Does anyone watch "Biggest Loser"?

[mommy*2*3]

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch it last night. I found it a little unfair that it's men against women. I think in general it's easier for a man to lose the weight than for a woman. So now the women's team has only 3 gals and the men's has 5. How on earth are the women supposed to keep up with that!

[bodyman]

Yes and you're doing a great job!

[TurbulentFluid]

Boy...
...sad to learn there's a reason for such a tv show to even exist...
...now I'm supposed to be glad I'm not American, but boy...

[MsFit]

I can never seem to catch it... which is a good thing. I become a reality addict too quickly!!

[serinebean]

I think its sad, and good at the same time. I just hope they are able to maintain their results after the show.
But, some how it just strikes me as wrong.
Its kinda like a car accident, its horrible but you cant help but look.

[Watch Me!]

I don't have tv (not worth the bill -I'd get to watch maybe 30min a day before bed) but I've read about it. It sounds like it is presented in a positive light with some inspiring folks.
The men v women premise does sound unfair. Maybe they did it that way so people would be shocked so to speak and want to tune in and root for one side or the other.

[mommy*2*3]

I really don't watch TV but my husband really wanted me to watch this show and I think it's inspiring for those that need to lose weight.
One big lesson learned last night....one of the male members had a couple of midnight "binges" in the kitchen(OK...so far he lost 60 lbs!) and as a result when he got weighted he was very humiliated because he lost 0 lbs in a week while his other team members lost 10+ lbs per person. I think he learned his lesson.
The women are losing only like 3 to 5lbs a week and the guys are losing 10+lbs a week so hormones must play a role in this somehow.

[Shellie]

Yes I watch it, I even taped it last night so I woudln't miss it while I was at the gym and watched it this a.m. LOLThey made it fair by using percentages of total weight lost rather then actual weight lost. But still, it still doesn't seem fair to me. All these men were over 300 pounds and for one we all know men lose faster, especially when so overweight to begin with. But still, I watch.

[PrissyPants]

I hate this show, but I'm suckered in to watching it over and over. I agree with Mommy, it is more difficult for a woman to lose the weight. That's been proven time and again. So men against women seems really unfair to me, too. But then I get a little annoyed with the trainers. I know that it says that it's all done under a doctors care, but they make these people do some hard core stuff. Considering how over-weight they are and how long it's been since they have been active, I think throwing them right into running sprints is a little rediculous and gives the general population bad ideas about how to start a diet and excercise program.

Over-weight people will watch this show and think, "Hmm. Maybe I need to be out running four miles worth of sprints to lose the weight. No, it doesn't matter that I'm carrying around an extra 200 lbs of fat. If they can do it, so can I." If they haven't suffered a heart attack by the end of their workout, they're probably too sore and miserable to even contemplate exercise the next day.

Still, I watch the show almost every week. I'm a hypocrit.

[Mo_ria]

Why am I so addicted to the Biggest Loser? I friggin hate it but I can't stop watching it. I love to do my Tuesday night cardio while watching it...I sure do hate it when they start crying, though. As a formerly obese person (320#, 5'8") who has slimmed down but still has a long way to go, I hate to see the crying because it just looks pathetic. I'd rather see them get mad. Maybe it's because I was so picked on my whole life that now I have a huge chip on my shoulder and just want to kick someone's a$$ if they have anything to say to me about my weight. And the women just look really bad---backstabbing, catty, blubbering, all of the negative traits that I just don't want to see. On one hand, I am kind of rooting them all on but on the other hand, I hate the fact that I am seeing this show at all. I feel like there are enough negative "diet" vibes out there, body image confusion, pressure to look thin and not to be healthy or have muscles. The show just embodies that kind of mentality.
M

[Ballet Teacher]

I love and hate that show.

I hate it because it just seems stupid to be eliminating people. The contestants generally all REALLY want this and it seems so unfair for them to get kicked off. I wish all contestants could stay on the show until the end.

I also hated to see Jillian (trainer) pushing these obese men to sprint. One of them got injured as a result. Sometimes it seems they are throwing safety out the window. I don't know if it is just me but the male trainer seems a bit less over the top than Jillian.

I love the show because I hope it motivates other over weight people to lose weight... but I also hope those people realize they won't see the same dramatic results. It also really motivates me when I see how hard these people push themselves. And I love seeing the "what they look like now"... this season everyone seems to of progressed and lost more weight after leaving the show.

I find "Taking it Off " is much more realistic, but not nearly as exciting and dramatic.

[gymgrrl]

It's also much harder for the participants to keep up after they've left the show. While they're on the show, they work out all the time, it's like their job. Once they're back home in the real world, it's harder to maintain and devote all that time to working out.

I'd love to be able to work out all day long and get paid for it! But then again, too much of a good thing isn't always the best thing.

[mommy*2*3]

I'd love to be able to work out all day long and get paid for it! But then again, too much of a good thing isn't always the best thing.

Yeah..in my next lifetime

[serinebean]

It seems so cynical....how media plays into this.
Commercial blares, "Yummy tripple gooie extra greasy fried bacon log on a bun......for only 1$, come and get it!!!!"
Then once the food has taken its toll....
TV shows "How FAST can you loose that gut from eating all that junk we sold you?!!!"
And we sit around and watch it. Not to mention the risks of loosing too fast, floating kidneys, heart attack, ect....not cool.
It just seems weird to me.
I do like fit tv...the diet dr is okay...more realistic to me.

[mizone]

I like watching this show except its on too late (they play it at 9:30 here in Australia and I am a nanna). Last night they just advertised an Australian version - I am excited!

Reality Tv Addict....

[Ms. Highside]

I love it and hate it too... but I'm addicted to it, regardless. A show that taught people how to lose weight a healthy way would be difficult to turn into a reality show/competition.

Last season, I was really upset that the gay kid lost about 70 pounds, but barely dropped his bodyfat muchy at all. That's ALOT of lost muscle from over-training and under-eating. Sad.


Atleast, when the finale comes, they will take bodyfat into consideration. The tank that they used in the beginning of the show... and will reuse at the end of the show, is the one I have in my office. When it all comes down to it... I think they will get points for gaining muscle and losing fat, and lose points for losing muscle. So the biggest loser should be the one who actually did benefit the most out of the experience, even though they dont' bother to tell anyone how much muscle each of these people dropped from their poor nutrition/training recommendations since it was a RACE, instead of a healthy way to lose weight.

[mommy*2*3]

Wow, I love everyone's perspective on this show. As I mentioned...this is new to me. I find it inspiring and at the same time I can see how there is probably too much unnecessary drama added maybe to catch the audience's attention. I am also a little concerned about the contestant's health. I think allowing someone to do 5 hours of cardio a day is too much.

[imperfectly_lou]

I love watching it but I agree it is not healthy

* The women are eating 1200cals per day. Considering most of them started well over 200lbs, this is obviously far too little

* You would never get an overweight person to do sprints, at least not initially. Way too much stress on the joints.


I think the men vs women thing is fine because they are doing % of BW lost and they also will disregard someone's weight loss if there are uneven members on each team.

[Pink]

I think this is a great show. These people are doing things they never thought possible, like climbing that mountain. I'm sure it must be embarrassing for them to be standing there weighing in at several hundred pounds, but what an opportunity for them. How many other overweight people would love a chance to be on that show? They are learning how to exercise and eat right, and it is probably the only reality show that can actually save someone's life. And for many of them, that experience alone is worth far more than any cash prize.

Also at the end of the show they have some sort of medical statement that contestants are screened by doctors. It may not be the best thing for them to do 5 hours of cardio, but it sure isn't any safer to weigh 400 pounds.

[Sable_Strenua]

I just started watching the show this week. However, I think Discovery Channel's Health Challenge (does it still come on?) is a better weight-lost reality series. It is healthy and more beneficial as it is a competition, but not a race. Everyone has 12 weeks and there are no teams, no eliminations. Every week they are weighed and their bodyfat was measured. Plus the the competitors talked to a psychologist about their overeating and emotional eating issues. To me, it was a more realistic and more healthier show.

but still, I watch