The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?

Anyone who's in that show will more like lose much weight than normal because of the pressure caused by people who are witnesses of the contestants journey to weight loss.

If a man loses 122 and regains 90, he lost 32. If he does that every year, in two years he's down 64 pounds, in three, 96, and in four, 124 pounds. After just five years, he'd weigh 160 pounds less than when he started. It's worth doing, if he weighs 160 more than he should.
Losing 1.5 pounds/week means losing 78 pounds a year. That's substantial. If a woman weighs 350 pounds when she starts, and sheds 10 pounds water weight to begin, then she drops two/week for one year, she weighs 236. If she then loses one/week for her second year, she weighs 184.
So maybe the key to motivation is to think years, not weeks. Anyone doing it that way?

RJ, Don't be so negative...weight loss can be forever. I too have been over weight the past 14 years. Starting in May I did a change of life style diet. Low carbs and no sugar. I have lost many inches...and 20 pounds and the weight is continuing to fall off. I feel great. I am not hungry and I eat the same meals that my family eats. I have asthma so for exercise I walk every night and my doctor told me that I was on the right track to a healthy life style. I don't have a "weight loss" goal. I have a life goal. I feel great and I wish I would of started this change years ago. I was addicted to carbs and now I have learned how to control them. So don't listen to negatives, listen to positives and realize you CAN DO IT....Keep up the great work and let me know if you need any help.

I agree that the show fosters unrealistic expectations of weight loss. I took three months to lose 10 pounds by simply taking a morning half hour walk, and sticking to unprocessed foods.
Also, resisting the peer pressure to have sweets and treats. It's amazing how many "supportive people" will pressure you to have one little piece of cake. The problem is that EVERYONE you know seems to think that their one little transgression is the only temptation you will face in a week.
I was thrilled to lose the 10 pounds. As long as the numbers are trending downward, I am happy. I have 20 more pounds to go before I get to a mid-range, normal BMI, and a comfortably body size for myself (I am 5'-2" and currently weight 140). I have made a commitment to lose the additional 20 pounds, and I expect it will take me another year or so. I think that's just fine.
I read somewhere that it only takes 100 extra calories a day (a cookie) to gain 10 pounds a year, and a 100 fewer calories to lose 10 pounds a year. I think that's the way to do it, to see it as a long term commitmant, and not get impatient about meeting numbers fast.

I think that The Biggest Loser is one of the best shows ever and they do tell you that they exercise about 6 hrs a day and they lower you calories to where they should be. They also stay very hydrated so for Ryan to say he gained 32lbs by drinking water that is unrealistic, he gained it by going back to the old eating habits and not working out. I would also like to add if you eat the right amount of calories a day according to your weight and workout for at least an hour or two a day for 5 days a week you can maintain your weight loss.

Josie! said:
She has to exercise four hours a day to stay at a healthy weight? Why? How much does she eat? I don't really understand, why is it that people who have always been thin often are able to maintain their low weight by never exercising and simply eating in moderation, while people who used to be overweight have to be extreme dieters and exercisers to [...]

Josie! said:
I don't know anything about macronutrients, so I can't really follow that part of the thread. The thing about the "fat gene" though, I've read that the so-called fat gene wasn't based so much on natural metabolism but on the fact that people are born with different amount of appetite controlling hormones in their body that end up determining how mu[...]

Josie, Macronutrients is just a fancy way of saying "protein, carbs and fats"
"Fat Genes" what a crock. . .to maintain weight loss, you have to "reset" the bodies metabolism. . .everyone that does an extreme type of diet is resetting their metabolism to a lower level by eating less.
My clients all learn that they have to gain a little bit of weight over 4-6 weeks in order to reach a new caloric maintenance level.
ie. if you are trying to start dieting by eating 1200 cals per day. .where are you going to go to get more weight loss when it slows. . .900 cals? 500?
Come on people, just start eating the proper foods (read, no grains, just fats, moderate protein and fruit and tons of greens.)
Take fish oil capsules. . .6 a day minimum to balance your omega 3:6 ratio. . .we eat way to much 6's in our modern diet and this in turn increases inflamation in the body.
DON'T do a ton of Low intensity cardio to maintain weight loss. . .
Do a lot of moderate to higher rep (15-20 per set) weight training along with 3 sessions per week of properly set up Interval cardio (ie. 30 seconds sprinting followed by 1min 30 seconds of recovery walking for 10 cycles)

Check out my site.
www.iconsfitness.com
As heard on Howard stern.

Spectra said:
I think what Tim is trying to get across is that the composition of certain foods affects how many calories we actually absorb from them. Foods with a lot of fiber bind up fats and help them pass out of you without being digested. I also think calorie DENSITY is important. If you screw up and eat 3 servings of say, carrots, you're going to do a lot[...]

I can see the point from both sides but, I agree moreso with the arguement that it is not a myth. If you want to take into account the content then it still applies; you just count fat, carb or protein calories. A bus load of twinkies will affect the body differently because it has more fat calories than the brocolli. Then take into account that the sugar in the twinkies affect blood sugar level. Also carb content is affect by the amount of fiber. But it still is calorie counting.

I've recently started to lose some weight myself.I've lost 25 pounds in 7 weeks which is not easy but i am doing it the right way , i am eating enough food for me to keep full and not gain or maintain weight and on top a healthy dose of exercise, around 40 -45 mins 4 times a week at the gym and at least a 20 minute walk daily, now personally i still need to lose over 80 pounds to get to my goal weight of 145 , i feel this is the best way to lose my weight and to keep it off permanently and not have to go through this process again . Its not a walk in the park i can tell you that much it takes A LOT of discipline but its most definitely worth the effort .

ERIC I thought your comment was very smart and educated until you said NO GRAINS?? Are you bloody kidding? Atkins type diets have been proven to not work and to cause many serious problems. Macronutrients are super importaint for the body to maintain homeostasis. Whole Grains in their unprocessed unground form should not be giving up under any circumstance. Brown rice, wild rice, barley, quinoa, millet and wheat berries are examples. (you can even get bread made of sprouted grain with no flour - flour of any grain is too easily converted into sugar spiking insulin leading to diabetes for example)

If ryan gained all his weight back it was simply because he did not learn his lesson and went back to eating too much or was eating too little for his new metabolism
Also the only thing I dont like about Biggest loser is that they tell people to eat stupid shit like artificial sweetners.

DEAR LINT - 1LB of stored fat = 3500cals
So in theory, you would only need to eat 95 extra calories a day for a year. ;)

blah

I am looking for an online weight loss group/club that is free to participate in. I don't need any cookbooks, etc. Am new to this, am looking to lose 20 lbs. Would love to see a show or discussions geared toward those of us with only 10-20 lbs to lose, but who are nonetheless struggling with it. I have many girlfriends who, as we start turning 40, are starting to gain noticeable weight. Losing 10-20 lbs sounds like it should be so easy - why do we struggle with this small amount?

For anyone interested in the topic of weight loss, I would highly recommend the book "Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss-and the Myths and Realities of Dieting" by NY Times science writer Gina Kolata. It's a real eye opener. The physiological repercussions of dieting, and the statistical data on long term weight loss are enough to give a person pause. The best course of action may well be living a healthy lifestyle and learning to love yourself as you are.

most you people are weak pathetic haters . those peoples weight loss is amazing period do you people think being obese is healthy. just because most of you cant get the discipline to suceed dont put down others. you people will probably die and have a more miserable healh plagued exsitence then those people ever will.

A calorie is a calorie, that's the whole point of using a standardised measurement. Tim, you said this:

"My main argument against the calorie idea, is that a 1 lb of M&Ms is not the same, for how the body will be effected, and fat stored, as 1 lb of zuchini and chicken breast."

That's why people use calories to measure! A pound of M&M's is many more calories than a pound of zuchini and chicken breast. Comparing a pound of candy vs a pound of chicken will never prove anything, except that you don't understand the concept of calories.

It's just calories in vs calories out people. If you have a slow metabolism then speed it up with some cardio and weight training.

Fat people love to pretend they are genetically fat or some other silly thing. The truth is that they don't want to exercise or control their food intake. That's why they're fat in the first place!

I got fat by eating too much and exercising too little. Now I'm slim from eating less and exercising more. It's not rocket science.

There is a very simple answer. Like myself, these people are food addicts. No different than alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.. They are addicted to sugar, flour and wheat.
This program wreaks havoc on their bodies. Who exercises 4-5 hrs a day? It's absurd to have that expectation.

I eat 3 healthy meals a day of lean meat, fish all kinds of grains, vegies and fruit.
I am never hungry and never grave sugary refined carbohydrate foods because as I have removed them from my diet the graveings have gone away. I also have a healthy snack in the evening to maintain my blood sugar.

Am not exercising right now but I know MODERATE exercise is needed.

I have been a yoyo dieter all my life but have now had a healthy stable weight for 2 years,

Congrats to all of those who have lost and kept it off! I too last about 100 lbs four years ago and have kept it off -- with the exception of a prescribed med causing me to gain 25 lbs in the last year. I just found out about this med and have stopped taking it and am back on the road to good health. But what I really wanted to share was the weight loss was the easiest thing I had ever done. And believe me, I have tried EVERYTHING!!! I started walking a mile at our local high school stadium, drinking Propel like my life depended on it, and cutting back on my food intake. I still ate whatever I wanted; I would just eat less. Good luck to you all!

In the first year of the Biggest Loser, I thought it was an amazing show. But it is starting to lose some of the luster.

I think it would be interesting to have all of the former participants in a reunion show, but I don't think that will happen because too many people would be embarassed by their weight re-gain and the show would lose a lot of credibility.

I still have to believe that some people are permanently changed and I also have to believe that some viewers are motivated and permanently changed.

If even a few thousand people improve their lives because of the influence of the show that's a good thing.

You guys just sound lazy. Nothing bad can come from hard work. It hurts me to sit here and listen to you guys trying to rationalize why you shouldn't work your hardest toward your goals. This attitude is exactly the reason why over weight individuals are over weight in the first place. You can't honestly believe that Ryan Benson went home from the show and still ate right and exercised and gained 90 pounds because he drank water...This show has saved peoples lives and the only thing some of the people gaining weight back has proven is that there are some people who are just to lazy to be healthy. Life isn't easy get off your arse people and make what you want happen. Ninety Nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses - George Washington Carver. This show has giving people the jump start they needed to become healthier and live longer. Most people just need a reason to be healthy. When I see some of the older men that have been on the show cry about how they just want to be around to see there grandkids and then I watch them go through a process of pushing their-selves harder then the ever have... finding their true potential...some of them have even had there Diabetes completely disappear... I watched Tom Desrochers Sr go from taking 9 pills a day to saying that they are now all gone he feels better he can breathe again. He and his son were eliminated after the 2nd week. His son has lost 81 pounds and he has lost 65 since the last update back at the end of September. But hey just do what ever you want... Use your "easy" method that has got you where you are today and call people who are showing you what a life without excuses can be like unrealistic. No wonder other countries hate Americans.

I've lost a lot of weight easily. I've been using a subliminal software program. It changed the way I feel and think about food so eating less was easier. I have tried diets and pills but this seems to be the easiest and best way I have ever tried

ryan you are so stupid youve gained every pound back plus some! i thought someone like you might be smart enogh to keep it off. now you have money and you fell horrible and youre going to die sooner than you think!

Most of you that have posted are the kind of people that make excuses for your own lack of motivation. Shut up and stay posstive

Working out more than 2 hours a day could really backfire ona a person. Over training can really hinder a person's weightloss and performance. If you are not a trained athelete I would not recommend putting your body through such routine. 30-45 mins of cardio 4-6 days a week combined with weight training for 30-60 mins is sufficient. If you are just starting out, start low and work your way up so your body doesn't aclimate. People should focus more on being healthy rather than a quick fix weight loss plan. There are skinny people who are not healthy because they either don't exercise, don't eat right or worse yet they smoke. Doing simple things like eating a healthy breakfast, cutting out junk (processed foods), eating more veggies and fruits, taking a multi vitamin and adding a physical activity to your daily routine can make a major improvement to one's health.

Ryan gained 90lbs back! that is ashamed. BUT it is his own fault. You cant expect for the people from the Biggest Loser to call him everyday and ask him if he is still working out and using some of the things he learned. So if he gained the weight than he can lose it and keep it off...again

I totally agree , this show is a fad , will not last because soon someone will die as a result of this show and it will be all over .

Calories in and calories out is the only turth about fat loss and similarly weight gain, ever.

The reason why fat people have to go to such extremes to maintain their weight loss is .... drum roll please!!!!

They crashed their metabolism to almost nothing through crash dieting as in shows like thebiggest loser!

When you diet and lose weight quickly you damage your metabolism to as low as the daily calories you were consuming on your diet. This is called the starvation response that your body produces to fight off tthe hunger strikes you put it through!

This is the biggest danger and most fatal fact about crash dieting. This is also the reason why you will gain back all the weight you lost and more. Your metabolism is crashed and permanently destroyed.

I think The Biggest Loser is a terrible show. I used to think it was great - that it was about people bettering themselves by slimming down. Then I realized that the show is really about abusive trainers shaming people and subjecting them to a "boot camp" environment and forcing them to compete against each other rather than help each other.

On a spiritual level, the best way to lose weight (slowly and permanently) is to LOVE yourself. The Biggest Loser is all about HATING yourself, for the amusement of the viewers. Its whole premise is that subjecting yourself to extreme abuse by the trainers is going to make you slim down and thereby conform to societal pressure that says only slender people are attractive and therefore worthwhile. It reinforces the idea that fat people are worthless.

A lot of heavy people watch the show in hopes of seeing their fellow fat people gain salvation by becoming attractive again (because in our culture advertisers have convinced us that the only worthwhile people are the young, slender, and attractive), and are rooting for the contestants. So in that sense it's somewhat positive - it gives viewers a bit of hope and encourages them to try to lose weight too. And for the contestants to really accept responsibility for their weight gain is also a good thing. But the whole idea of punishing yourself, abusing yourself, injuring yourself (like the woman in the first season whose plantar fasciitis got really bad but she had to keep stomping on her feet anyway or she would be kicked off the show), shaming yourself - is not the right approach to losing weight permanently.

The fact that these people who were so dedicated to losing weight on the show have gained most of it back proves that shaming yourself and punishing yourself - saying you're only valuable if you are thin - is not the way to lose weight and keep it off.

the only way to lose weight and keep it off is through slow and mind altering lifestyle changes, not short cuts and fad diets!

you either do it right, take longer but reap your rewards, or do it wrong, quick and struggle forever

nuff said!

knowledge is power, empower yourself on your weightloss journey by knowing the exact and correct thing to do to get the results you want

good luck

What a fascinating conversation!

I've lost a total of 250 pounds through traditional as a food writer (impossibility and I don't converse) and write extensively on post-weight issues -- all the mental/physical/emotional adjustments of "maintenance." So I got a ton out of this convo. Thank you all!

Some food for thought, if you will:

What's amusing to me about the show is real weight loss is dramatic enough as it is without adding television hyperbole.

Think about it: after you finally hit goal, there's a moment when you ask yourself "now what?" After weeks/months/years of strict dieting, that's a scary question.

There can be anything from relationships changing as a result of your body change, dealing with loose skin, learning/relearning to dress yourself. And you still have to monitor your fitness. It can be overwhelming. At some point, your mind has to catch up to your body, so it's no surprise that these men and women struggle with Real Life after a breakneck pace. .

Condemning those that regained their weight -- or advocating yet another miracle method -- ultimately misses the point. There's so much attention on *how* people lose weight that a hamster wheel effect kicks in.

There needs to exist as much support (in every sense) following goal as there was attention and debate on how to get there. And in these shows and the competitive weight loss trend that's followed, that is glaringly absent.

In a figurative sense, obesity is not a sickness that can be cured. Rather, it's more like a state of being. States of being don't automatically change just because your body doesn't match up to it.

Thanks again!

Best,
Russ Lane

if they do just what they were doing on the biggest loser they should be able to maintain their body weight. They were shown how to eat and they were shown how to excersize. Some of us are'nt lucky enough to have that luxuy.

I won't comment on the content or make-up of calories from different foods because it has been beaten to death. However, as a scientist, calories in/calories out is basic science. Anyone running a calorie deficit over a period of time will lose weight. There may be daily variations based on sodium intake and water retention, which is a pretty good reason to weigh yourself once a week as opposed to five times a day. A weekly goal of one pound of weight loss is sustainable, and your body will eventually tell you what an effective weight is for you based on a setpoint. I am mortified to see contestants losing 10 pounds in a week 14 weeks into the process. Not only is the weight loss not sustainable, but the stress on organs is serious and can lead to long term systemic damage.

One thing I've always wondered about the show is how they account for muscle gains during a given week. If a contestant loses 10 pounds of fat but gains 2 pounds of muscle, the scale would show a -8 change... but really, the 10 pounds of fat lost is what matters, not the overall weight. I'd like to see the show switch to total Body Fat % loss verses overall % loss.

Three other things:
1) These contestants are constantly supervised by doctors... whose medical licenses are on the line should something happen. Therefore, if the contestants can pull double-digit loses and remain healthy then that's great! I assure you the doctors will not allow unhealthy activity to occur.

2) To say that most rapid weight-loss comes from water weight is ridiculous. You can only have so much water occupying your lean body mass at a given time. The amount of water you retain also is dependent on your sodium intake, which if switched to a healthy diet, will dramatically decrease in the first week - thus lowering the amount of retained water. However, water loss from adjusting sodium intake happens once (provided the new lifestyle of lower sodium is maintained). When these contestants are pulling double-digit losses week after week, I assure you that it is not mainly water. I mean, look at them. Compare a contestant from week 1 to week 3... some of their loss will be from no longer retaining excessive water, but the rest (and the weight dropped after that) is from losing tangible mass.

3) Lastly, I'm curious if anyone saying that "calorie in vs. calorie out is a myth" is a doctor or has consulted one about that statement. Calorie in vs Calorie out is basic biology and chemistry. Yes a sugar calorie will impact your blood differently than a healthier carb calorie (let's say whole grain) but the amount of energy to destroy that calorie is still the same. Operating on a calorie deficit through responsible nutrition and exercise is what achieves consistent weight-loss.

There is a caveat though, which is you need to eat enough! You can temporarily lower your metabolism by depriving it of enough food. If your body needs 2000 calories at rest for a given day, and you only supply 1000 calories of healthy food and no exercise... your body will start to think you're on a desert island and will slow the rate of burn in your metabolism. BUT, if you decrease your caloric intake to 1500 and burn 500 calories in exercise that day, you've achieved the same calorie deficit but your body doesn't think it's starved.

This type of weight-loss IS possible at home if you have the time, the tools and the motivation... BUT is much more difficult to achieve. Essentially the contestants are at a "fat camp". They don't have the option of going to the store and getting their favorite junk snack, or not going to the gym that day. For these people, food and inactivity has become an addiction, and the only way to treat it for them was to withdraw them from that situation.

Lastly, for those that are interested in weight-loss or maintaining, I highly recommend the BodyBugg (the product that the contestants wear on their arms). It tells you within 90%+ accuracy how many calories you need. This is crucial to successful fitness as formulas and recommendations from the web are great, but none of that is tailored exactly to you - which is what the product does.

Regards!

Domenic

Quoted: "SURGERY is an un-necessary bad solution to a problem that can be controlled with eating healthy and exercising."

Many people who do this say they did it as a last resort. Yeah, the last resort after all their fad diets and pills didn't work. Gastric bypass is attempted by the same people who try all the pills, powders electric shock belts (seriously!)and all the other "quick-fix" gimmicks that don't work. No matter how large you are you can walk. If they would simply get off the couch/out of the bed/off the lay-z-boy and begin to move...go for a short walk, whatever. I know it's tough at first, but your body will soon become used to the movement and you will gain strength and stamina. Soon you will be walking around the neighborhood, jogging, even running! Riding a bike is also awesome. I have recently lost 25 lbs by cutting out junk food, increasing whole grain fiber and purchasing a wii fit and a bike. Yep, a wii fit. I absolutely LOVE Biggest Loser program and also EA Sports. I also ride my bike every day. All it takes is some willpower and determination; I could not even ride my bike very far when I started, but you will quickly adapt. Start slowly and exercise more and more. Now I have more strength, endurance and energy than I've had in years and I'm back into my size 7 Jr. jeans in my forties. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels! Good luck to all on your journey.