We have all seen the show the Biggest Loser and have been inspired seeing people lose over 100 pounds and change their lives. I actually like the show and it’s really moving…but it’s a big fallacy. Yes, those people lose weight…that much is obvious. However, the show gives people in the real world, a false sense of how to lose weight. You watch the show over 2-3 months and you believe these people lose all of this weight in an insane amount of time…which is not true. Actually, many things conditions on the show would not happen in your REAL life. That is why, I believe, it is a fallacy. Here are 5 reasons why the Biggest Loser is a Fallacy:
Those people have part-time jobs of working out
The contestants on the biggest loser work out for at least 4 hours per day…2 hours in the morning and 2 hours later in the day. That’s bananas!!! There is no way you can workout for 4 hours a day. You absolutely don’t have the time to do it, and even if you did, would you want to? I love working out, lifting weights, running…all that stuff. But there is nothing I want to do for four hours except sleep!
They have chefs there to cook their meals
The contestants on the show have chefs to cook all of their meals. They don’t have to worry about going to the grocery store, deciding what to buy, and trying to make time to cook it. It is all done for them. This is not the case in your world. YOU have to plan your meals. YOU have to buy the groceries. YOU have to cook the food. Wouldn’t it be so easy to lose weight if a gourmet chef presented you with a low calorie nutritious meal that tasted like heaven? It would be girl, but let’s face it, that’s only dream!
They have high dollar trainers pushing them every minute
You don’t have a trainer (you could have me if you wanted). You don’t have someone screaming in your ear and planning 4 hour workouts for you that push you until you puck. Personally, I don’t mind working out to the point of vomiting. I think it builds character and determination…but that doesn’t float everybody’s boat and it certainly isn’t necessary to lose weight. At any rate, you don’t have a trainer. Even if you did have a trainer, you would not have them holding your hand for a 4 HOUR WORKOUT.
They have limited access and means to get bad food
While the contestants are on the “ranch”, they don’t have access to cars or means of transportation to go get any food. So they can’t make a late night run to the grocery store to get ice cream. Nor can they stop by Starbucks when they want a Frappuccino. But you can…you have to will power where these people have physical restrictions. They have limited means to screw up. Also, they are isolated. Their girlfriends can’t call them up to go have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory or Outback. They don’t have to go to little kids birthday parties where there is a cake that can feed 100 people and you just have to have a piece. They also don’t have to deal with all of the sweets left in the breakroom at the office…you know what I mean?
The show actually lasts around 9 months not the 3 months we see on TV
Did you know that the contestants are actually on the “ranch” for about 3 months or so and then they go home for 6 months and come back and film the finale? So to you at home, it looks like these people lose 100+ pounds in 3 months, when actually it is about 9 months or. So don’t think it happens overnight.
As I stated above, the Biggest Loser is a good show. That’s all it is…a TV SHOW! It is there to entertain us…to make us mad…to make us cry…to make us feel good about watching other people transform, and on the surface, become happier. Please take it for just that. Don’t feel demotivated when you hop on the scale and you have only loss 3 pounds in a week (which is freakin awesome), as opposed to the 8 pounds per week the Biggest Loser contestants lose. You are not in the same environment…you live in the real world.
Also, remember that if you are less than about 30 pounds overweight, you aren’t going to have dramatic weekly weight loss. You have less to lose so it will come off much slower than someone who has 80 pounds to lose. If you lose 2 pounds or so per week that’s awesome. The closer you get to your weight loss goal, the harder you are going to have to work to get it off. Just be diligent. Nothing worth having comes easy. If you want that sexy body and to look as hot as you use to, then you have got to be dedicated and understand that it’s gonna take some work girl! Now get in there!
If you need some help getting start, shoot me an email at melinda@libifit.com. I love to hear from you guys. It lets me know someone’s listening!
Melinda