The Biggest Loser

I watched The Biggest Loser yesterday and was mortified. I can't believe the things they were having these people do! I mean, I know it's reality TV and you need to make it entertaining, but from what I've seen and from discussions I've had with other fitness professionals, it's practically a crime!

If you're a fan of the show, please understand that what you're seeing is there for your entertainment and should not be what you should strive for in your own weight loss endeavors.

If you think a trainer will act the same way and treat you the same way the trainers on the show treat the contestants the majority of the time, chances are you'd be surprised. I mean, certainly there are trainers out there who will scream and yell at you, make you cry and feel like shit, work you to a point where you're at a high risk for injury, but not care because all they're thinking about are the calories you're burning...but, the majority of trainers know better.

I was informed by another trainer that Jillian, the female trainer on the show, actually made a 400lb man run, not walk or jog- run, with her on his back!! This is a man who, I'm sure, would be close to reaching his 90% heart rate max walking up the stairs! And how degrading, he's not a horse! If you want the man to run with extra weight, put a backpack on him and stay the hell off him! What was she thinking?

I know there are doctor's monitoring the contestants, but I'd truly love to know what goes on behind the cameras. Is what I see that's so alarming only happening while the cameras are on them for a few minutes, and then the "doctors" intervene? Like, seriously? I know I'm still new to the industry, but I've had a lot of education on the matter, the newest and most current education, and I've spoken to many professionals who have been in the industry for as long as I've been alive. The show, from what I've seen and what I know, is unrealistic and unsafe.

The weight loss they experience is way too fast. What a shock to the friggen body! You eat yourself to death and abuse your body for years, gain a ton of weight, and then get on a show where they DRASTICALLY reduce your calories (far below what is healthy, especially to sustain them through exercise) and then start you on a daily workout regime that's more intense than the average "fit" person would endure in a week! I'm all for supporting anything that encourages weight loss and healthy living, but this show is not teaching the average person how to lose weight and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle in a safe and effective way. Yesterday they had the contestants pulling cars behind them on a race track!!

Sorry, I get all fired up about this stuff sometimes. It's upsetting because the people we train (in the real world!) that work their butts off and are doing fantastic, don't feel as proud as they should because they're not dropping weight like the people on the show.

It's not realistic, it's unsafe, and it's frustrating as hell to any good trainer who has to try to convince the people they're working to help that they're on the right track.

OK, that's my opinion on the matter. Thanks for letting me rant :-P