I know people love NBC’s weight loss challenge, “The Biggest Loser“. I’ve heard people say they find the show motivating. I have to to honest. I dislike it intensely! I hate the title…even if you win you’re a “loser”. I hate the expectations it sets up…the weekly weight losses on these kinds of shows are insanely unhealthy. Recently a male client of mine lost 10 pounds in a month, eating and exercising healthfully. Still, he felt very disappointed in himself…he pointed to the show as evidence that he “should” have lost more.
Last week, on one of my professional list servs (Academy for Eating Disorders), a physician wrote about his very strong concerns about “The Biggest Loser”. Dr. Edward P. Tyson, MD, is a doctor in Austin, Texas, who specializes in treating people with eating disorders. Here’s what he wrote (reprinted with his permission). [private_membership circle]
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The winner of The Biggest Loser ($250,000 grand prize) has been chosen, http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2010/05/the_big_winner_of_biggest_loser.php
I do not follow this show as it makes me cringe to see what they do to the persons who agree to be on the show.
THE WINNER LOST MORE THAN HALF OF HIS BODY WEIGHT IN JUST 18 WEEKS, losing 260 lbs and going from 526 lbs to 264 lbs in 18 weeks.
That translates to:
14.7 lbs/week, or
A net loss of 51,400 calories a week (or 7,350 calories per day!)
If one calculates net calories burned (NCB) and using, say, 350 lbs as the weight of the male, then that 350 lb male would have to run over 33 miles per day (every day) to burn those calories from running (assuming also that the calculations from “Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running,” Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, Cameron et al, Dec. 2004, is reasonably correct).
From what I know of dramatic weight loss I have seen in my patients and from what I have read, severe weight loss is dangerous and fraught with multiple medical risks, especially cardiac, and I suspect that is the case whether it is for a TV show and $250,000 or because of an eating disorder. I also am assuming that a number of these persons are not especially cardiovascularly fit to begin with.
I looked on the ABL website (http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/ and saw their list of health experts. One is a physician who herself had been a contestant & there are 2 other physicians (the site does not list their experience with eating disorders per se, but who have had experience with weight loss treatment), a psychologist who reportedly does specialize in eating disorders, and there is a dietitian (again, without any mention of expertise in eating disorders).
Until recently, this has been for individuals and couples, but now you may all take heart–it looks like they are casting for families–I assume that includes the children–who are willing to subject themselves to this kind of intervention under direction of that renown health expert…no, make that “America’s top health and wellness expert” and “TV’s toughest fitness guru”…Jillian Michaels. Oh, you surely know her, you must have read her numerous articles in the various peer reviewed medical journals, like Ladies Home Journal, Self, and Time. Or perhaps you have read her books, like “Master your Metabolism” and “Winning by Losing” (I wonder if she asked some of my patients for suggestions of titles).
In spite of Jillian Michaels’ academic contributions, I am very concerned about the health risks posed by that kind of demand for weight loss in these subjects–not to mention the impression the public may develop about this method for weight loss (unproven for lasting effect, to my knowledge).
I can only surmise that there must be some extremely detailed contracts with a myriad of legal disclaimers and hold-harmless clauses a mile long to remove liability from the professionals associated with this show. Does anyone know if any of these professionals are members of Academy for Eating Disorders and would be willing to discuss their perspective on being consultants to and advocates for this method of weight loss and the potential impact, both good and bad, of this approach?
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Edward P. Tyson, M.D., 11651 Jollyville Rd. Suite 150, Austin, TX 78759, www.EatingDisordersDoc.com
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