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EventsThe sad truth behind The Biggest Loser
in Weight loss 
Have you seen The Biggest Loser? Participants rapidly lose half their body weight in front of the TV cameras, by eating less and moving more.
It seems to work great. So why don’t all the “lazy” people watching do the same thing?
Here’s the sad truth behind the show, revealed by a former contestant:
Just one of the interesting details: How do people lose so much weight in a single week? Answer: They don’t. There were anywhere from 16 to 25 days between the weigh-ins, not one week as the producers made the participants pretend.
The saddest fact? The “eat less, move more” mentality may work great as long as the participants are locked up in a house for months, with guards and little food. But it doesn’t necessarily work in real life, after the competition.
Here’s what the former participant had to say about the long term results:
I would say that about 75 per cent of the contestants from my series in 2008 are back to their starting weight. About 25 per cent had had gastric banding or surgery.
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Overweight people should be inspired to take part in a fiction, on the slim-chance (see what I did there?) to win a prize???
Yes we are all adults and of course it is perfectly reasonable to expect us to pander to the lowest-common denominators of society's whims, for some questionable entertainment value???
Roll up! Roll up! Look at the freak with an eating disorder! Such fun!
Good grief... is this really indicative of what human society has to offer?
You are right. I don't like these "reality" shows. I don't watch them and my hope is that by "voting with my feet" such gutter-mentality shows will go away, as fast as they seem to have appeared.
But hey...I hope you enjoy watching these people suffer.. just so log as it makes you feel better about yourself.
Rationalize all you like but shows such as these are garbage and I think of people who watch them in the same way as those who like to watch train-wrecks, car-crashes etc... appealing to the lowest common-denominator, the basest parts of human nature.
I think it's time that humans grew up and matured... if you want to wave "personal responsibility" about, then we need informed and honest input... not a pack of lies.
This latest season's debacle with Rachel proves that the show's producers don't have contestant's health and well-being in mind. What I worry about is the fine line between what is currently Biggest Loser and a show where overweight people are literally starving themselves for money, and home audiences cheering this spectacle. It is the real life Hunger Games! Is this what we want to support and condone?
Losing massive amounts of weight and then gaining it back is harder on the body than just staying the same, or losing a little bit at a time. The Biggest Loser exemplifies the worst in conventional diet advice, offers no real solutions except "hey fattie, get up off your ass and work out 6 hours a day and eat a few small salads and some dry turkey and then maybe you'll be an acceptable human being."
They actually do give nutritional advice during the show, apart from their sponsor food. What they do NOT do is follow these people home, hold their hands and guide them through the rest of their lives. How can they? They lay the framework, and send them home. Is it the show's fault that people gain weight back? I'm following several former contestants who did not gain back their weight.
One more point.......actually, the audience, while cheering for Rachel's entrance, was noticeable shocked and dismayed at seeing her body. Jillian and Bob were visibly stunned. People were not cheering her on at all, quite the contrary, as evidenced by the millions of posts on social media commenting on her underweight appearance. Nobody is happy to see that but again, she did it to herself. It was not something that fans of the show want to see.
He said he hasn't eaten carbs in 6 yrs.
he's maintained his weight loss.
I used to watched (eating ice cream) when I was fat. Hoping to be inspired.
Now I'm LCHF I can't bear to watch people exercising themselves to death. It doesn't have to be that way.
:-(
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jan/smoke.pdf
The show is a lie because it uses deception. Read the interview: candidates are weighted every three to four weeks, yet are given lines to state "Gosh, I really worked hard this week", misleading people into thinking that 1. it happened in only one week, 2. exercise did it 3. you can do it on a high carb diet (which is true if you are ready to suffer huger all day). Do the people improve their health? Yes, but unfortunately, only for a short period. Back in the real world, most of them regain their lost weight AND the medical conditions that came with it and many choose gastric banding as a way out of obesity. Since no real effective dietary advice was given (LCHF anyone?), people are mislead to believe that they are slobs and gluttons since they cannot keep the weight off. They are also mislead to believe that exercise is necessary for weight loss. It is not. Now, I do interval training myself six times a week because I love it and I am a strong advocate of physical exercise, which is essential for a number of reasons, but weight loss is not one of them.
It certainly would not make such a great show to see people on a LCHF diet eat real food and get a normal body fat level without starving themselves or developing eating disorders. No. it is "much better" to see people being beaten up by the trainers, screamed at, cry (did you read the interview? it explains how the show producers psychologically manipulate these people so they will break down... it makes for great drama and people love seeing other people suffer. We are no different from people who did not miss one public execution: it was "fun".
As a physician, I then have to deal with people whose ego have been destroyed from watching this show, because it is impossible to achieve on their own what they do on the show.
I actually purchased a video series by Jillian Michael: great-looking lady, but what a "bitchy" way of dealing with people. Her programs work because she starves people. All these programs work because they starve people. The exercises are actually interesting and even, sometimes, challenging. But people are mislead into thinking that it is the exercise that gets them to lose weight so fast... It does not. Diet does. Exercise makes you healthy and strong.
I hate this so called "reality TV". It is not reality. it is a pitiful show. And to lie to viewers, to psychologically manipulate candidates so they'll break down is, in my mind, the closest you can get to being criminal. it is called psychological, emotional and physical abuse. Anyone doing it at home on unwilling family members could be brought to justice. I gather producers are saved only because candidates are willing adults, accepting to be abused, and they signed a contract. I wonder though if someone explained that they will be required to lie to viewers and be destroyed psychologically.
LCHF saved my life. My sleep apnea disappeared, along with my metabolic syndrome and I lost a significant amount of adipose tissue. And I did not have to suffer. I'll stick to that. And I'll keep on speaking to my patients of the only long term way to lose adipose tissue and regain health without suffering.
Nutr J. 2014 Feb 6;13(1):15. [Epub ahead of print]
Modern diet and metabolic variance - a recipe for disaster?
Grantham JP, Staub K, Rühli FJ, Henneberg M.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Recently, a positive correlation between alanine transaminase activity and body mass was established among healthy young individuals of normal weight. Here we explore further this relationship and propose a physiological rationale for this link.
DESIGN:
Cross-sectional statistical analysis of adiposity across large samples of adults differing by age, diet and lifestyle.Subjects: 46,684 19-20 years old Swiss male conscripts and published data on 1000 Eskimos, 518 Toronto residents and 97,000 North American Adventists.Measurements: Serum concentrations of the alanine transaminase, post-prandial glucose levels, cholesterol, body height and weight, blood pressure and routine blood analysis (thrombocytes and leukocytes) for Swiss conscripts. Adiposity measures and dietary information for other groups were also obtained.
RESULTS:
Stepwise multiple regression after correction for random errors of physiological tests showed that 28% of the total variance in body mass is associated with ALT concentrations. This relationship remained significant when only metabolically healthy (as defined by the American Heart Association) Swiss conscripts were selected. The data indicated that high protein only or high carbohydrate only diets are associated with lower levels of obesity than a diet combining proteins and carbohydrates.
CONCLUSION:
Elevated levels of alanine transaminase, and likely other transaminases, may result in overactivity of the alanine cycle that produces pyruvate from protein. When a mixed meal of protein, carbohydrate and fat is consumed, carbohydrates and fats are digested faster and metabolised to satisfy body's energetic needs while slower digested protein is ultimately converted to malonyl CoA and stored as fat. Chronicity of this sequence is proposed to cause accumulation of somatic fat stores and thus obesity.
You want a retort? Read this blog. It has tons of references on the positive effects of LCHF on biochemical parameters (all articles curiously overlooked by McDougall). But let me go on a few of his statements: "Type-2 diabetes is cured by a starch-based, high-carbohydrate diet. To take this point to the extreme, the Rice Diet, consisting of white rice, fruit, fruit juice, and table sugar (more than 90% of the calories are from carbohydrate) has been shown to cause profound weight losses in the severely obese, cure type-2 diabetes, and reverse heart disease. Dietary fat increases blood sugar levels and causes people with type-1 diabetes to require more insulin." Strong statements, but completely false. Just look-up the following article on the internet (it's free) Yoshifumi Y, Uchida J et al., A non-calorie-restricted Low-carbohydrate Diet
is Effective as an alternative therapy for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
Intern Med 53: 13-19, 2014
Look at figure 2: the partly restricted carb diet to 75 grams per day (no caloric restriction) showed a significant decrease in HbA1C% (a marker of diabetes) and of triglycerides (now known to be the most important index of the lipid profile) while the caloric restricted (no carb restriction) showed no change of HbA1C and TG.
McDougall is the champion of sweeping statements. Look up the HORUS study: they did CT scans of mummies and found that in all ancient people (Pueblos, ancient Egyptians, etc) suffered from coronary artery and vascular disease. They did not smoke and ate no junk food. But they ate a lot of these "so healthy" grains. McDougall forgets to state that as soon as people started eating grains, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases appeared. Humans became smaller by up to six inches and the jaws were difformed (see Weston price excellent books, free online on that very subject).
McDougall forgets the Eskimos and Inuit who remained healthy on a fat and meat-only diet but became sick as soon as grains were introduced in their diet. This very same "fat and meat only" diet was used by Caucasians explorers in the north with the same excellent results, including in a very controlled food ward study in New York City.
On climate change, I suggest you watch the extraordinary TED talk by Alan Savory. On chronic disease and inflammation, suggest you read how Dr Terry Wahls reverted her MS with a paleo LCHF diet (she calls bacon fat a health food and I fully agree). LCHF proponents are not against plants: most times, they eat more, much more green-leafy vegetables than anyone else. We are simply not fat phobic (as long as these fats are not trans fats or have a severe imbalance in the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6)
I could go on and on and destroy every single one of his arguments. It would be fastidious and is unnecessary. One last word: McDougall participated in a stupid youtube video showing pictures of "diet gurus", alternating high carb proponents and high fat ones. All high carb and grain proponents look sick and cachectic. I suggest you read the post on Marks daily apple where he actually attended for education purposes one of the intensive McDougall sessions. Hilarious. So please stop thinking about McDougall posts. Or even better: try for one week eating what he suggests: you'll never go back again to that type of bland crap.
I actually followed the Mcdougall plan back in the early 80's, and I never was so tired and sick in my life. I thank God it didn't do long-term damage.
I don't understand how anyone can survive with a productive life on a diet so rich in starches and minimal, and I do mean minimal protein. It's insane!
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/02/the-forgotten-1/comment-page-1/...
But to drift back to this thread's topic, I'm not at all surprised to learn that Biggest Loser is pure fiction in addition to being massively incorrect dietary and weight management advice. "Starve & strive while eating carbs" is no way to manage weight. Exercise is a largely ineffective way to lose weight, as it doesn't burn all that many calories, promotes appetite, and increases scale weight via muscle mass.
I used to watch the show... I stopped after I realized what a sham it was. Listening to Jillian Michaels lecture Gary Taubes on the laws of thermodynamics really put the last nail in the coffin.
http://curetoothdecay.com/blog/why-did-the-ancient-egyptians-suffer-f...
Egyptians is in my view the best example of an society living like ours today with most things available around the year at least for the rich then. The Nile through the desert made bread available throughout the year since just everything can be dried there without technology. The combination of blood sugar elevations from wheat and all kind of dried fruits ( often 60% sugar ) and restricted animal fats and meat (no large grass lands in Egypt = no large herds of animals) is probably coming very close to the SAD recommendations we have today and it led to disaster already then. The "official explanation" when the original mummies were scanned for heart disease and the extremely high prevalence of heart disease was found was typical of independent public views on things: "Only people that were rich were mummified and they were the few that ate meat most often" That is a true statement. Only problem in the context is that the average life span of the poor that did not eat meat and animal fats and did all the physical work that then was necessary was about 10 years shorter. Here are the real biggest losers from ancient times and we will never see their heart health when they went. But the food and work out profile agrees with the program, but fortunately (!) the participants are allowed to get out of the torture.
Are there other ancient examples than Egyptians with extremely high prevalence of heart disease ? Great that I found and started the LCHF eating over two years ago. I suffered from severe effort angina for 6-7 years before and it disappeared completely after 6 weeks on strict LCHF with plenty of salads without store bought (sugar laden) dressing. I was far down the way to go like the Egyptians and must have done a "last minute" change!. But I am just another anecdote or even a paradox?
Regarding bone health I read somewhere that archaeologists can
see if a skeleton originates from hunter gatherer or agricultural society. The hunter gatherer skeletons are larger with stronger bones free from osteoporosis.
How many so called reality shows do we see involving people who are clearly mentally ill ! It is the producers' fault, it's cheap to make TV. Bring on the poor, the disadvantaged, the poorly educated, the mentally ill and let them make fools of themselves.
Bring on the Barry Williams show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvulRNqISlM
Eddie
If they were serious the program would do follow ups with all the players.
http://www.sugaraholics.com
Eddie
It might be scientifically interesting to watch McDougall get dementia because of insufficient fat in his diet. And given the way he is behaving, it may be rather quick. It is unfortunate that anyone would develop dementia, even a moron, but I fear this is what we'll witness soon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancel_Keys
I'm all about LCHF, but how do we square that?
Would you like to be at the end of your life like that ruined man in a wheel chair with dropping mouth?
The sad truth is that many of us who 'diet' will fail and regain. Think LCing is immune? Check out your favourite LC board for "inspirational" posts from people who have come back wondering what the hell went wrong. Calling out others that failed comes across at being smug.
Indeed the unusual crankiness and the tendency for constant irritation what fits criteria of being an aggressive idiot is the mark of a poor mental health and a bad impulse control. My grandma who now has a full-blown Alzheimer started with increased crankiness and hostile behavior, especially toward my mother.