Biggest Losers Speak Out

I know I forwarded this to a few yesterday, when I found it on the aol screen, but figured it was worth posting…Everyone who watches the show, should see and hear all.  Tonight is Losing It.  It has somewhat lost me, but I will continue to watch because it will always be a subject very close to my heart.  When Biggest Loser begins again in the fall, I will greet it with the same enthusiasm I do every season.  I will just keep in mind that it is a TV SHOW.

Does ‘The Biggest Loser’ Promote Unhealthy Weight Loss? Contestants Speak Out

“Anything you see on television, you can’t take it that seriously,” MacFarland told us. “It’s television.”

MacFarland started the show at 223 pound and finished at 152. She considers the main job of the show to help her get her weight down to a level where she could manage it herself. For her, it was a choice between weight loss surgery and the show, and she chose the show.

“That’s the job of the show, is losing weight,” she said. “There’s no couch, there’s no [psychiatrist]. It’s not there to talk about what’s going on in your head. You have to kind of go into it knowing, I’m going to physically change my body, and I may feel inspired when I leave, but if I had any sort of psychological reason why I ate or I overate or I under-ate or whatever, that’s not going to be remedied.”

The main problem with the show is its unrealistic timeline. An audience might see someone lose 20 or 30 pounds on an episode and think it happened in one week, since the last episode. But that weight loss could represent two weeks or more of work and diet.

MacFarland and Baptiste say neither of them lost more the eight or nine pounds in a single week. And that’s after working out eight to twelve hours a day. Which makes it a near certainty that people will gain some weight back after leaving the show.

“Do I work out eight hours a day? No. You can’t do that in the real world,” said MacFarland, noting that she has gained back anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds since the show, and struggled to keep it off. “So if you leave ‘Biggest Loser’ and you go home and you gain weight, it’s because you can’t sustain that lifestyle.”

Baptiste echoed that sentiment. She started the show at 215 pound and got down to 155, but notes that she was working roughly 12 hours a day exercising, something she could never replicate outside of ‘The Biggest Loser.’ She, too, has gained back a small amount of weight.

“It’s certainly not easy because, the funny thing about reality TV is that it’s not reality,” she said. “In that environment, it’s very easy to maintain because that’s all you do. But when I’m living in the real world and going to work, I can’t exercise for several hours a day. I’m lucky to get in an hour a day.”

Baptiste went into ‘The Biggest Loser’ having worked as an exercise physiologist for roughly eight years. She said she didn’t see anything happening on the show she considered dangerous or unhealthy, like working out in plastic wrap or taking dangerous supplements. But she was also careful to note that she only knew of her personal experience working with Bob Harper, one of the trainers on the show.

“He really worked with us to have well-balanced meals, so we had proteins, starch, vegetables, and eating healthy, clean food,” she said. “So that’s what we practiced on eating.” She added, “Bob made sure we were constantly hydrated and worked out in optimal conditions as could possibly be for the environment that we were in.”

MacFarland, a comedian and writer, sometimes speaks to groups about wellness. And she said gaining back weight can have a psychological impact. “When I’m up 20 pounds and I’m talking about my experience on ‘The Biggest Loser,’ it definitely messes with your head,” she said. “And then I have to struggle to take that 20 pounds off to make myself feel better about myself and to feel more healthy.”

MacFarland and Baptiste both said they’ve seen useful tips on the show for diet and exercise, but admit they haven’t watched it much since their season was over. And they will both tell you to take what you see on ‘The Biggest Loser’ with a grain of salt.

“I guess the only thing I would say is that you’re on a reality show,” said MacFarland. “I think that’s what people keep forgetting, is that it’s a reality show, so any time you mix a contest and weight loss, it’s probably going to be a little dicey.”

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I am still loving the China Study and am particularly absorbed in the chapter about the pharmaceutical industry and their role in medical school, medical studies, medical journals and basically EVERYTHING!  To suggest that eating a certain way can cure illness would be counter-productive for big Pharma in every possible way.  I am starting to feel like they are like the great and wonderful OZ, and the curtain has finally been pulled.   We all need to wake up from the fairy tale that a pill can fix everything and get busy creating our own health as we journey along the yellow brick road of life. I beg you to open your eyes to what is behind the curtain.  Beware of the illusions – click your heals together and take control of your own health.  There’s no place like HEALTH!