ARTICLE: The 'Real' Biggest Losers (who keep the weight OFF) do this...
Wednesday, May. 30, 2007 Fat Chance
By Julie Rawe for TIME Magazine
Forget Survivor and The Amazing Race and all the other reality shows that feature generally good-looking, generally physically fit people running around doing generally silly things. In the U.S.'s nation of overstuffed couch potatoes, The Biggest Loser hits closer to real reality by combining the TV genre's outlandishness and greed with the more mundane goal of shedding unwanted kilograms. With its $250,000 grand prize and dramatic stories of weight loss, the show is a natural for the nation's chubby, if not huddled, masses yearning to breathe free without having to unbutton their pants after a meal. More than 100,000 people applied to be on the show's fourth season, now in production, and more than 5 million have had their diets assessed on the show's biggestloserclub.com.
But while the message of the show is inspiring, it is also unrealistic. The Biggest Loser achieves rapid transformations—contestants often drop more than 19.8 lbs in a week—through calorie restriction, endless exercise and no small amount of dehydration that occurs behind the scenes. Ryan Benson, 38, an actor who works for a DVD distributor in Los Angeles, lost 121 lbs to win the first season in January 2005 but says he regained 31.9 lbs within five days simply by drinking water. Matt Hoover, 31, a motivational speaker based in Seattle, had a 15.4 lbs rebound within a day of winning Season 2. 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. "It's amazing the things you learn in a weight-loss competition," she says.
The show tries to prevent unhealthy behavior by making contestants keep food journals (to make sure they're not starving themselves) and threatening penalties if tests show they are too dehydrated (although an executive producer says no violations have been uncovered yet). But like the $55 billion U.S. diet industry, The Biggest Loser places the bulk of its emphasis on shedding pounds rather than maintaining the loss. After all, a show called The Biggest Maintainer wouldn't have nearly the same zing. Contestants learn how to make healthy choices, but total-immersion exercise accounts for most of the weight loss. And it's not as hard to work out for four or more hours a day when urged on by professional trainers. It's also easier to resist high-calorie temptations when the cameras are rolling. Two and a half years after Benson's final weigh-in at 206.8 lbs, the new dad has slipped out of the spotlight and into old habits. "No one sees me get an apple pie in the drive-through," says Benson, whose weight now hovers at around 299.2 lbs.
Still, by keeping 30.8 lbs off for more than a year, he's something of a rarity. The U.S. National Weight Control Registry, which tracks the habits of some 5,000 successful maintainers, cites a study showing only a fifth of dieters with a history of obesity sustain a loss of 10% of their body weight for a year or more. "The best predictor of the ones who are not going to regain are the ones who are doing the most physical activity," says Dr. Holly Wyatt, an obesity expert at the University of Colorado. She says most registrants exercise, on average, at least an hour a day.
Who has time for that? Kelly Minner, for one. The first-season runner-up dropped from 242 lbs to 162.8 lbs by the finale and now weighs 138.6 lbs. A school administrator in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Minner, 31, says she works out from one to four hours a day, six days a week. She exercises while watching TV—and did so throughout our phone interview. For motivation, she keeps a souvenir from the show in her office: a life-size photo of her old fat self. Other winners share this strategy. Hoover, who has gained 52.8 lbs since November 2005, sees his cardboard cutout every day in his garage. Last season's winner, Erik Chopin, 37, who owns a deli in North Babylon, New York, and since December has put on 22 lbs of the 213.4 lbs he lost, keeps a photo on his fridge taken when he weighed 407 lbs.
The series added a more realistic component last season when 36 of its 50 contestants competed from home sans trainer. "They really got none of the bells and whistles," says the show's physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga. Well, almost none: they were still eligible to be tapped for the main show, and the at-home winner got $50,000. If the producers proceed with plans for a reunion episode later this year, it will be interesting to see how the contestants have fared since they went off camera and stopped racing for a cash reward.
Excellent article! Thank you for posting that! I have never seen the show but based on the descriptions I've read of it, it has always sounded soooo unhealthy to me. And this
Quote:
Ryan Benson, 38, an actor who works for a DVD distributor in Los Angeles, lost 121 lbs to win the first season in January 2005 but says he regained 31.9 lbs within five days simply by drinking water.
proves my suspicions were right. How scary and unhealthy for those contestants. How long until a contest DIES. Ridiculous!
I think it's obvious that they are doing more than counting calories and exercising to lose that much in a week (like the sauna, asparagus, etc) but the contestants are certainly given the tools to maintain their weight loss at home, even if they do temporarily regain some water weight, etc. I don't think we can blame the show. I admit it - I'm an avid BL fan - it encourages me to keep trying when I would otherwise want to just give up.
I would also be curious if any of the previous contestants would actually trade their experience if they could and never have gone on the show and never lost the weight? I doubt it....I don't think I would I would go on in a second! lol
Good article though - it reinforces what I already knew - it is not feasible to exercise as much as they do in real life nor is it likely that I'm going to drop the weight as quickly as the contestants do.
I watch the show for purely entertainment purposes only...I've said from day one that "Oh sure, I could lose 20lbs a week if I worked out 12hrs a day with a free trainor screaming at me and have a fridge stocked with healthy foods at my convience." Not to mention they have all that EXPENSIVE workout equiptment at their disposal. If there are people buying into the idea that it's realistic(or healthy) to lose that much weight in a week in real life, they producers need to put a disclaimer up that says other wise. Just the simple disclamer they use in my opinion is not enough.
Whats really annoying me though not to go off topic here is the amount of advertising there is compared to the past. Every 10 minutes a commerical break and then the multiple plugs during the show it enough to make me stop watching it all together.
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Whats really annoying me though not to go off topic here is the amount of advertising there is compared to the past. Every 10 minutes a commerical break and then the multiple plugs during the show it enough to make me stop watching it all together.
...the contestants are certainly given the tools to maintain their weight loss at home, even if they do temporarily regain some water weight, etc.
At least one contestant doesn't feel that he was given the tools he needed, and his re-gain was not temporary...
From ryan's myspace page (he won season #1)
Quote:
What I now know is that the show was just a quick fix for me. It was fun for me to be on a reality show – and I wanted to win it – it just so happened that winning this show meant I had to lose a bunch of weight, so that's what I did. I worked my ass off on the show.
I wanted to win so bad that the last ten days before the final weigh-in I didn't eat one piece of solid food! If you've heard of "The Master Cleanse" that's what I did. Its basically drinking lemonade made with water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, pure maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The rules of the show said we couldn't use any weight-loss drugs, well I didn't take any drugs, I just starved myself! Twenty-four hours before the final weigh-in I stopped putting ANYTHING in my body, liquid or solid, then I started using some old high school wrestling tricks. I wore a rubber suit while jogging on the treadmill, and then spent a lot of time in the steam room. In the final 24 hours I probably dropped 10-13 lbs in just pure water weight. By the time of the final weigh-in I was peeing blood.
Was this healthy? Heck no! My wife wanted to kill me if I didn't do it to myself first. But I was in a different place, I knew winning the show could put us in a better place financially and I was willing to do some crazy stuff. All this torture I put myself through has had no lasting effects on me (that I know of) and at the time it was sort of a fun adventure for me – but I am sure it reeked havoc on my system.
In the five days after the show was over I gained about 32 lbs. Not from eating, just from getting my system back to normal (mostly re-hydrating myself). So in five days I was back up to 240 – crazy!
So, in essence, I am the first to admit I didn't take from the show what I should have – how to change my habits/lifestyle. I know how to lose weight better than most, I could tell anyone what to do to lose weight, what to eat, how to exercise, and there are no tricks/gimmicks. Its simple – burn more calories than you take in.
I think it's interesting that he said he didn't take away from the show "what he should have". It seems like they are given lots of good information, and trainers with know-how. They could come away with the tools to be healthier. But the "game" can take over for some of them. I've thought that it might be better not to finish near the finals, to be someone who didn't have a chance at winning on finale night. Because then it wouldn't have to be as much about that last weigh-in. If you were that close to winning that much money, it would be easier to say to heck with health for a few weeks, and just get more weight off.
I'd love to see how much weight everyone who has been on the show has gained, or not since they appeared. I always hope that some of them really have turned a corner.
And as many flaws as it may have, I do find watching them workout inspiring. I see them doing things that I have thought I couldn't do. And I will admit that there have been mornings on the treadmill, where I have thought "if so and so can run, so can I". I watch it knowing it's a game, and pulling out the useful tools I can find, and getting some inspiration to work harder.
Laura
__________________ Diagnosed in 2006 Metformin 2000mg, Seasonique DS 9/02 (After 1 yr of TTC) M/C 10/05 DD 9/06 (After 3 yrs of TTC)
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I realize that the show has to do it in a quick and dramatic way for entertainment purposes. It would be sort of boring to follow these folks for a year and see them lose a half a pound per week (the healthy way).
My concern is that the contestants' behavior mentioned in the article seems like eating disorder behavior. I wonder how many of them (as well as young viewers) now struggle with eating disorders (including compulsive exercise and starvation).
I watched the first season of the show and never was comfortable with the speed at which the weight loss occurred. I personally won't watch it anymore.
__________________ Happily married; 1 amazing daughter born 12/06. short term weight loss goal: 20lbs by year's end long term weight loss goal: 65 lbs overall
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"I'm not lazy. I'm simply judicious about excess movement." -Jen Lancaster
I think it's interesting that he said he didn't take away from the show "what he should have". It seems like they are given lots of good information, and trainers with know-how.
Most of us have access to good information and 'know how'. The 'tools' anyone needs are those that help you establish health habits in your day-to-day life. That's what they 'don't' get in the environment of the show.
Most people aren't overweight because they don't know 'how' to lose weight (in terms of knowledge).
Quote:
Originally Posted by welshgirl
And as many flaws as it may have, I do find watching them workout inspiring.
I find the physical challenges very inspiring, but not the show, itself. In fact, I wish they'd show more of the workouts, too.
Unfortunately too many people watch the show and say, well, I could lose weight if I had what 'they' had, but they don't realize that they CAN lose weight with what they have now, if they're willing to really put in the time.
The people on BL are working out 4+ hours per day, but the average person at home, won't even workout SIXTY minutes a day.
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Hey, SoulCysters! Need to eat more veggies, but can't find recipes??
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The more I've read about this show, the more I disagree with it. Again I ask.. how long until a contestant dies or is seriously injured? Totally ridiculous.
I realize that the show has to do it in a quick and dramatic way for entertainment purposes. It would be sort of boring to follow these folks for a year and see them lose a half a pound per week (the healthy way).
As it is it's 8 months from start to beginning. They could easily extend the production time to a year, and then condense it for viewing purposes. (It would cost the production more, but they could do it.)
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Hey, SoulCysters! Need to eat more veggies, but can't find recipes??
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This is really interesting! Thanks so much for posting Kat. This has changed the way I've thought about the show dramatically.
I do still find it inspiring - it's a good motivator to get off my ass and go to the gym. Funny enough, my 24 hour fitness never has it on the TV when the show is on.
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Started losing weight on 4/20/08. Met my first two goals. Next goal: 202, the half-way mark, and a 10 point BMI loss!
"Defeat is often temporary... giving up makes it permanent."
I would also be curious if any of the previous contestants would actually trade their experience if they could and never have gone on the show and never lost the weight? I doubt it....I don't think I would I would go on in a second! lol
ARTICLE: The 'Real' Biggest Losers (who keep the weight OFF) do this... 
I would go on in a second! lol
