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After ‘The Biggest Loser,’ Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight (Original Post) NobodyHere May 2016 OP
That's all been known for a very long time Warpy May 2016 #1
I've lost 130lbs. I am still trying to navigate maintenance, and it is tricky. I am struggling GreenPartyVoter May 2016 #2
There are people who hit the motherlode of genetic zalinda May 2016 #3
wonder about crash diet vs gradual weight loss. not mentioned in story msongs May 2016 #4
Crashing is worse but even slow loss is very easily regained. nolabear May 2016 #8
It is extreme. They also work out a lot in addition to low calorie diet. LisaL May 2016 #10
Depressing A Little Weird May 2016 #5
I am convinced that there are genes present in the human body that are "famine survival genes" Trailrider1951 May 2016 #6
As an overweight guy, binge dieting is almost as bad as binge eating. Initech May 2016 #7
Anybody who watched that show knows they eat little LisaL May 2016 #9
Their leptin levels dropped to almost zero and their metabolism dramatically dropped. riderinthestorm May 2016 #11
Indeed NobodyHere May 2016 #12
Then let me offer encouragement... GaYellowDawg May 2016 #13
Lot of good advice there, IMO. I'd quibble only with the last one, closeupready May 2016 #14
Nope! GaYellowDawg May 2016 #15
And with so many overweight children TexasMommaWithAHat May 2016 #16
I'm thankful I never watched a single episode of that show... Wounded Bear May 2016 #17
There's nothing genetically different about them. They gain the weight back because they never Marr May 2016 #18
I went through a medically supervised weight loss system, and I learned a lot. IamMab May 2016 #19

Warpy

(110,913 posts)
1. That's all been known for a very long time
Tue May 3, 2016, 06:42 PM
May 2016

90+% of people who reach their insurance company/fashion industry "ideal weight" will gain it all back plus extra within 5 years, and it doesn't matter which method they used, including surgery.

The diet industry is founded on lies, that weight itself is unhealthy and can be lost and kept off. The truth is that only obesity is unhealthy, that moderate overweight is not, and that moderate overweight is certainly healthier than yo-yo dieting, which is what dieting always turns into. Since most people don't know this, the books, programs, and spa memberships keep selling very well.

A better idea is to buy clothing that fits, to eat a balanced diet (Weight Watchers is actually good at teaching this although just as bad at permanent weight loss as the rest of them), and to do enough exercise to stay healthy.

Also, when thin people are concern trolling, just tell them that inside every thin person is a fat person being squeezed to death.

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
2. I've lost 130lbs. I am still trying to navigate maintenance, and it is tricky. I am struggling
Tue May 3, 2016, 06:53 PM
May 2016

with my unhealthy relationship with food. Just taking it day by day and week by week, and praying I can keep moving, because if I get hurt I worry that I won't be able to cut the food back to balance the budget.

The struggle is real. On the other hand, there are so many of us in this boat, maybe they really will find a way to reprogram us somehow.

zalinda

(5,621 posts)
3. There are people who hit the motherlode of genetic
Tue May 3, 2016, 07:19 PM
May 2016

blessings and for others they are made fun of and made to feel lesser than human. I can fight against my body or I can give in and work around it. I've finally chose to work around it and it's only because of my age that I can be comfortable with it. Not everyone is a winner in the birth lottery, some who are born less desirable bodies in less than desirable circumstances should not be dictated to by those who fared better in the lottery.

Z

msongs

(67,199 posts)
4. wonder about crash diet vs gradual weight loss. not mentioned in story
Tue May 3, 2016, 07:22 PM
May 2016

to much degree. like 200 pounds loss in 4 months vs spread out over 3 years etc trying to lose a pound a day sounds very extreme

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
8. Crashing is worse but even slow loss is very easily regained.
Tue May 3, 2016, 08:57 PM
May 2016

It's a hell of a thing. Dieting does the exact opposite of what it's thought to do.

LisaL

(44,962 posts)
10. It is extreme. They also work out a lot in addition to low calorie diet.
Tue May 3, 2016, 09:13 PM
May 2016

And seems like most of them for nothing, as almost all of them gained most of the weight back (according to the article). For them to stay at that low weight, they would have to be able to maintain that work out ethic (but after the show they don't have the same motivation, do they?) and eat very low calorie diet. Which obviously almost none of them are able to do.

Trailrider1951

(3,409 posts)
6. I am convinced that there are genes present in the human body that are "famine survival genes"
Tue May 3, 2016, 08:48 PM
May 2016

for lack of better terminology. Think about it: humans survived many times, including the Ice Age, when food was scarce. It makes sense to me that during these times, the people with more than a few famine survival genes survived, while their thinner neighbors died off due to lack of reserves. Today, some people tend to gain weight easily and keep that extra fat during anytime short of abject starvation. And it may be a group of genes causing this fat retention. If your heritage includes few of these genes, you may have a thin to moderate body size throughout your life, no matter what you eat or how much you exercise. If you have more of these genes, you gain weight if you don't exercise and watch your diet. If you have the maximum famine survival genes, you may be obese unless you eat very few calories and exercise to the max. To me, fat shaming makes about as much sense as gay shaming. We are all born with our gene heritage.

Initech

(99,915 posts)
7. As an overweight guy, binge dieting is almost as bad as binge eating.
Tue May 3, 2016, 08:55 PM
May 2016

And believe me, it doesn't take a medical doctor to figure that one out.

LisaL

(44,962 posts)
9. Anybody who watched that show knows they eat little
Tue May 3, 2016, 09:03 PM
May 2016

and constantly work out. Unless they are able to maintain that workout and diet after the show ends, they are not going to stay at that low weight.

 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
11. Their leptin levels dropped to almost zero and their metabolism dramatically dropped.
Tue May 3, 2016, 09:56 PM
May 2016

Some of those folks did maintain the regime, or very close to it, and still regained the weight.

The only one who is now close to their "show" weight, regained virtually all the weight then had bariatric surgery to drop it again.

Totally depressing read.





 

NobodyHere

(2,810 posts)
12. Indeed
Wed May 4, 2016, 12:41 AM
May 2016

The article indicates that the contestants have lower metabolism and higher levels of leptinen which increases craving even at the same weight they were before.

I'm trying to get down to the weight I was in the Air Force (which is about 40 lbs less and 5 years agoish). I'm slowly succeeding so far but the article reiterates a complete lifestyle change and even then it isn't going to be easy.

GaYellowDawg

(4,443 posts)
13. Then let me offer encouragement...
Wed May 4, 2016, 01:09 AM
May 2016

First, with the Biggest Loser: what do people expect? Their bodies have to be "wondering" why they've undergone extreme exercise during a famine? No wonder they reacted poorly to such an extreme shock!

Weight takes quite some time to gain. It should be reasonable that it takes quite some time to lose. I've lost over 70 pounds in less than a year (and 107 overall) and it has been almost easy because I have taken the slow road. What I've done is to change one thing about my dietary habits every couple of weeks. Kept the focus on the habits and not worried about the weight from day to day. And the weight did nothing for a while, and then just started dropping off like mad. It's slowed down, but as long as I'm not regaining, I'm fine with it. I've tried to set up some general rules:

- If it comes in the house, it gets eaten. Therefore, try not to bring bad stuff into the house.
- Drink water for thirst, everything else for taste.
- Try to avoid white rice, potatoes, and white bread. Grains are fine.
- Read labels carefully. Try to avoid high fructose corn syrup and saturated fats in particular.
- Just about everyone has at least a few very healthy foods they like. Make a list of them and focus on enjoying them.

This isn't all of them, but like I said, I tried to eliminate things once every couple of weeks. If you do that, then you can accumulate a lot of positive changes to what you eat before you know it, and since you're not making any huge changes at any one time, it feels actually pretty easy. After you've done it for a while, your tastes will change and you'll find that you don't really want a lot of stuff you used to eat.

 

closeupready

(29,503 posts)
14. Lot of good advice there, IMO. I'd quibble only with the last one,
Wed May 4, 2016, 10:27 AM
May 2016

because I love saturated fats and I'm argumentative by nature.

Do you exercise, as well?

GaYellowDawg

(4,443 posts)
15. Nope!
Wed May 4, 2016, 12:57 PM
May 2016

I really should, but I've lost all the weight with habit modification. I am starting a very mild regimen this week with the hopes that I will have a good workout in place by autumn.

TexasMommaWithAHat

(3,212 posts)
16. And with so many overweight children
Wed May 4, 2016, 03:35 PM
May 2016

what is the future of our health going to be like? How can we afford all the extra risks associated with obesity if we want universal healthcare?

I can compare the pictures taken of myself or my husband with our classmates when we were in elementary school to the pictures of my grandkids in their class pictures and two things stand out immediately:

1) The classrooms are a lot more diverse.
2) There are many more overweight children today.

This is a crisis and we need a solution soon!

Wounded Bear

(58,442 posts)
17. I'm thankful I never watched a single episode of that show...
Wed May 4, 2016, 03:53 PM
May 2016

more "reality" TV crap.

Imagine that, fad diets and drastic measures to shed weight don't work in the long run. I feel for the former contestants, because they went through a lot. Weight shaming is bad enough, putting it on national TV amounts to emotional abuse, to go along with all of the physical and psychic abuse they went through.

I've struggled with body weight most of my life, although I was never what one would call morbidly obese. It's one of my "only in America" moments when I think of this. Only in America could we have TV shows based on competitive eating and competitive weight loss.

 

Marr

(20,317 posts)
18. There's nothing genetically different about them. They gain the weight back because they never
Wed May 4, 2016, 03:59 PM
May 2016

changed their habits. A short-term boot camp/crucible sort of experience will make them drop weight, of course, but without changing their lifestyles/eating habits, they'll naturally drift right back to where they began.

That's why these extreme regimens and crash diets are such garbage. Permanent fitness is about changing your habits permanently. And that means it can't be too punishing. It can't be something that makes you miserable, or aching for it to just end.

 

IamMab

(1,359 posts)
19. I went through a medically supervised weight loss system, and I learned a lot.
Wed May 4, 2016, 04:26 PM
May 2016

Basically, your body is predisposed to make you weight what you weight. If you adjust your caloric intake to be lower, your body starts operating more efficiently so that it maintains your weight on the lower calories. It's very difficult to lose weight, and even harder to keep it off. To successfully lose weight is basically a complete lifestyle change involving, in the immortal words of Mad-Eye Moody, "Constant vigilance!"

It's rough. I was unsuccessful with my program, despite everything I learned there.

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