Biggest Loser Club: Free Trial?

Gosh, I'm so sick of all these diet "plans". Just eat less and exercise! Done. It's been said over and over again, because it works. 45 LBS I'VE LOST IN just over 3 months by eating tuna, oatmeal, Kashi, and veggie burgers while running, walking and playing DDR in my off-time. It's not hard ot lose weight, and I hate to see all these companies cashing in on people's insatiable thirst for the easy diet plan (or pill, book, exercise device, etc.) Sorry for stating the obvious, but I'm just fed up with it all, and if people REALLY want to lose weight, they should be doing it the old-fashioned, RIGHT way. Eat less and exercise... repeat after me... eat less and exercise.

The thing is - if eat less and exercise is the easy answer - why do so many people fail to achieve weight loss? And you had to learn from somewhere that Tuna, oatmeal, kashi are better food choices. By no means does that mean you need to shell out for a commercial diet plan.

From what I've seen initial weight loss from changing habits is easy - but eventually most people reach a plateau - and at this point - they need more information.

Eating less and excerising is always great and will work it is a given. However you eating only tuna, oatmeal , kashi is all you eat? If it is what happens later on down the road when you stop that regement? Choosing to eat only a few types of food makes me wonder about the long term goal of being able to keep the weight off and still incorporate a full filled life.

No, that's just the bulk of what I eat nowadays. I still drink lite beers, shots and mixed drinks when I'm out socializing (I just don't drink too many of them), Lean Cuisine's when the above foods get boring, and turkey burgers as a more "real" burger substitute. I dine out with friends without problems as well since I know the right foods to eat, whether it be a grilled chicken sandwich with fruit, white fish almondine or a caesar salad with dressing on the side. It is not hard to make the right choices anymore in any situation. It's a life change.

Believe it or not, a lot of people aren't educated on how to eat properly and exercise.

I once worked with a woman who said she wouldn't dare eat a piece of the homemade chocolate cake she made and brought to work because it was so fattening (she said this while eating a Wendy's bacon double cheeseburger).

There are people who are clueless about the dynamics of how many calories to eat and how often to exercise.

I think people should choose what they think would work best for them and stick with the plan.

It's the quitting that causes plans not to work, not the plans themselves.

I agree. I was actually pretty clueless when it came to dieting. I learned alto from cruising around the net and actually taking advantage of the free info available. I have never tried an online diet or really stuck to a book or anything but think it is definitely wroth a try. I need to find a routine and I think a book or an online diet could help. Does anyone have a good recommendation?

In my opinion- don't misjudge just cause I'm not an adult- but I've taken many fitness course, and work at fitness world, excercising is the key. Learn your calories, but get obssesive, its annoying. Learn to estimate and create your own guideline. Also it helps if you go to a health club or gym and get your fat % checked, this will be a guide to base your diet on. If you follow routine I found it better to write it down and keep to it. If motivation kills you then do something about it, drink caffeine it usually gets you up =) if anyone has questions you can reply here for my free consultatin, id be happy to help

Eating right and exercising worked for me. I have lost 108 pounds, and completed a marathon, a half ironman, and 3 ultramarathons. It has been 4 1/2 years since I weighed 290 lbs. Signing up for races keeps me motivated. I have also been using Fitday.com to track everything I eat, and it has totally made me aware of how many calories are in different foods.

I think the thing people don't realize is that to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off, you have to change your eating habits and exercise program for LIFE, not just a couple of months. I know a lot of people who think that by walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes 3 times a week, they will lose all kinds of weight. It doesn't work that way, usually. I, like Adam, lost 80+ pounds by eating the "right" foods for the majority of my diet. I eat a lot of fruits, fresh veggies, lean meat, oatmeal, etc. I still indulge in treats, but I know I can't eat a lot of those foods. People definitely need to be educated about what foods are healthy and which ones only seem healthy.

To Shannon: People are clueless about how many calories to eat because no one tells them how many they need for their particular metabolism. I've had clients who had been to Weight Watchers and had followed the recommendations given them. They did not cheat, yet they also didn't lose an ounce because the amount they were told to eat was too much for their metabolism. Also, the plans are difficult to stick to for more than a week or two. Overeating is not at all the same problem as addiction.

To Sam: I have a recommendation---my web log.

To em.kay: It is definitely better to write down a routine, before you start it. And as Ultraclyde suggests, you have to be aware of how many calories are in different foods so you can know exactly how much you have to eat to get to your goal.

And finally, to Spectra: You do have to change your eating habits for life. The trick is to do this without forcing your body to fight you, as it's programmed to do.

Thanks for the info! Mary what is your blog URL? I also checked out my diet profile on BLC and did the ten day trial and got some great info!

Thanks!

Help I'm 5'3 and weigh 512. I have no social life. What can you do to help me?

I have a friend named Randy that lives in Honduras. He hurts my feelings often because of the truth, he hurls my way. I know I have more than 380 pounds of white gushy fat I need to lose, but he doesn't need to hurt my feelings everyday. I need to understand him more even though what he says is true. Last year I lost 57 pounds and I called him hoping he'd be proud of me. He just snickered and smiled at me and said that was like taking a bucket of water out of the ocean. Between Randy in Honduras and the mirror I have to face everyday I feel there's NO reason to live. I have often thought of gastric bypass, bariatric surgery and stomach stapling. I figured that between all 3 I might have a chance of a normal life. Sometimes I feel like painting myself black and white and dive in the ocean to swim with Willy. This might be my best option for a social life. Help me please and never listen to Randy.

To Wally: Why don't you try to audition for the biggest loser. The auditions are going on now. All you have to have is the willingness to work hard. I still have a lot of weight to lose my self. I will be the first to tell you, it is hard. I get up at 5:30am 3 times a week and do a boot camp style class and have lost 19 pounds in 8 weeks. Don't listen to that "friend" in Honduras. A real friend would not speak to you in that fashion. But you will never lose the weight without getting up and doing something about it. Surgery is not the way! Do it for your self!!

Wally, I feel your pain. I am forty and have been battleing the bulge for all of my life. I am 5'6" and weigh 275. My life has been an up and down battle with weight. But I know it can be done, it is just getting that will to do it. The Biggest Loser is the most motivating show around, however, in the real life we know we have to take it more slowly, we don't have the time to spend 5hrs a day exercising and a personal diet expert telling us what to eat. I think that Adam has a great point. It is about the balance of good nutrition and exercise. I have hated looking at myself in the mirror as well, and have thought that I would be better off not being around. But that is not the answer either. It is such a difficult road to travel, and maybe we should travel it together, a support network. Now I just need to start listening to myself and I would have it made....LOL P.S. Get rid of Randy!!!!

"The Biggest Loser is the most motivating show around"

Sorry, but motivating is just one way of looking at it. I think that overall it's doing a disservice for the country. (USA) We have an INCREDIBLY high obesity rate here and to show people losing 100+ pounds in 13 weeks is ridiculous. Sure, take 13 weeks off, eat nothing, and you'll lose 1/2 your body weight. That's the healthy way! But people see this and want a quick weight loss fix, so they bite and buy weight loss product after weight loss product instead of taking a serious look at their lifestyle and deciding what really needs to change.

Now excuse me, I need to see the after-shots of their family's being so proud. Take a quick look folks, they'll put all the weight back on in a couple months, because they haven't changed their way of thinking when it comes to diet and exercise. Money's a great motivator to be "good" for 13 weeks.

I am 27 years old. one year ago i was on an opperating table. My Dr. told me that i have poly systic overy syn.
He said in oder to have kids i would have to have them before i turn 30. Also before i could get pregnent i would have to loose waight. Then he said he would see me next year. I have tried every diet i came across. I would loose 10-20lbs. and stop. So i would stop dieting and i would gain back dubble what i lost. Now i dont know what to do, and I'm running out of time!!! Iwould give the show a chance if it only helped me for a short time maybe i could get my chance to be a mom!

hi lisa? maybe the diets uve done r diets that took a very short time to lose weight? a diet is not for just losing wieght its a change of a lifetime so i say take it slowely but surely so u dont gain the weight bak cuz dats wats hapnd to me and now im bak to losing those stubborn kilos for good and after watching out wat i eat becuase hard work, effort, patience and time wil deifntly pay off in da end 4 good gud luk XX

Hey Adam, my comment on the show being "the most motivating" is because it shows that your body can change. But if you see what I wrote afterwards, you can see that I agree with you and the way you lost your weight. Slowly goes it. And besides that Iv'e done the hardly eating anything regime for more then 13 weeks and hardly lost a pound of body weight. But I sure looked sickly...LOL. I, to, would like to see what those people look like in a year or two to see if they were able to keep it off. I do know that they are required, for promotional reasons, to keep the weight off for a couple of years, to be used on commercials, etc.. So they are still paid and monitored for those times. Well, Adam, congrats on you losing 45lbs the old fashioned way, because that is the way to do it.

Lisa,

I too have PCOS. Now, I'm not your doctor and PCOS affect everyone differently. I've been told by my first OBGYN that it may be impossible for me to become pregnant. My current OB/GYN said "hogwash". That when the time comes we'll take it one step at a time and it may never be a problem. I'm 32 and also overweight. I have a few friends that are also overweight with PCOS and have become pregnant with not one problem.

I'm not saying you will or will not have problem or that you shouldn't be concerned for your health and want to improve it any way you can. I just want to encourage you to not "worry" about it to the point you become somewhat obsessive. That doesn't help the situation - a situation that may not even be one in the long run.

Have you tried the prescription drug metformin? It is a drug for diabetics and is often given to PCOS patients since they tend to be insulin resistant (Syndrome X) - therefore have great difficulty losing weight. I have a friend (a nurse)with PCOS. She had the same difficulty losing past 20lbs. Metformin has helped her greatly. I personally chose to try it the old fashioned way first and see where I get. I didn't want the meds in me quite yet. I'm down 15lbs this month with LOTS of exercise. It can be difficult for me to get past those 20lbs - we'll see.

Keep up the fight and get a second opinion if need be.

You can do it! :)

Adam......would you be kind enough to give me an idea of the foods you eat & the exercise you did to lose your weight... thank you SO MUCH!!!!
you can e-mail me at bluangel292001@yahoo.com!!!

Thanks a million!

All of you are crazy to me. I did my own diet and went from 128 to 93 pounds and I am 34 and am 5"7. It is all mind over matter and self control. and I know now I have the control. TP

To all of you "Biggest Loser" skeptics who tout that the show is unrealistic this post is for you. The show actually shows America the process of overweight people losing weight. There are some overweight people who just can not imagine themselves in a slimmer trimmer body. There are people who have carried around an excess of 50 pounds since childhood. To actually see overweight people slimming and trimming down before your eyes without surgery is remarkable. The bottom line is that we can all make 30 to 120 minutes per day in order to save ourselves from diabetes, and hypertension. Heck, many of us would gladly spend 5 hours per day in the gym if it could reverse a life threatening ailment that we acquired. So what they do on "The Biggest Loser" is bo realistic and feasible. But this all depends on how bad you want it.
I remember that I worked full time, and I came home from work 5 days per week and spent 4 hours per day in the gym. I lost 40 pounds in 2 and 1/2 months. But I was dedicated, and I was younger. It's time for us to rededicate ourselves to ourselves by any means necessary. If the show The Biggest Loser inspires you, then use that inspiration to make changes in your life. If eating a diet of tuna fish and oatmeal makes you lose weight, then keep doing it, but add some vitamins in there some where. We need to pat people on the back who are "making it happen" instead of sitting down and typing reasons why it cant happen. Enough Said.

TP... can you give me an idea of how you lost the weight.. including foods?

Thank you!

TP: you should seek help for distorted body image and an eating disorder. You might have body dysmorphia, if you think that 128lb at 5'7" was "fat" and that 93lb, for any adult over 5', is normal and desirable.

Rosy, I'm guessing it doesn't involve a list of foods to eat, as much as a list of foods *not* to eat. As in, pretty much all of them but lettuce, sugar-free coffee, and water. There is absolutely no healthy way to get your body to be that underweight. The only ways are: starvation and/or drugs.

To Pcos sufferers.

I never had more than 4 periods a year and was getting upset about not getting pregnant. I read somewhere about lowering insulin resistance for a while by completely cutting out simple sugars. I tried the Atkins for about 2-3 months. It was just horrible! Anyway, I must have ovulated because I got pregnant. Did this twice. This worked for me, but maybe it was a coincidence. My boys are 8 and 5. I'm 34 now and recovering from a hysterectomy. After my babies I started to bleed all the time (up to 3 months continuously!)Still have a hard time losing weight.

Allie I have PCOS too, and hypothyroidism (the double whammy of diseases that will make you fat, as I call them). I read a lot about hormones and alternative therapies because of this, and I want to tell you that before you try to get milk from rocks by dieting, have a complete blood panel, with all the sex hormones, both total and free, as well as thyroid. PCOS by itself can already wreak havoc on hormones, and a hysterectomy is even worse. I mentioned to get the thyroid test because a lot of people don't know that people with no thyroid conditions can have low levels of free thyroid hormones (the ones that actually work - the totals don't mean anything) if their estrogen is too high or if estrogen is normal, but progesterone is low. With PCOS, besides the high testosterone, low progesterone is also common.

As you know, losing weight with a disease like PCOS even when tests are perfectly normal is still harder than for a "regular person". If they are not perfectly normal, it is close to impossible, so it is best to make sure they are normal.

Hello, I am motivated to lose 100 pounds over the next 8 months. I am looking for a 'buddy' who would want to maintain weekly contact to be accountable to and also help support their goals. I have set up a home gym for myself and have a workout plan and really hope to connect with a positive, upbeat person. I'm a 33-year old female who's decided now's the time to tackle this problem. Anyone who thinks they'd either be a positive support (and who might want it in return) can email me at amkendall2003@yahoo.com. Thanks so much. I just know it will be easier to have someone to be accountable to.

Hi Amber,
Happy New Year!
Good for you to start workout plan.

I started to go to gym early in the morning so I do not have excuse to get out of gym :)) I get up at 5.30 am and I am in gym by 6.30 pm to do 45 minutes of cardio then the weights. I am able to be in office by 9.00 am.

How are you planning manage work and life outside work?

Best wishes
Poonam

Hello,

I think one of the reasons why The Biggest Loser is such a success is because of its accountability. That is also the reason why Weight Watchers tends to work well. If you have no one to face to or answer to it is easy to lose motivation. Self-motivation is difficult if you can master the ability to hold yourself accountable then you have the power to lose weight. No one wants to go on national television to lose weight and fail. Failure is a great motivator and humiliation; no one wants to be embarrassed. The money helps but I think that is only half of it. Also The biggest loser uses a simple formula that we all know.. Calorie control and exercise… It is very simple. I think the online diet can provide accountability if you are willing to buy into it and take it seriously. I find the show extremely motivating! And it has inspired me to eat right and starting exercising. I know I can’t spend 5 hrs a day but I can spend 1:30 and controlling my intake in calories and exercising will get me to my desired weight.. Maybe not in 13 weeks but I will get there J … wishing everyone the motivation to change their lives!

I think this is a great thing people talking about ways to lose weight and all. BUT THIS IS FOR THOSE TALKING ABOUT THE SHOW. The biggest loser might air on T.V. for three weeks but they are on thats ranch doing nothing but working out and eating right for about 6 months. and then they go home for 3 months. So what they are showing over weight people is that there is a way to lose weight in a healthy way. If you didn't go to work, did eat fast food or go to restuarents, ate only health foods, stuck to a certain amount of calories, and exercised your but of then you to could lose 10+ pounds a week. I haven't tried it myself but I will since I am a stay at home mom. Sunday Jan 15 2006 my husband and myself are going to but this to the test. And I will keep you all up and the progress.

I want to start a Biggest Losers club at work, I have about 8 people who want to do it with me, any suggestions for the guidelines?

I'm really so tired of looking bad and feeling bad about myself. I really feel inspired from watching the Biggest Loser and so do many of my friends. I feel with Gods help and help from the show I can accomplish my goals. I really wanted to be on the show but didn't feel I could take off work for that length of time. I still plan on trying to be on the show, for I am a school teacher and can be off in the summer, if a show comes along at that time. I've tried many diets but never have the determination to stick to them. I really appreciate whatever help I can get from the Biggest Loser Club and will really try hard to succeed.

Lisa-

I have the same issue as you poly cy. syn., I am 32years, I already have 1 child (10 yrs), and I just got married, and want another child, but weight is the issue, i have been trying to lose weight for 8 yrs, It's been an up and down, the most I lost is 32lbs but I gained back 45lbs. Don't give up. I'm not. good luck to all of you..

the biggest loser is a family show it helps everyone say wow you can do it the old fashon way and not surgery. i have 4 children and iam only 26 but i need to loose weight ands it is hard but you have to make a change in your life style. i got a membership to the gym and iam on a low calorie diet and watching them carbs to . i work out 2hrs a day and it makes me feel good about my self i like that feeling. i hope that everyone loses the weight they want .

Hi there dummys...
your stomach is about the size of your fist.
Eat smaller meals, eat 6 small meals a day, stay away from refined sugar, and exercise daily. If you don't loose fat from this lifestyle then you are completely useless and deserve to be banned from the beach.

Hi,
I agree with needsnone...
Most people eat way to much food in one sitting. If you were to continue to eat the food you are currently eating and do nothing except cut the quantity in half while getting minimal daily exercise, the results would be amazing... TRY IT FOR YOURSELF FOR 6 WEEKS... I dare you :)

needsnone, you are an idiot.

A lot of people need a lot more than just exercise, no sugar, and 6 small meals. Not saying that this advice is bad, it is a good place to start, but if that is all it took me to lose weight, I'd be the happiest person in the world.

Eating half the amount of junk food you eat like Steve said will sure make you lose weight, but I don't think you'll be particularly healthy.

Jan,
You did not read what I said correctly... try again.
I said to cut your quantities in half and see how good the results are. The fact that you assumed that I was talking only about junk food makes me believe that you are eating unhealthy.

If you are a fatty pants, do this: stop eating crap food right now, start eating small balanced meals, and exercise daily... there is nothing else to it... It sounds like you need to stop being spoonfed food, and spoonfed information, not anymore food... hahaha.

I agree with Steve...
Jan, I may be guilty of being to direct, but I am not an idiot. If you think I am an idiot without any data to back it up, then you are just a person with an opinion.

I dare anybody to prove me wrong, that in eliminating jubk food, eating 6 small balanced meals a day, and exercising daily will not reduce bodyfat. If you eat healthy, exercise daily, and create a calory deficit you will loose fat, get healthy, and start to be positively attractive to the opposite sex...

I think that most fat people would rather talk forever about how to loos weight, that way they don't ever have to get off their fat asses and actually do it.... "Why exercise and do work, when I can sit on my ass and debate all day with food dripping off my chin!"

Remember this before you respond to heavily.... Arguing on the internet is like competing in the special opympics... It doesn't matter if you win or loose, you are stil retarded!!!

(Eat good - feel good - look good)...Duuhhhh.