I didn't see the first episode but I saw the second one with the spoiled whiney girl. I was happy for her that she hit her goal but something about her attitude made me believe it wouldn't last long. The episode with DOminic was great. He was really dedicated and I like that they showed that even after he stopped working with his trainer he continued to lose weight on his own. His transformation and his attitude were great.
Anyway, I guess they prove that a pound a day is possible I just wonder how sustainable all that loss is.
Shouldn't the trainer's responsibility be to help her to set a more realistic goal, though? I mean, shouldn't that conversation have gone (and assuming it was not edited for TV and this bit cut off!)
"To lose 90lbs in 89 days she'd need to lose 1lb a day, and since that's clearly unhealthy, unsustainable and borderline impossible we have agreed on a new goal that will get her this much weight off in 89 days in a sensible and healthy manner, and we have a sustainable plan going forward to get the whole 90lbs off over the following months".
Last edited by fcuser10395743; 01-17-2011 at 05:49 AM.
When I was a teenager I often lost a pound a day and then some when I was in full-on diet mode. But my diets were never healthy and the amount of exercise I did was insane. I'd eat maybe 400 calories a day and exercise eight to ten hours a day. The weight dropped off fast but it always came back even faster.
I agree with everyone that this show set sup unrealistic expectations, and yes, these kids may very well gain the weight back, but I do think it's meant to be an inspiration.
As a 20 year old, watching the first episode let me see that there were other girls, my size, out there. They were feeling helpless and frustrated and sad like I am. And even though I know I won't be able to lose 90lbs in 100 days by any means, I know it's possible. 90 lbs isn't a disgusting, scary number anymore.
So although they should set it straight that these results are not typical - they are teaching these kids what healthy eating is, and the importance of exercise. And they're also inspiring kids like me to get up and do something about it.
I do like how accessible, positive, and inspirational the show is. It's good to see a low-drama, low-key version of a weight-loss show instead of some of the tarted-up cheesetastic competition shows so prominently featured.
But they really should have some more prominent disclaimers about that precipitous drop in weight. A pound a day isn't just an unrealistic goal, it's an unhealthy goal for anyone who isn't being very carefully supervised (and even then, I'd bet that there's some muscle loss going along with that fat loss).
It can also engender some of that "must get the weight off now now now!" desperation that contributes to disordered eating, drastic fad dieting, and just plain giving up in so many people (raise your hand if you've experienced one or more of the above in the past--yep, I'm right there with you). Seeing someone successfully lose 90 pounds is inspirational; seeing her lose it at the shocking rate of a pound a day is potentially demoralizing, at least to those who don't already have very clear ideas on what's safe, healthy, and realistic for themselves.
It would be a pretty much perfect show if they'd just fix that one eensy-weensy thing about it.
I think losing a pound a day for almost 90 days is over the top...but I have personally experienced losing a pound or more a day during my diet. In fact, I lost three pounds the first day just from changing how I ate.
And, no, I didn't starve myself. Some days I didn't even work out and if I did it was a 30-40 minute jog/walk.
I went on a program called Somae in May and lost 50 pounds in three months.
Mostly it was eating 5 times a day, 3 meals and two snacks, no processed foods, smaller portions and no eating past 7pm.
I used to be able to lose a pound a day, or more. My "record" (a "first week") was 11 lbs in a week.
I don't think "possible" is the problem - I think phrasing it as a "should be," is the problem.
In order to lose a pound daily, on a consistent, prolonged basis, you pretty much have to drop everything else in your life, and never make a mistake.
It sets up the "perfection" expectation, and worse the idea that if you don't manage perfection, you're bad, wrong, lazy, crazy, or stupid.
We have such warped ideas about what is not only possible, but what the results "should" be, that we define most success as failure, because it falls short of possible.
In Weight Watchers and other weight loss groups or even among friends if I shared a loss, when I'd experience a small loss, I'd very often get sympathy and consolations instead of celebration. Sometimes I'd even have a very good loss, and would still get a "better luck next week" just because it was a little less than my weight loss had been averaging.
How messed up is that? Especially if the small loss or stall was during TOM - when I usually gaines as much as 8-10 lbs just with water weight.
It completely warped my view of success. I realize now that I wasn't failing all those times I quit in the past. I quit because I wasn't living up to what everyone was telling me I SHOULD be able to (and because I'd experienced it and new it was "possible" I judged myself just as harshly for not being perfect all of the time).
In the "weight loss community" it's common to view small losses as every bit as tragic as a huge gain. In fact, we think "at least with gaining, I'd get to eat what I want."
We also think in the short term. I know that instead of coming to grips with the fact that I gained 8 - 10 lbs of water every month with TOM, I would feel that "if I'm gaining any way, I might as well get to eat what I want" and I'd turn the temporary water weight gain into a permanent fat gain.
One of the most amazing things about TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly) is that when we go around the room, sharing whether we've gained, lost, or turtled (stayed the same) - we applaud for all losses and turtles and we say "we're glad you came" for gains.
It was in TOPS that I first discovered what "normal" weight loss really was - and it wasn't after years of being in TOPS it was after a conversation with my doctor in which I complained about losing only 1 lb a month and "not losing at least 2 lbs a week like a normal person," and my doctor pointed out that normal people don't lose even 1 lb a month, because "normal" is losing nothing or trying and failing, or giving up and gaining.
After that conversation I started paying attention at my TOPS group and "averaging" the groups net loss or gain (most groups will read this as part of the minutes - the total gains, total losses, and the "net" gain or loss).
I started comparing my results to this average, and realized I was doing phenomenally. Most of the time, the average loss was less than half a pound (and near holiday times, there was often a net gain, so even if I gained but gained less than the average, I still felt like I was succeeding, not doomed to failure).
In weight loss, we assume and expect that everyone is, or should be putting every ounce of energy into weight loss. We don't generally expect that kind of commitment and dedication to anything else.
In fact, we tend to learn "feast or famine" with weight loss. For nearly four decades I only had two speeds when it came to weight loss. Full speed ahead, or full speed backwards. Just learning to "not gain" was a huge achievement.
Our culture and the weight loss subculture encourages an "all or nothing" attitude and expectation. And if those were really the only options than I can see why someone would expect the maximum possible results - but we don't have only those two options. There's a world of options in between.
When it becomes clear that our goal is "undoable" it's not crazy to give up, it's natural, but we only see it as undoable, because we're using the "perfection" model. When we realize that what we've planned isn't going to work, we don't have a back-up plan. When we don't have the energy to put "everything we've got" into weight loss, we don't decide to put in the effort that we do have - we decide that the goal is hopeless, so the effort is worthless, and we give up because we've decided that only maximum weight loss is worth anything at all.
Whenever I tell anyone that I've lost 98 lbs, I feel the need to "confess" that it took me 7 years to lose it, because I sometimes feel that I don't deserve "full credit" because I haven't lost it the "acceptable way" by giving up everything else in my life, and jumping on the starvation-bandwagon.
I've had to fight myself to feel proud of those 98 lbs. I've had to fight to claim it as a legitimate way to lose weight. Giving myself "permission" to put less than everything I've got, has been harder than the weight loss itself.
The weight loss has been easy this way - shamefully, decadently easy. And I think everyone would find it as easy as I have, if they gave themselves permissio to take it easy - but that's one thing we don't do. We don't give people permission to put in a little effort, we berate and label them lazy for not putting in every ounce of effort they have (and then burning out and giving up when they don't have the strength to maintain the perfection strategy).
I think weight loss could be much easier and much more comfortable and even (gasp of shock and horror) FUN, if we didn't demand and expect maximum effort and results.
I think it is very irresponsible for the show to be touting these weight losses...simply because it IS a show on MTV, and it IS geared towards teenagers. We, because we are doing this in a healthy manner, KNOW that losing a pound a day for 3 months straight is NOT healthy, and is not the norm. Some teenagers, however, especially if they are very obese and do not come from an upbringing where healthy lifestyles are part of the equation-may NOT know this. When they struggle through a workout and eat decent, and only lose 2 pounds that first week, they might think they are failing and either give up, or go to more drastic measures.
While I love the transformations, I also don't really care for The Biggest Loser, because you have people getting off of the scale CRUSHED because they only lost 3 pounds that week. CRUSHED. They should be jumping for joy and thrilled...but they are crushed because their team didn't get immunity and blah, blah, blah.
I think that there should at the very least, be a disclaimer stating that these people are on special diets/have trainers/are working out 6 hours a day and so on...and that normal results would be .5-3 pounds per week.
From what I've read, you can't lose more than 2 pounds of fat a week, anyway. So if you do lose more than 2 a week, you're losing something besides fat, guaranteed. In the beginning it's ok, because it's water weight. After that, though...
I don't know if that's true, of course...but it makes a lot of sense to me, considering how hard it becomes to lose weight, the smaller you are.
nicely said Kaplods...I lost 2 pounds last week and one this week. When I said to someone I lost 1 pound, the response was well maybe you will lose more next week and catch up.. My reply: well it was a loss and not a gain.. i am happy... if it's not big numbers people act disappointed. It takes a lot for me, to tell myself, you did great. people look at you if you lose a low amount as you ate a box of chocolate, brownies, cake etc. You did something to make the numbers low. Oh how I hate when they watch me eat. I actually told someone, you are not held accountable for what I put in my mouth..
