Please remember, everything that surrounds the contestants is the BEST. They eat nothing but clean organic food (less for temptations). And yes, this CAN be done at home, we can do everything they are doing but lose the amount of weight they lose all at once and workout for 6 hours a day. If you follow the way they eat (sans the artificial promotion crap), count calories and workout for about 5-6 hours a week you will lose about 2 pounds weekly which is what a "normal" person's goal should be.

Well okay, that would be an okay good addition. But, people need to be smart and realize that the contestants are overseen by doctors and professionals every step of the way. It's a reality show, no one should ever completely duplicate what happens on a show of that caliber.

You're not the only one. I don't watch it either. I don't find it inspirational, entertaining or informative... so why bother?

Having no life lately, I am reading this thread again :lol: and just wanted to comment re the vomiting being taken as a healthy sign of working out hard enough, yes, although I am a huge fan of the show and it helps me to realize, frankly, just by the visuals and weigh-ins that a healthy weight is best for me.

The vomiting, though, does bother me. Vomiting is NOT a healthy result of working out; proper exercise should not be inducing vomiting on a regular basis; when exercise induces vomiting it is NOT healthy or even effective and that person should be checked out by a doctor; however, BL contestants are monitored 24/7 for any signs at all of being in health crisis and that is made clear by the show more than one time in each episode with disclaimers plus shots of med techs, etc., moving in checking people at various times.

There are also scenes of them talking to the doctor about their health, making it clear that the are for the most part in poor health, often diabetic and relating that to their weight, which they say is why they are there :lol: (although $250,000 doesn't hurt). To my mind, they are in no more danger performing some of the stunts, admittedly a bit extreme in some cases, but that's TV :rofl: , than of continuing on in a lifestyle that seems to be not good for them, for the most part.

I've also had a lot of quibbles with the portrayal of the workouts sometimes in former shows. I believe things have actually gotten better on BL, though, not worse. They are being much more careful and the warnings are more prevalent, but at times in past shows, I've thought the exercise form was terrible, just a lot of explosive weight lifting was shown with little build up (no time, I guess) or conditioning that one would think they would need to get to that level. One time I thought Jillian really WAS going to kill a contestant, having him jump up and down on a bench, although he was out of shape, clumsy and ultimately fell down from a high bench, that was insane.

But the contestants do it.

And amazingly there have been few injuries on the American version (I can't get the Australian one); in fact in all the seasons I have watched (which is all but one as it is the only network TV show I regularly view), there have been fewer injuries than I've personally fallen prey to in a regular routine of working out daily or at some periods five times a week and not nearly at that length or intensity. In fact every regular exerciser I know sometimes gets injured (although I do think I'm maybe klutzier than some people), while regarding blood clots, I've known one person (sedentary) who died from a blood clot similiar to the one contestant on BL and another person who worked out in a gym regularly who also had a similar blood clot and was treated in a hospital. Blood clots aren't limited to overweight people working out to lose weight, IMO.

Anyway, I was glad the OP posted this thread as I like talking about BL so thanks for the great posts. Have a nice evening, all.

i love the show but i do know that they exersice a WHOLE lot more than I ever could .....

While I enjoy watching the show to see the transformations of the people at the end, it bothers me that there are people who look at the BL and think it is in any way a realistic picture of weight loss for a typical person. The BL is so far removed from reality that it seems odd to call it a reality show.

The fact is that most of the people on the show are losing weight in a very unhealthy manner for the long run. Yes they are medically supervised but when you read about all of their injuries and you look at how many of them gain the weight back, you can see how unrealistic it is. I have always been surprised at how they have these enormous people running on the treadmill. That has to be so hard on their joints and bones that it doesn't surprise me that they have injuries. But they are willing to endure it because of the money and the short term goal of losing weight fast.

As an overweight person my entire life, I always hoped there would be that magic something that would melt the weight off fast and I could finally be thin forever. As I've gotten older, I have come to learn that the only "magic something" is diet and exercise, with slow and steady weight loss for long term success.

I just watched this week's episode, and other than the huge and weird downer at the end, I have to say I find it super motivating overall. I feel sorry for the folks who watch the show and throw themselves into crazy and unsupervised exercise programs thinking that's the only way to do it, but for people who already know what they need to do & what's realistic, the show can be a great weekly boost. I really liked how Jillian reacted to Mandi's 2-pounds-in-a-month result this week, and I love the constant reinforcement that you have to work hard at this day after day, no excuses, if you want to see results. I'm especially excited about the Green team, since I look kind of like Tara, so watching her work crazy hard every day and start to look so good is really encouraging!! :D

oh come off it. obviously those who dont like it dont watch it regularly
they show them making healthy tips and about 3-4 times a show they give the viewers workout and lifestyle tips

and the vomiting? please. people do it all the time, its why i dont work out until at least an hour after eating and EVEN THEN sometimes i have to fight things back. and its mostly liquids like water for me. i've seen them throw up, looks like liquids, maybe a shake or something.

I remember reading somewhere a few seasons ago a "sample daily meal plan" for a woman on Biggest Loser and it was about 1200 - 1500 calories a day. It just didn't sound like enough food IMHO to sustain that level of workout.

Plus, no offense to anyone who is well over 300 lbs., but the contestants just keep getting bigger and bigger. I know that the bigger they start, the more dramatic numbers they can get the first few weeks and the overall transformation is more shocking, but I cannot relate at all. The first season, most of the women had starting weights between 200 and 250, if I remember correctly. Now, can you even get on the show if you are under 275?

I am not surprised to see so many past season stars have not been able to keep all of the weight off, but I loved seeing that S1 Andrea is still totally slim and fit, and that a decent number of them have kept a good deal of the weight off.

I LOVE the before/after photos and watching the progress from week to week. For US in the real world, I think the weight they lose in a week should be stretched out over a month or even 6 weeks. It'd help with long-term maintenance.

I've never watched BL... but 8 hours of exercise a day? That's insane! I have a hard enough time trying to maintain 30 minutes. LOL

I like TBL. I know it's not realistic to work out for 8 hours a day, but I would love to get the training they do. I would be at my goal weight in 4 weeks. LOL.

I read in one of those magazines last seasons winner said she is going to stick with the 1200 calorie diet and instead of 8 hours a day working out she is going to do 6 hours. Of course she isn't working at the moment so she can work out for 6 hours a day. For US normal people like someone stated it's not possible. 50 mins 5 days out of 7 is all I can get in with work and etc.. I think that is why some have put back on the weight. They are not back in the real world and don't have the time to work out 8 hours a day.

I agree with an earlier post if i worked out 8 hours a day 7 days a week I'll be at my goal weight in 4 to 5 weeks..