I love watching these shows...but this one takes the cake for outright dishonesty.

In their initial weigh-in, one of the largest fellows weighed in at approximately 170 kg (374 lbs)

In the 'one week' weigh-in, he was down 15.5 kilos, to 154.5 (340 lbs)(the initial numbers might be wrong, but the supposed weight loss is not.)

One week...34 lbs. Let's go really wild here and assume that he was a bloated pig before the first weigh-in and was a dehydrated diuretic mess a week later...so let's cut out 20 lbs for water/excrement/glycogen depletion.

That's 14 lbs in a week, or 49000 calories. A 375 lb guy would burn perhaps 4000 calories a day MAX. So that's 28000 calories (by the way, i know how ridiculous 4000 calories sounds...especially because i have to figure in exercise after...but let's pretend). So where is the other 21000 calories? Perhaps extra exercise? Well, a 26 mile MARATHON for a 375 pound guy is about 6,000 calories. So perhaps he did a half marathon everyday after coming from a life of sedentary activity.

Oh yes, this also assumes he didn't eat. Once.

Those initial weigh-ins are a scam or the time frame is altered from what they claim.

Michael

I've never seen the australian version, I've never been able to sit thru more than a few minutes of the US version... but the weigh ins for the us version are similar.

There's a thread here somewhere -that had a link to an article from Time magazine how the contestants would put up such huge numbers for weigh ins...

I read somewhere that their weeks are ten days not seven on the show. That also accounts for some of the extremity, but yeah, there's something fishy. Plus, they work out pretty much all day.

It's pretty extreme, but it could probably happen.

He may have lost 10-15 pounds in water weight in the first week.

A guy that big could probably eat 5,000 calories a day and maintain his weight. You drop your diet down to 1,500 and there's losing a pound a day there alone.

They also exercise 6-7 hours a day I hear. I can burn over 900 calories in a hour on the treadmill going on a big incline.

I think his water weight had a lot to do with that big of a number.

Seems the first week they always put up huge numbers, but I think a big part of that is arranged. In the first few seasons in the US and in Australia the contestants were given a HUGE meal and allowed to gorge tremendously, right before weigh in. Based on some of the eating I saw in those sessions I can completely believe they added 20 or even 30 pounds to their actual weight just from that meal alone. Not to mention I am sure many of them water load at the beginning to make a big showing at the first weigh in. (who wants to be the first one out?) One contestant in this seasons US version gained 18 pounds in a week. I would have thought that impossible too, but obviously that was all water loading. the next week he lost 34 (I think thats what it was) Impossible? No, simply well planned and executed.

But healthy, realistic or otherwise, they do appear to be able to do it, and not just in the first week. I hav faithfully watched the show for years and 10-20-30 pound losses in 1 week are not uncommon. And when you can really see the difference in body shape and size it is hard to dispute the physical evidence.

People do give me a hard time for watching the show because they feel it is too unrealistic and gives people the wrong idea about goal setting. However I choose to see the glass half full instead of half empty. Sure, I don't expect to lose 20 pounds in 1 week, but seeing those people on TV do it sure gives me an extra boost to work harder myself. And when the show is on TV I am more motivated and typically will lose 5 pounds a week myself (6 last week in fact) And I am even scolded by many for that because they claim it is "too fast to be healthy! I get a kick out of that since my unhealthy weight loss allows me energy to work, play and still exercise 2 hours a day with no adverse side effects. Those people on the show exercise hard 4 hours a day and consume 1500 calories a day or less. Not suprising at all to me that they lose so much weight. And the entire time the are monitored by health care professionals (and I dont mean bob and jillian) so they can push themselves to the extremes without as much fear as someone doing it on their own.

Though not realistic for the average person, I don't think it is a scam. I have seen 30+ pound losses on several occasions on the shows and I dont really see the point in "faking" the results. I think it is merely proof positive that human beings have enormously more potential than sometimes we may believe. I have seen accouns in the group here of people losing 100's of pounds in a VERY short time! Would anyone dare to call their success a scam? Have a look in the diaries and before and after photos. Can't remember exactly, but one guy here lost over 200 pounds this year alone (maybe even just half a year), based on overgeneralizations I have often heard he should be dead, or at very least extremely unhealthy now.

I may not be able to lose 30 pounds in a week myself, but that doesn't make me negative or down on the experience in the slightest. Instead I use that inspirational event as pure motivation for my own weight loss success. And by god it's working, so consider a scam if you will, but as long as it helps a few people who desperately need a boost, its worth every pound in gold to me!

sirant

I think you're talking about contestant Damien.

He weighed in at nearly 216.3kg/476 lbs (actual 475.86) and lost 13.1kg or almost 29 lbs (28.82) in week one.

Clearly pro/anti advocation of this show will always ruffle feathers depending on your stance but we tend forget fat is stored energy and serves its purpose when called upon to be used up. Damien demanded a lot of his own.

Two things come to mind here: So few of us have ever been that size to know just how bad he may/may not have been taxing his heart, so we can't decide if he was in real danger.

One the same note of the huge size he was, so few of us really get to lose such a massive amount in optimum conditions. Those conditions/enviroment totally enhance the capabilities for anyone mentally amped for the adventure.

Adding another 100 lbs to the calculation makes it more believable to his burn rate.

Did he load up before before the show to add 'extra weight' ?? I'll bet a lot of contestant do it. That's life changing money for most of us and factor in these people are leaving their 'comfort foods' behind for up to one week to possibly the rest of their life, yeah who wouldn't pig one more time ??

It was a different guy, and he dropped 15.5kg.

No doubt he loaded and did all that great stuff...it still doesn't change the fact that that type of weight-loss in 7 days is impossible.

Michael

Apparently "loading" can and did happen in Season 1

Sorry about the wrong guy.

I guess the 'thunder down under' works in weight loss, too.

Though certainly not a good idea or reccomended by any fitness or health professionals, why is it impossible? Every show at least one contestant drops an enormous number like that. Under ideal and perfectly monitored cirmcumstances, why could it not happen?

The human body is a mysterious machine no one truly understands fully. The same could be said by soooooo many of us here, who eat properly and exercise 3 hours a day, and dont lose a pound for weeks. That too seems impossible, but it has happened to me on numerous occasions (the dreaded plateau) and too many others here in this group to begin to list. When asking the question "Why didn't I lose any weight this week???" through sobs of frustration and tears, the experts tell us the body loses weight at its own speed, and the best we can do is facilitate that process.

So if a person can work their ass off and eat perfectly and not lose a pound, could it not also be possible the body, in all its mysterious functioning could also shed a whole whack of weight in a short amount of time also? I have lost 12-15 pounds in a week without even really trying, just exercising and eating healthy (not even super low cal) then other weeks I work my ass off with lower (though still within recommended limits) and not lose a pound.

But to me the biggest question is why lie? What purpose does it serve the network or show to set unbelievably high goals or expectations? Aside from the gratuitous plugging of "fat friendly" products, they aren't selling anything themselves that makes any promises of miracle 30 pound weight losses. I could understand some miracle weight loss gimick company doing that, but that isnt the case here. In fact they repeat over and over that the whole premise of the show is losing weight without anything other than just exercise and diet.

So why fake it? Just for a lark?

How would setting goals nobody could possibly achieve help in the ratings? From what I have seen here and other places where this same topic is thrown around, it turns more people off the show than it brings in?

I know I am not in line for a 30 pound weight loss, but seeing someone else do it makes me feel good.

If its a sham, I dont understand why, but I have to say thanks!



sirant

Very common tactic.

Get immunity, drink 20-30 litres of water before the weigh in, then the next week when the water is gone you make an enormous loss from the water being gone and the actual fat loss for the 2 week period.

That is the reason now contestants with immunity will lose immunity if they gain weight, as it became far too common to do so.

I think this season in the US (season 4) was the first one where the contestants werent (at least on camera) given a "last meal" to gorge themselves silly right before the weigh in. Glad to see that gone to be honest.

sirant

Sirant: For real?

I get this strange feeling you didn't finish high school. True?

Michael

I don't understand why you said that.

What Sirant said was well reasoned and his comments about being told that we don't understand everything about how weight loss works sound spot on to me. I understand that this is a field you've studied, so I expect you are aware of that.

Also, if you don't agree with him I'm really puzzled as to why you should attack him as an individual, when he did no more than put a different point of view to yours.

Additionally, I'm a little puzzled why you should attack his supposed level of education when it's so obvious that Sirant is posting like a well educated person. (I have no idea whether he is or not). Hey even if he wasn't - that's no way for an educated person to criticize another person's ideas.

Well he was kinda wrong.

You would DIE if you drank 20-30litres of water in one go. Heck, you die if you drink 5litres of water in one session.

Whats so well educated about that?

He actually just said "before" not "in one go". Yet I can see why you say this is an exaggeration and a valid line to criticize.

If you notice an apparent error of fact though, that is what needs to be addressed, not someone else's level of education. Also, that was one comment and doesn't necessarily negate other aspects of what was said.

You're right. Approach the message not the messenger.

I'm in the middle of exams and my threshold to be annoyed by gross ignorance drops 10-fold.

I just slept though so I'm perky and a lot less pissy.

Forgive me? lol

Michael