In the world of dieting, misconceptions are so widespread it can be hard to discern the truth from the lies. The amount of information available to people looking to lose weight is amazing, a lot of it though is misinformed. Take for example shows on TV like “The Biggest Loser“, they seem to be one of the most famous offenders of them all. How might you ask, well let me explain. This article will try to cover what these shows do wrong and also teach you how to diet properly. If you follow the steps outlined towards the end of this post then you will start to see successful weight loss.
I know what it is like to lose a lot of weight, 220 pounds to be exact, but never did I see the sort of numbers that these people were losing each week. Now if you look at the wikipedia article for the show you will see that there are a number of “records”. Lets look at a few of these records now:
- Most Weight Lost in One Week (Male) – 41 pounds
- Fastest to Lose 100 Pounds (Male) – 6 weeks
- Most Weight Lost in a Season (Male) – 264 pounds
Now is it me or do these numbers seem absurdly high to anyone else? 41 pounds in ONE WEEK, yes you read that right I did say one week. When I was losing weight the most I recall losing in a week was 8-10 pounds and that was at a push when I first started dieting due to my new uptake of physical exercise. To lose 100 pounds in 6 weeks is an extraordinary feat but is most definitely not healthy. The “recommended” weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds a week, taking 100 pounds in 6 weeks that would work out to be 16.666~ pounds a week. Thats 8x – 16x faster than recommended. The changes the body has to go through when losing 100 pounds, or even any sort of weight, are quite substantial. Your body will be shrinking physically while your mind is trying to comprehend what is happening (trust me the psychological aspects of weight loss are a whole other post).
Watching these shows you see that as of the first week the contestants are thrown from a high calorie, uncontrolled diet with little to no exercise lifestyle into one which is basically sleep, eat, workout, repeat. Say a contestant comes in at a staggering 400+ pounds and is used to a steady flow of junk food, sugary snacks, fizzy juice and all those other tasty little treats whose daily consumption easily surpasses 4000 calories (rough calculations put 6’2″, 400 pound, 23 year old with little to no exercise at 3500 calories to MAINTAIN his weight) who is then thrust into a world of 2-3 workouts a day and a very restrictive calorie controlled diet; what do you think the bodies reaction would be?
- Carbs…evil?
The changes these contestants have to put in place are not gradual, they are sudden and extreme. I have read that a lot of the contestants who go on the show tend to put back the weight they originally lost, well maybe not all of it but a good portion of it. The reason for this, in my opinion, is because they were not given enough time to form lasting and meaningful habits which revolved around healthy lifestyles. It is easy to eat xyz and workout 2-3 times a day when you live on a secluded ranch and have two batsh*t insane trainers shouting at you constantly, but as soon as you put them back into the real world where they have to make choices for themselves and stick to what they have “learned” it becomes increasingly more difficult.
Obviously the big numbers, contestant breakdowns, fights, backstabbing and eventual cheating (yes it happens, the show producers put temptation in the way of the contestants to see what they would do and it wouldn’t be good TV if they all resisted would it?) are all there to increase the shows ratings, justify its continued existence to the board, make the producers money and pay the trainers salaries.
The general public don’t get to see or hear about the real truths behind weight loss. Even doing quick and simple Google searches you will find a plethora of information about weight loss, again, the majority being false or misconstrued. You will see adverts showing the latest, greatest thing in terms of dieting or there will be a new fad diet coming out every other month that people will try. Some people will find success with these fad diets but others will see no success because the protocols are so extreme that they are hard to stick to.
So when Joe Public decides it’s time to go on a diet they try to setup a diet that will mimic the results they have seen online or on TV. Trying to mimic what you seen on shows like “The Biggest Loser” is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure. As soon as you don’t see anything close to 10lbs a week on the scales you will instantly become disheartened and the wheels have been set in motion for the inevitable “fall off the wagon”.
I suppose what I am getting at here is that there are no magical miracles in terms of dieting. The old adage of “eat less, move more” is a very good basis to start any weight loss journey. If you increase your activity, even to a brisk walk during the day or taking the stairs in work, and eat less than you normally would then you will begin to lose weight. Small gradual changes in your eating habits will also make for an easier time of it. Another reason diets fail is because people beat themselves up if they cheat a little on their diets. Read here for more about cheating and its effects.
In summary here are my tips to help you get off to a great start:
- Eat less, move more
- Start slowly
- Make gradual changes in eating/drinking habits
- Don’t expect to mimic results seen on TV
- Set realistic micro-goals
- Don’t let guilt overcome you if you “cheat”
There is one fundamental tip that I can give you that will help you reach your goal, NEVER GIVE UP. If you take nothing else from this post at least let that sink in.
-Andrew
Technorati Tags: biggest+loser, TV, diet, exercise, health, fitness, weight+loss, unrealistic+goals,
Related posts
- Stretch Marks, Public Enemy Number One
- Book Review: Beyond Broccoli by Susan Schenck
- The Art of Dieting
- Overcoming the Festive Fallout
- What Is A Diet?
Powered by FireStats