I just started watching it this season. I saw it advertised during other seasons and it looked interesting but I just couldn't bring myself to watch it because I felt guilty that I wasn't doing anything about my weight. It's weird but that's how I felt. I am watching it for the first time and I find it inspirational even though I am sure, as others said, it may not be realistic.
My only criticism so far is that they don't really show us what happens behind the scenes in an average "Biggest Loser" day. I would love to know more about their diet and exercise routine. Do they go into more detail about these things in upcoming episodes or is what you see, what you get so to speak?
I am liking this season, I just wish it wasn't the same night and time as American idol. I am a reality TV junkie LOL
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Old 01-19-2010, 01:57 AM   #37  
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i really didn't support the biggest loser, but now i find out my school is doing a university's biggest loser. for 50 bucks i get a professional trainer and its a 4 person team. grrrr i dunno what to do!!!! a real professional fitness expert and a chance to lose weight the right way with help for 50 bucks!?

haha i get the best advice on heres, so what does everyone think?
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Old 01-19-2010, 02:25 AM   #38  
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i really didn't support the biggest loser, but now i find out my school is doing a university's biggest loser. for 50 bucks i get a professional trainer and its a 4 person team. grrrr i dunno what to do!!!! a real professional fitness expert and a chance to lose weight the right way with help for 50 bucks!?

haha i get the best advice on heres, so what does everyone think?
Go for it!! 50 bucks for a personal trainer, and a support group, sounds like a pretty good deal to me! And if you don't, the "what ifs" may end up haunting you
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Old 01-19-2010, 03:09 AM   #39  
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I think it is an inspirational show for many people, however, like 100% of television shows it is completely fabricated and based on ratings. Those "challenges" are not only difficult for them to do, but the most dangerous part of the show. They could have spent that time working out, but instead they are risking getting hurt for less progress. I am 100% sure that the weight they lose did not happen in 1 week alone. I know many of you compare other televisions watchers to yourselves, but think of the many people who wouldn't think to access the internet, books or smart media on weight loss and the negative impact large numbers have on their own determination to lose weight. I think seeing them is really inspiring, but there is absolutely no information contained in the program- it is simply entertainment. They brush over workouts, food regimens, and small tips to make you feel like your getting something/ going to get some information, but in the end leave you hanging. I watch it to see if they will add something useful, but they never do. I find the most inspirational stories to come from this website because people lose weight at a healthy and believable pace and they don't need 'trident gum' or 'oral b toothpaste' to magically give them the powers to do so. (a jab at the commercialism in BL). Anyway, it is awesome to see them lose the weight, but I would love if it was realistic, and perhaps sponsored by an institution that supports American's weight loss goals for health? Maybe then we could see some real information.
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Old 01-20-2010, 02:02 AM   #40  
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I haven't watched TBL because I have been told, "Hey, some person lost 11 lbs last week on TBL, why can't you do that for a few weeks and get it all done!!!" heh. My reply was something like... "I'll get right on that, captain!" But I still wonder if a lot of people think big folks should get home from work & exercise for hours upon hours til they drop. Like it's some sort of twisted penance. =/
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Old 01-20-2010, 07:18 AM   #41  
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I personally get frustrated that this show receives so much attention, while there is a Lifetime show (I watch on line, don't have cable) called Diet Tribe that does it all so much better. Women who are supporting each other instead of competing against each other. They're doing it while living their real lives and are given a diet and exercise program they can do while holding down jobs, raising family, etc.
Cool. I've never heard of that show, but I need to check it out sometime. Thanks!
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Old 01-20-2010, 09:14 AM   #42  
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On the one hand, I think it's great that TBL is really pushing the issue out there and showing REAL people with REAL weight issues struggling and sweating and crying and working their butts off. It's realistic in the sense that they are promoting calorie restriction and exercise, period. And I think most people are aware that the more weight you have to lose, the quicker it will likely be initially. I was shocked the first time I watched and saw people losing 20 pounds in a week! But I knew that wouldn't happen for me no matter WHAT I did.

On the other hand, the show is only an hour long and there's no way that they can accurately represent the many long long long hours of exercise that these people are going through in that small time frame. So I'm sure that there are people watching at home who aren't taking that into consideration and might set themselves up for disappointment by setting goals based on the loss they see from TBL contenstants.

Honestly, it kind of hurts me to see the contestants falling off the treadmill or crying or dropping weights or whatever. Sometimes I think they might push them a little too hard. (Yes, I know they are experts and that's the point of the show, but still!)
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Old 01-20-2010, 09:41 AM   #43  
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But I still wonder if a lot of people think big folks should get home from work & exercise for hours upon hours til they drop. Like it's some sort of twisted penance. =/
Here, I think you have touched on something very important about "The Biggest Loser." And that's the narrative structure & the storytelling used in this so-called "reality" show. It is set up as a very moralistic universe. These people are sinners. They sinned & got fat. They now have to learn the error of their ways & repent. Then they experience a rebirth & are redeemed. This happens through sweat, confessions, sharing with the rest of the group, teamwork, etc. -- the whole standard narrative redemptive arc. The bad become good. And it's not just about the biggest loser, it's also about the "nicest" biggest loser. Viewers are encouraged to pass judgment on these peoples' character, as well as on their weight loss. Some are called heroes & some are villianized. I am always amazed at the incredibly personal discussions of these peoples' appearance & moral character, but I think that's in keeping with the show's invitation to us to pass judgment on them, and not in the cooler, scientific way that a scale does when it measures the pounds they have lost. This whole side of the show troubles me sometimes, even as I look for a "hero" and role model among the contestants each season. Put it this way: I do not think people are morally deficient because they became fat, and I do not think they necessarily become better people, better members of society or moral exemplars, because they lose a lot of weight. But as Byron puts it: "I want a hero." So I keep going back to the TV set on Tuesday nights, despite my qualms.
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Old 01-20-2010, 09:58 AM   #44  
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It is a pleasure of mine and I don't feel guilty about it.

I think it sends just the right message, that there are major health risks and difficulties associated with extreme obesity and that it takes commitment to turn that around but that it can be done.

It also focuses on the oft-argued point that it IS calories in-calories out that really is the link to weight management.

There are disclaimers all over the place on BL about the large weight losses not being typical, that the contestants work out hours per day, that they are monitored by doctors, paramedics, etc., all the time. Last night there was finally a scene inserted about the clinic on premises where contestants were being checked and worked on to prevent problems.

So I think the message is good. I have issues, though, with the staged Jillian as psychiatrist scenes and all that jazz, since it is J's MOTHER who is the pychologist, not Jillian, plus I have NEVER had a personal trainer (and I've had a few) who would have dared try to treat me for emotional problems.

I loved the cooking scene in last night's show.

I also like it that the show focuses on percentage of weight lost and not on the number of pounds.

I do so agree, though, that in the real world of Weight Watchers or losing weight at home, one needs to be cognizant that weight will be lost at a lesser rate and that is the right way.
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Old 01-20-2010, 10:29 AM   #45  
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Every week when I look at the scale I wonder why I don't have weight losses of even a couple of pounds even though I know I'm only working out max 1 hour a day, where as BL contestants workout 6+ hours a day. I wish that they would make it more realistic, because I'm worried it will discourage people attempting to lose weight who also don't realize that a BL week isn't always 7 days... The voting part really turns me off to. I don't care who gets voted off.
I do like the competitions because so much of it is these people gaining the confidence to see that they can do things they might have previously thought impossible. Like the balance beam one. So many probably thought that was reserved for skinny people as it was so tiny and never would have attempted it. But they did it.
The best parts, the one that all of America should see, are the parts here they go over the problems they have caused by being so overweight. I wish they would do more of those and focus on different people every episode really showing people what so much weight can do to you. I think that's one of the best motivators.
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