Biggest Loser 10k Challenge

OMG! I have to vent about last nights Biggest Loser.

I am like most of you and have to get my daily fix of The Biggest Loser but I guess unlike some of you I watch it with my PT hat on and weigh up from a PT's perspective the good, the bad and the ugly.

I do find the show entertaining and in the case of watching Phil express his gratitude last night can be heartened by what the show is doing for some of the contestants in terms of confidence and self-esteem.

BUT the thing that makes me cringe almost on a nightly basis is the danger they place the contestants in and the calorie intake they have them on especially in light of how hard they are working them.

Last nights gripe is about having overweight people go from zero training to running 10k in 3 weeks.

This is ridiculous! Just because somebody CAN does not mean they SHOULD!

Typically runners increase mileage by about 10% a week - seasoned runners increase by around 20%. Why do they do this? To remain injury free and to let their bodies (muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints etc) adapt to the training. The mental aspect to this is a whole other post!

You will never, ever see a running coach prescribe an increase anywhere in the vicinity of what they put the contestants through for FULLY FIT clients let alone untrained, unfit and overweight individuals.

I am a runner and I know from experience (mine & my clients) just how catastrophic it can be to overdo it.

I just cannot understand the reasoning behind this other than a ratings grab.

Second gripe - The calorie restriction the contestants are on. Around 1200 for the women and around 1500 for the men. Big men and women!

I eat around 1800 - 2000 cals a day and train on average 1-2 hours a day 5-7 days a week and I weigh 52kg.

These guys are training for hours a day (or so they lead you to believe) and some of them weigh more than 3 x my bodyweight!

They are in severe calorie deficit that they cannot sustain which is why you see so many ex-contestants plugging weight loss supplements looking like that have put on 10 or more kg.

Even worse are the ones we never hear from again because they are too embarrassed to step out in public because they are steadily on the way back to where they started.

I get this is a competition and the entertainment value but I am concerned by the comments I get from my ladies asking me if it is ok for them to drop to 1200 cals a day because that is what they are doing on Loser or how come they aren't losing 5kg in a week like they do on Loser.

It sets people up to think this is acceptable and an expectation of the quick fix responsible trainers go out of their way to dispel.

We all want a quick win now and again and there is room for that in a fully thought out program but you do not want to push your body so hard, so fast that you break down and all the pain and suffering up to that point sits front of mind and holds you back from getting back on the horse and this is exactly what happens.

Sustainable weight loss, HEALTH and fitness is more complex than smashing your body, restricting calories and having someone give you a gee up to keep you going when your body wants to give out.

Great entertainment as I say and I will continue to watch it because the contestants themselves are amazing.

They are doing as they are told because as Phil's comments showed last night they place all their faith in the trainers because they simply haven't had the support in that form before and believe the trainers are looking after their best interests.

I do wonder if Michelle & Shannon cringe themselves when they go home at night knowing the lines they step over every week.