How You Can be the Biggest Loser

I've never watched The Biggest Loser but I know what the concept is, I know who Jillian Michaels is, and I know what the contestants did to lose massive amounts of weight in a short amount of time.

The show wasn't realistic for a couple reasons. Their diet was strictly controlled. They had someone watching them every day, every hour. They lived in a controlled environment. But there were some lessons you should learn from the show.

First is the power of accountability. The contestants had to eat what the trainers told them. They had to do exactly what they told them. There was not quitting. There was no choice. Social support is very important in achieving any goal, whether it be athletics, weight loss, or establishing a business. Having workout partners makes achieving a goal easier. It shifts attention away from the pain, and it forces you to keep going. Just as overweight friends and family members can predispose your to obesity, friends who share the same goals and aspirations can help you achieve your goal.

Contestants ate very well. They learned how to eat vegetables at every meal, how to eat several meals per day, how to eat a balanced diet, how to eat protein, how to cut out junk food, how to cut out liquid calories, and how to prepare healthy food in a minimal amount of time. Exercise cannot overcome a bad diet, folks. You have to have both. The contestants weren't making gourmet meals, but they were making healthy, simple meals that they could enjoy.

Here's the dark side to the show. The fixed environment was completely unrealistic. Nobody lives in that environment. In the real world we have a million choices to make. Those choices determine our results. The show took out all the thinking and all the temptation.

The contestants also lost extreme amounts of weight. And I thought the claims on magazines that promised four pounds in four days were unrealistic! These people lost 100 pounds in 12 weeks. However, it's important to remember that really fat people have an easier time losing massive amounts of weight. Two pounds per week is not uncommon. Their maintenance diet is so large, usually 3000-4000 calories, that cutting 2000 calories isn't hard. Still, eight pounds per week can only happen in a controlled environment, with massive reduction in calories, and extreme increases in exercise.

Unrealistic exercise. These were completely unconditioned people. They hadn't done any structured exercise in a long time, if ever. Then they started running miles and miles in the sand. These are workouts that Navy SEALS do. Most people have no time or inclination to work out more than an hour per day.

Demonizing food. You should enjoy what you eat. While this show made the contestants eat healthy fare, food became the enemy. It's not the enemy. What you eat and how much can limit your progress, but food per se is not the problem. I think this show taught a bad relationship with food that's hard to reverse.

No emphasis on behavior modification. These contestants weren't taught how to intuitively eat, and how to listen to their bodies. They didn't learn the emotional issues behind their weight gain. These people gained a lot of weight because they had underlying psychological issues, and deeply ingrained bad habits. It's no wonder that when these contestants left the show, they quickly regained the weight. They lost the weight, but not the reason for the initial weight gain. As soon as they returned to the real world, they regained it.

Kevin