HOW is that possible?? Can someone explain....heh.

I'm feeling down about my dieting (newly on WW) and needed some motivation so I logged on to The Biggest Loser website. There's a woman on there, her stats state that she started at 232lbs and at 12 weeks was down to 115lbs!!!!!!! So that's... uh....12 weeks, is 3 months...117lbs....divide blah blah....an average weight loss of 39lbs a month?!

I know what everyone says is healthy weight loss but I've also heard that when you have a substantial amount of weight to lose (like I do) it's OK, and sometimes even necessary to lose more than the average, healthy, 1-2lbs a week.

I've only viewed the first season of TBL and recall them spending hours and hours in the gym...but did they eat? They had to, right? I'm just...wow...to reach a goal weight that fast seems so unbelievable.

I saw what you are talking about, but go back and look more closely at the dates. I think how they are posted is messed up. I think it was actually quite a bit longer than 3 months. One spot on the website says 12 weeks, but go in and read it, it's actually longer. I don't think that kind of quick weight loss is possible for a woman..

I dunno! I'd guess something is off there, but I have no idea.

Jay

Can you post the web link please? What kind of effects will that have on her body? I dont know if thats good for her heart..

I don't think that is possible. That's like about 10 pounds a week every week!! I think they have some dates wrong. No way anyone can lose that much weight in 3 months...unless they weighed 500 pounds and really excersized and ate right. I don't believe it!!

Yeah, something definitely sounds a bit ...... off.

But yes, when you are morbidly obese the 1 -2 lb average weightloss per week doesn't have to necessarily apply. Especially in the beginning. That's just one of the lovely advantages of being so heavy, the weight DOES come off quicker - in the beginning.

To lose 10 pounds a week you'd need to reduce your diet or increase your exercise to get rid of 5000(!) calories a day!!! (3500 cals=1 lb). You'd have to RUN 50 miles a day to burn that! Even if she was eating, say, 3000 calories a day and dropped down to 1000, she's still have to burn 3000 more calories through exercise - the equivalent of running 30 miles EVERY DAY! No way! I mean, I guess that's technically POSSIBLE ... but, WOW!

I read that the winner of the original Biggest Loser went from 330 to 150, but after he left the show, he has since gone back up to over 350 pounds, because on the show they were working out constantly, but he couldn't fit that level of exercise in with his daily routine when he went back to real life. I think it's more important to be practical and lose weight at a rate that you can maintain and with activities that you can see yourself doing long term for years to come.

There's an article in Time this week about The Biggest Loser. People do lose that amount of weight, but it's mostly water weight and not lost in a healthy manner.

"Last season's runner-up, Kai Hibbard, 28, an aerobics instructor in Alaska who says she spent the night before her final weigh-in hopping in and out of a sauna for six hours, consumed only sugar-free jell-o for several days and wolfed down asparagus, which is a natural diuretic." (Rawe, Julie. "Fat Chance. The Biggest Loser helps contestants quickly drop a lost of weight, but what happens when the show is over?." Time Magazine 11 June 2007: 62.)

Well, I was curious enough by Amberoo's message that I logged onto TBL website and found the person she's talking about. Yep, she's got all the numbers correct -- they are claiming that in 12 weeks that particular contestant lost this amazing bunch of weight. Some of the weekly losses were staggering -- 11 pounds, 10 pounds -- some were more "average" of 4 or 6 pounds (which would be "staggering" for me!). I didn't add up all the weekly losses, but I'm assuming the execs at TBL did.
So HOW did she do it??? And how long has she kept it off??

Ya gotta remember that these people are in a bubble and really do nothing more than workout all day long. I think I saw somewhere it was like 5-8 hours a day. So its possible to burn some serious calories in that time. Plus they are under doctor supervision with their eating and eat nothing but healthy stuff. Their shopping is done for them all they gotta do is cook it up. There arent everyday temptations staring at them at every corner. I bet I could lose alot if I was in that situation too.

I googled Ryan the original winner and it doesnt look like he gained all his weight back, the last update was he was still down 100 lbs and working on taking off 30 more. But its harder now fitting in all that exercise into his 'real' life.

Ooh so many replies so soon, I'm sorry, I'm at work and wasn't able to post the link right away. I swear I'm reading it correctly...and was just as shocked as all of you! OK Lizzy, so I' mnot reading it wrong, right? Here is the link (am I allowed to post it?)
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser.../week_12.shtml

HuneB that's an excellent point and exactly what I figured - that they are basically living in the gym...and the atmosphere created really helps their efforts. 5 to 8 hours a day???? My goodness. Couldn't you seriously damage your body by doing that? Hmm.

Thanks for all the replies...I was just baffled, and still am!

HOw long are they able to keep it off is a very good question!! I hope alot of them are able to keep it up because it is such a shame to work so hard and then just let it all go.

Agreed. In the "real world" would it be possible to maintain that incredibly fast loss? I have such doubts about that. And I do wonder about their health too....