The New York Times ran an article today on The Biggest Loser, saying that "health an take a back seat" on the show.
The article includes "confessions" from past contestants, who have been warned to not talk to the media about what happens when the cameras are not rolling. "Kai Hibbard, who lost 118 pounds and finished as the runner-up in Season 3, has writtne on her MySpace blog and elsewhere that she and other contestants would drink as little water as possible in the 24 hours before a weigh-in. When the cameras were off, she said, contestants would work out in as much clothing as possible."
"I'm waiting for the first person to have a heart attack," Dr Charles Burant told the Times. "I have had some patients who want to [lose weight as quickly as the contestants], and I counsel them against it. I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars."
Doctors not affiliated with The Biggest Loser suggest that a safe rate of losing weight is around two pounds a week. "Rapid weight loss can cause many medical problems, including a weakening of the heart muscle, irregular heartbeat and dangerous reductions in potassium and electrolytes." Contestants on the show are placed on severe caloric restrictions and are subjected to up to six hours a day of strenuous exercise, leading them to lose sometimes more than 15 pounds a week.
And the show, says the article, keeps bringing in more contestants that are in worse shape. The last two seasons have each broken the record for the heaviest contestants, at 454 and 476 pounds.
The New York Times was able to obtain a copy of the release the show requires its contestants to sign. Although the show is centered around helping very obese individuals to lose weight, the release says that the individual contestants believe themselves to be "in excellent physical, emotional, psychological and mental health.” The release also states that "no warranty, representation or guarantee has been made as to the qualifications or credentials of the medical professionals who examine me or perform any procedures on me in connection with my participation in the series, or their ability to diagnose medical conditions that may affect my fitness to participate in the series.”
After a reporter for the Times began contacting former contestants, a talent producer on the show sent an e-mail to the contestants warning them of the "serious consequences" that would result if they spoke to a reporter without the show's permission. Contestants could be subjected to fines ranging between $100,000 and $1 million, depending on the timing of the interview.
What do you think?
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Comments
i have had many stuggles with weight loss and losing fat for a long time. I manage to lose up to a dress size in a week by doing just a 12 minutes routine thats just body weight… and still be able to eat my confort foods. I am also able to eat ice cream every day and drink smoothies and eat chocolate.
The main difference for me was changing into a diet that allowed me to eat the foods i loved and it worked well for me.
i belive that cutting your calories to much can be a bad thing too… and that eating the foods you love is still important not just for your body… but for your sanity too
i had stuggled big time before i figuered my body and how to do it correctly… now i dont have to starve or eat “rabbit food” all the time.
I made big changes when i realised that a calorie is not always the same and that eating is what controls when and how you lose fat.
i eat raw chocolate ever day… and ive lost heaps of weight!
even though i hated working out, i found that doing the most ba
even though i hated working out, i found that doing the most bang for your buck exersises like squats and pull ups made the biggest differences. I hated doing crunches and using ab gadgets for weight loss… it can be fun and simple… but may not be easy if you do not know how to do it right.
I also believe in doing interval training (short bursts of intensity) rather then doing long steady paced cardio. Lots of research show that it can make you fat. There is a way to lose fat all day long ;)
thanks again
melt10pounds.blogspot.com/
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