The Biggest Loser TV show
doesn't do a great job!

The Biggest Loser TV show doesn't take natural body differences into account.

Dietician, Maya Snijders-Neumann tells the story about 3 hypothetical women taking part in a 'Biggest Loser' type competition.

Anna, Beatrice and Candice are the same height, and all three weigh 80kg at the start of the program. Anna's natural, genetically determined normal weight is 55kg. Beatrice's is 64kg, and Candice has a normal weight of 74kg.

The scales are tipped in Anna's favour-- her body WANTS to weigh significantly less than it does. The scales are tipped against Candice whose weight is close to what is normal for her. The biggest loser doesn't take that into account.

And let's not forget that men have lower percentages of body fat and naturally lose weight a lot faster than women.

The Biggest Loser tv show rewards
the wrong behavior

All three women are sedentary, and have poor eating habits. But when they start, Beatrice and Candice walk regularly, and start eating healthier. Anna, keen to win, starts to dramatically restrict her eating and takes laxatives.

And here's where the problem starts: The Biggest Loser rewards are based on results - not on behavior changes.

This means, that just like Anna, anyone motivated to get an external reward, contestants will do anything, no matter how unhealthy (from taking laxatives and diuretics, to cutting meals and not drinking before weigh-ins and so on) in order to win.

Role models like Erik Chopin on The Biggest Loser tv show, are affecting the lives of millions of viewers, and teaching them what is best in order to 'win'.

At the first weekly weigh-inn, Anna has lost an impressive 5kg, Beatrice has lost 2kgs, and Candice has lost only 500g.

Anna is applauded and rewarded - she feels great, her unhealthy behavior is being positively reinforced. Beatrice feels ok. Candice, feels like a failure. She's being 'punished' because her healthier behaviors are being negatively reinforced. It doesn't take long before she starts to think making healthy changes won't get her anywhere.

Viewers watching, see the results and learn that changing to more healthy habits doesn't get rapid weight loss results that work as well as unhealthy ones. And in our weight-obsessed culture, there's no prize for guessing which methods they're more likely to perpetuate!

As Maya points out: If the right thing had been rewarded, i.e. the behavior, Beatrice and Candice would have been applauded and rewarded and Anna not. But that's not how things work on the Biggest Loser tv show.

Biggest Loser is just a band aid

Carrying extra weight is usually just a symptom of something else - like a hungry heart.

is a way of coping with negative emotions. Until they find out what is eating them that is keeping them eating - just taking care of the symptoms is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm.

When the band-aid comes off the arm will still be broken. And another generation of viewers will leave 'inspired' to do what is unhealthy and unhelpful to them in the long term.

Don't get me wrong - exercise is fabulous, it's absolutely the very best way to change your metabolism and the benefits to fitness are fabulous.

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© Copyright ditch-diets-live-light.com 2008: Photos of Cari by Di Loria
Disclaimer: Your unique health situation may not allow you to stop dieting.
ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR INDIVIDUAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.
Neither Cari Corbet-Owen nor ditch-diets-live-light.com dispense medical advice.

SBI!