The TV show The Biggest Loser has been a big hit for NBC. Many people watching this show have learned much about weight management and found inspiring examples of determination and success. The amount of weight people are losing this season ranges between 4 and 15+ pounds per week or one to three percent of total body weight. This is achieved entirely through learning how to safely increase physical activity and improving eating patterns.
Contestants have a unique opportunity in that they are immersed in a supportive culture 24/7 with a professional and medically supervised staff. Many contestants who are sent home have continued to implement changes and lose significant amounts of weight.
The variety of contestants with their wide range of body types should encourage people who have come to believe that their body just can’t lose weight the way other people can. You see almost all contestants losing four pounds or more each week, week after week. It can be done.
Yet these people are getting a level of support most of us could never afford. You can learn most of these same principles from other well designed evidence-based weight management approaches—even if you don’t have the incentives and hands-on professional support each day.
Several of the contestants on The Biggest Loser have baseline weights in the 300 to 500+ range. This makes it possible for them to lose such large amounts each week—and they deserve credit for each pound lost. In the OneSizeFitsMe program we recommend a more modest goal of one to two pounds per week. If you are very heavy you may be able to easily exceed this goal. But most people using our program will not have the incentives, time, support staff or medical supervision to match the weight loss rates achieved on the program.
If you haven’t seen The Biggest Loser, you might want to check it out as it might be a good resource to help you. We have no relationship with this show or NBC.
