[Glory87]

I thought last night was terrible. Those folks get extremely atypical results. I felt so bad for the woman who was disappointed in losing ONLY four lbs. The most I ever lost in one week was 3 lbs and I was ecstatic!

I think it's setting up viewers with a false sense of expectations, that they can get 10 lb losses two weeks in a row. I worry that people won't get those kind of results and will get discouraged and quit.

Too bad they can't show an hour a day workout (not many people have the time in their lives to devote to hours and hours of exercise), 3 healthy meals + 2 snacks (including planning, shopping and preparation) and a sane 1-2 lb a week weight loss. Of course, no one would tune in, because weight loss in the real world is BORING and takes a long freaking time!

[MissEvie]

I understand where you are coming from, honestly I do. With that said, these people are working way harder than we can because their whole life is devoted to weight loss right now. If every one of us could do that then we would have about the same results.

I personally love the show. I believe that it is imspiring and being able to see the transformation that hard work gives you is amazing.

[Bravelilchicken]

Glory I agree with you, I dont watch it very often because it ends up being so disappointing that I can't lose 10 pounds in one week. I know that it isn't easy to lose that much a week and that they work out A LOT! but I still feel inadequate when I only lose a couple of pounds.

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by Glory87

Too bad they can't show an hour a day workout (not many people have the time in their lives to devote to hours and hours of exercise), 3 healthy meals + 2 snacks (including planning, shopping and preparation) and a sane 1-2 lb a week weight loss. Of course, no one would tune in, because weight loss in the real world is BORING and takes a long freaking time!

But that's the point of the show. It's not everyday situations in the real world they're filming--it's people who have put their lives on hold and moved to a ranch without their families and friends for the sole purpose of losing weight 24 hours a day. If weight loss were my full-time job, I, too, would be disappointed with a 4-pound loss!

I agree that people at home viewing the show should not expect the same type of results as seen on the show. Unless you can literally put your life on hold to exercise for hours a day and follow a strict and healthy food plan, not to mention work with a professional trainer, then you're obviously not going to get the same results

[beginme]

I often wonder about how healthy this show is.

I also wonder about how permanent the results can be.

[MissEvie]

Honestly, I think it is healthy enough, meaning that it is geared toward short term changes and drastic measures. I doubt the results can be permanent if they cannot keep up the "norm" for the ranch.

It is tv, it is entertainment and they are trying to get the most out of everything they can.

[linki]

Originally Posted by MissEvie

Honestly, I think it is healthy enough, meaning that it is geared toward short term changes and drastic measures. I doubt the results can be permanent if they cannot keep up the "norm" for the ranch.

It is tv, it is entertainment and they are trying to get the most out of everything they can.

Hmm, I don't know how can it be remotely healthy if the results are drastic and temporary. I agree it's entertainement, but that's still unhealthy and irresponsible. I at least hope they put a big disclaimer before the show: Warning! Don't try this at home, kids! You'll lose 30 lbs and gain back 40!

I haven't watched the show, but encouraging people to lose 7-10 lbs a week for many weeks is ridiculous. If crash dieting worked, everyone would be thin.

I prefer shows like X-weighted- the participants are encouraged to lose at reasonable pace and not to crash diet.

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by linki

I haven't watched the show, but encouraging people to lose 7-10 lbs a week for many weeks is ridiculous. If crash dieting worked, everyone would be thin.

I wouldn't call it crash dieting--the women on the show eat between 1200-1500 calories a day of healthy foods, as prescribed by their trainer. Heck, that's what many of us here at 3FC do! Plus they are supervised not only by the physical trainers, but also by professional medical staff. The reason they get such drastic results is because of the amount of intense exercise they do--they include both cardio and strength training.

From what I've seen, some members of the show HAVE been successful at keeping off the weight. Also, it's only 6 weeks (or however long--it may be 12 weeks, I don't remember exactly) at the ranch, and then they go home to their real lives again for a couple months, and most of them continue to lose weight during those additional months at home (while living with their families and friends and normal jobs and stresses), so they must be doing something right!

[SwimGirl]

I know I sure would be encouraged to keep the weight off... the whole WORLD knows these people now. I think to some extent they are teaching these people how to deal with the real world, otherwise the people leaving the show wouldn't have the sucess that they do. If it's healthy or not? Who knows, but at least we know there are doctors there overseeing all of this. I gotta wonder if they have someone who comes in a massages them with rub A535 every night

-Aimee

[StarSpangled]

When I was at the club yesterday warming up on a Life Cycle, I read next weeks TV Guide as there was a short bio on 4 or so Biggest Loser members. They work out 5 to 7 hours a day! One women said what she missed was to read something for pleasure as there was no time! I work out 6 or more days a week at the club, and figure it is at least an hour and half time commitment and people think I am bit crazed. This round of BL is a 4 months. That is a lot of execise and maybe one of our wonderful trainers here can address this, but isn't there a point of no return. Like 2 hours is the same as 7 at one point!

I feel that many of the BL have not been doing any healthy living or whatever you want to call it. I think, but don't quote me that Bob said something like you are losing fat and water that first week. I think that may account for some of the results as they are going from consuming large caloric intakes before arriving at the ranch and not moving much at all. As someone with an adult weight problem I do find that there is a "freak show element" to this program. I also think some of the behavior like the temptations and working out in pain abusive. I have never seen any therapy for these people to find out why they overeat. I know they get complete physicals. I also think how disappointed the BL from the states that didn't get on must feel. For me, who has to work on not measuring progress only by that daily number on that ole scale this show has some serious issues. Thank goodness I have tivo and and cut down that 2 hour view time! But I watch!

[Beach Patrol]

I don't watch any reality-type shows (even the scripted ones!) - but that DOES sound unrealistic. Of course, the more weight one has to lose, the more weight one CAN lose in a particular period of time - according to my doc. She says that a 250 pound person can safely lose 5 pounds per week whereas a 150 pound person shouldn't aim for higher than 2 pounds per week.

Yeah... I still don't get it! I mean, 3500 calories makes up ONE POUND. No matter how you slice, dice or julian it.... that's still what it takes to lose ONE POUND, you have to cut 3500 calories... either by cutting your food intake, upping your exercise, or both.

To lose 5 pounds in one week means you'd have to cut 17,500 calories! If a regular walking exercise cuts 150 calories in an hour, and you walk for one hour every day for a week, that's only 1,050 calories.

Nope, I just don't get it! Oh well. I'm happy if I can lose 1 1/2 pounds per week. If I lose that every week until the end of the year, I can celebrate the new year almost 20 pounds lighter!!!!

[Gladdy]

What puzzles me is how they can work out 5 to 7 hours a day and not suffer any injuries, especially since they've been so sedentary beforehand.

[veggielover]

Do they really do this in real time? Like, sometimes a month could be the span between two episodes.. but I don't watch this, so i wouldn't know...

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by StarSpangled

Like 2 hours is the same as 7 at one point!

Obviously not, or else anyone here who works out 2 hours a day would be losing 10 pounds a week

I definitely think that with that amount of exercise, they are losing muscle along the way. However, they are being taught to do both cardio and strength training, so as they get closer to goal and are losing smaller amounts, at least they have been trained to do strength training, so they can build more muscle. I've looked at many of the "after" pictures, and aside from a few spots of loose skin, they certainly don't look very flabby to me--rather, they're quite toned from all the strength training.

I auditioned for the show (well, I attended an open casting call, which wasn't really much of an audition, but anyway...). I would have LOVED to be on the show. I even told my sister that if I made it on to the show, I would have to miss her wedding since it was during the taping season. To have the opportunity to walk away from the stresses of a job and even simple things like traffic and noisy neighbors and blah blah blah...and just focus 24/7 on losing weight and learning/practicing/enforcing healthy habits--what an AMAZING opportunity!

And after living that way for up to 4 months on the ranch, that's certainly well over the 28 days required to establish new habits, so I'm sure the longer you're there, the more successful you are when you return to your normal life. Not to mention you return to your normal life with a wealth of knowledge, more energy, fewer health problems, a solid eating plan (including how to incorporate treat foods--I remember once last season when Jillian took her team to an amusement park and worked with them on having some of the food served there--SHARING a funnel cake for smaller portions and whatnot).

I dunno--I do agree that it's unrealistic for anyone watching to show to think they could get the same results. After all, sometimes just 1 hour of exercise a day is difficult to fit into our schedules, let alone 6-7 Plus, like Aimee said, with the world watching, there would certainly be less temptation for me to say something like, "oh, just one bite of this cake won't hurt..." And after being away from sweets and junk food for so long, I think I'd be very good about staying away from them when I got home (in fact, staying off "junk" for just a couple weeks makes it difficult for me to start eating it again because of, umm, unpleasant side effects ).

I guess I'm sort of trying to defend the show because you can't look at it as if they're trying to tell everyone who needs to lose weight that this is how you should do it. That's obviously impractical. You have to see it for what it is--people who have literally walked away from their lives to focus on weight loss and getting healthy--and NOTHING else.

[srmb60]

Of course it's unrealistic .... two pounds a week wouldn't bring in viewers

I just wanted to add that I'm all in favour of doing something to 'jump-start' your weight loss. Not exercising 7 hours a day, but starting whole hog to lose 3-5 pounds at first. It's very encouraging and most folks are going to slack off after the first little while anyhow. So if someone did start out trying to emulate the show ... and then lost interest ... even if they kept a small portion of their good habits ... they'd be off to some sort of start.