The Biggest Loser - Opinions?

[Sadie]

I watch the show too, and love it! Seems to me, most make life altering changes and deal with the emotional side of their overeating. Love Bob and Jillian. I have a personal trainer like Jillian, and it sure is motivating...

[Zen]

Jillian grates on my last nerve and now she's pushing some sort of weight loss supplement pills

Sometimes I think they're pushing those people a bit hard considering their history of inactivity.

[NoNo]

I have no doubt there are people there solely for the money and will do whatever it takes to win. But I also believe there are people that truly want to change their lives and actually take what they learned and carry it forward after the show. I've never felt the workouts were realistic for someone just trying to do it on their own, but watching those people change so dramatically may be what it takes to get someone off the couch and start making some little changes.

Go Danny!

[roadie gal]

We watched the first 2 seasons religiously but we haven't watched it much lately, since the game playing has overshadowed the weight loss for some people.

I think the workouts are unrealistic for these people. I'm surprised that there haven't been heart attacks and deaths.

There's a "Where are they now" show coming up next week that profiles the previous contestants. Now THAT'S the show I want to see.

[katluvr]

I am addicted. And not for a good reason. NOt sure why I am obsessed with this show. (And I sit and sip my wine while I watch!)

I do get very frustrated by the time they spend in the gym. And if they dont' have a gym the all freak out. They should show people how to incorporate non-gym activites and to have fun. They have moved more towards the running doing those 1/2 and full marathon distances.

But you can tell there are mroe and more injuries as they push these people harder than they should.

I also wonder if they put them on appetite suppressants. How does one go from eating thousands and thousands of calories to eating probably between 1000 - 1500???

I think there are some good messages...just not enough.

I am most interested to see tonight's look at who kept if off. I have ALWAYS wondered what happend to those folks.

(Oh and what about all the crying...drives me insane. Actually it is like a comedy to me. Sorry, don't mean to offend anyone that watches...because I watch it toooo!)

[tongue_tied]

I watch it as well, and as someone who's also trying to lose weight, it almost seems unreal to me for someone to lose 16 pounds in a week. I have a job, and I work out 4-5 times a week. These people work out 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. Maybe if I had that time, I too could lose 150 pounds. Besides that and the product pushing they do after segments, I think it's a good show which, underneath it all, has a good message to get out there and change your life.

[Tri Girl]

I watch it, too, but know it's changed since it's inception. It was more about the lifestyle changes and learning how to live healthier in the beginning, but I feel it's gotten way more "commercial" and out to sell merchandise/items lately. Might be just me, but it seems like they're trying to find heavier people and push them harder (bigger, faster, more).
I can't wait for the special tonight. It is inspiring to see people change their lives. As someone who lost 35 lbs with WW only to gain it all back plus 5- I feel their pain. It was so incredibly difficult for me to go from "dieting to lose" to "eating to maintain." I can't imagine trying to keep 100+ pounds off.

[Crankin]

I've only seen a few of these shows because the first hour is on against my favorite show (NCIS).
But, I agree with everyone who said that the work outs seem a bit over strenuous for that population, given their history of inactivity and medical issues. I did see the first show this season and when that person fainted and had to be taken away in an ambulance, I thought about what kind of message it sent to the general public. It goes against everything I learned when I was training to be a fitness instructor. Aren't they afraid of the liability issues?
The show seems to be doing some things right, like addressing the emotional aspects of eating, but really, who has 8 hours a day to exercise.
Get those people on a bike!

[NoNo]

They alluded to this season's first episode in the article, but I think it served as a wake-up call about how out-of-shape a lot of people are, not that they're pushing them too far. It was a mile, no one said they had to run it. Just walk a mile. I bet if you asked any of those people before they started, they'd say "Oh, I could walk a mile!" It sounds so simple. But then you got the reality of how bad a condition they were in. I hear my dad say things like that all the time, and then he's sucking wind after going up a flight of stairs. Maybe that was the wake-up some people needed to say "Gee, maybe things aren't as rosy as I like to think they are".