I admit it. I'm a fan of the show The Biggest Loser. And I always cry during the finale. Because I'm blown away by the physical changes the contestants have made. Last night's winner was the person I wanted to be the winner. I just liked her. I wanted her to succeed. I mean, they all succeeded but there was something about this young woman that touched me.
Where are the people who were on the show previous seasons? Why don't they parade them out for us to see how well they've maintained their lifestyles? If they were able to continue to exercise and eat healthfully, then we would expect that they had also maintained their weight. The camera focused on a few in the audience but scanned them too quickly for me to notice how they looked. We who live in AZ know that last season's winner is doing just fine because she's sort of dedicated her life to prosleytizing about healthy eating and exercise. She's made it her life's work to work at it. But what about the others? Are they like Oprah? Did they slowly abandon their ideal lifestyle and did the fat come creeping back?
Here's the eating plan the contestants follow:
"The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups: 4 servings of fruits and vegetables 3 servings of protein -- lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy 2 servings of whole grains 1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories".
It's a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet. Interesting. So little grain compared to what is recommended. Don't know what supplements they're given. And servings of fruits and veggies don't come close to what would be optimal. Interesting. This is the first time I've seen the plan so I have to think about it a little bit before I make a judgment.
I eagerly await the next group of contestants.
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2 comments:
That plan seems to restrictive for a long-term way of eating. I can see doing it within the confines of the house but not in the real world! I've never seen the show, but I know that registered dietitians do one-on-one nutrition counseling with the contestents. I wonder if an RD created this diet plan. It doesn't sound like something an RD would recommend unless he/she was under pressure to ensure that contestants lose weight quickly.
Anyway, I'm one of your 'silent readers' and just wanted to say I enjoy your blog!
The show's dietitian, Cheryl Forberg, did develop the diet along with the show's doc. A regimen like this one is indeed very restrictive and certainly not a good one for long term but for short term to jump start the weight loss, it would be okay. Remember that these people are under a doc's constant care and they're most probably taking supplements as well. Their blood is constantly being monitored so if signs of a deficiency were to appear, it would be dealt with immediately. But, you're right, this isn't a plan anyone should follow for a long time. And, thanks for being a lurker and for finally coming out!
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