My Biggest Gripes About 'The Biggest Loser'
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By Craig Huntington
Article reprinted from Huntington Fitness Newsletter #11
I want to preface my criticisms by saying it is absolutely phenomenal what some the people on the TV show 'The Biggest Loser' have accomplished.
'The Biggest Loser' proves that with discipline and consistency, just about anyone can spectacularly transform themselves in a relatively short period of time. What it also proves, is that it takes drastic changes in a person's lifestyle to make a dramatic changes in ones' physique.
The major beef (no pun intended) I have with this show is that it almost completely glosses over the #1 factor to the success of these contestants. Yup, you guessed it, DIET. Talk about 4 letter words!
Watching 'The Biggest Loser' would make anyone think that an almost maniacal adherence to daily activity (i.e. cardio, sweating, etc.) is the most crucial factor in losing weight. It's just another example of the media and the fitness industry perpetuating the MYTH that "exercise" is the primary consideration for fat loss.
It's easy to understand why. Talking about diet is boring.
Having the contestants in a boot camp setting, being yelled at by trainers obviously makes for a much more exciting show. And for the contestants, being out all day long is a distraction from food. Doing these foolish activities means less time that they have to eat.
If you haven't already guessed, I hate the trainers. "Forcing" people weighting 250 - 400 lbs to go out and jog in the hot sun is flat out negligence. Their bones are already compromised because they're carrying around at least an extra 100 pounds of fat. Why not just beat the crap out of them even more by making them go out and pound the pavement?
The amount of over training that goes on during this spectacle is disturbing to say the least.
I can guarantee that if I had my own version of 'The Biggest Loser', my trainees would all be spectacularly successful. I could have them stay at the same secluded Southwestern style ranch that NBC uses. My trainees would eat 3 - 4 meals a day consisting of mainly meat and vegetables, drink a gallon or more of chilled H2O a day and perform only two 15-20 minute, High Intensity Training (HIT) strength training sessions a week. The rest of the time would be theirs to do with as they pleased...except to gorge themselves on extra food.
I'd encourage casual walks, light swimming, afternoon naps, golf (Oh yeah, I'd make sure there was a course nearby) - anything to keep them relaxed and their minds off of food. My show's contestants would accomplish the same or better results that their Biggest Loser counterparts did while spending only a fraction of the time exercising.
I will also have another guarantee. My show wouldn't even make it to the air and if by some miracle it did, it would be lucky to earn one rating point.
The saddest part of 'The Biggest Loser' for me is that the contestants - after accomplishing something truly amazing - have been lead to believe that keeping up this absolutely insane exercise routine is the only way to maintain their goal. These people did not - I repeat did not! - lose their weight by exercising it off. They ate a reduced calorie diet to stimulate weight loss, period, and end of story.
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