I’m watching both of these shows in their entirety and I don’t know why they’ve historically gotten so much backlash. One reviewer called TBL “a dumpster fire of a TV show” and others seem to think M6L is downright abusive. However, I can’t find anything particularly bad in either.
Although it’s true that in TBL the contestants are losing an egregious amount of weight each week, it’s likely (actually almost certain) that most of this is water weight and it would have been more dangerous to instead not lose the weight. The intense exercise scenes seem pretty typical for anybody who’s serious about athletics. Finally, the famous “damaged metabolism” study that shut down TBL turned out to be debunked due to “damaged metabolism” being a boring, normal adaptation under high physical activity.
And although there are tons of bare naked shower scenes in M6L, everyone knew that going in and they agreed anyway. Some also complain how the stars don’t receive enough support for things like therapy and other cost centers. I would say that would actually have been a great thing to add, but it would be impractical at scale and have a high chance of bankrupting the production with how much healthcare costs, resulting in a net loss of benefit for those who need the surgery.
So, what’s your viewpoint here?
The correlation between weight and health is a lot murkier than media in general, and these shows in particular, represent. It’s much more reliable to measure blood and vitals, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, to establish wellbeing and risk.
Rapid changes in weight tho, in either direction, are well established for having permanent harmful effects. It also tends to make it more difficult to maintain weight loss, and more likely someone actually increases in weight over time.
These shows make it seem like losing weight at any cost is desirable, and don’t put focus on the actually accurate metrics of wellbeing, while ignoring the negative long term impacts of rapid weight loss. It’s a very warped view of health that focuses on an aesthetic feature.
I strongly recommend giving this podcast a try if you want more analysis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biggest-loser/id1535408667?i=1000505824482
Shedding weight fast is a great method for excess skin that requires cosmetic surgery to remove. Slowly losing weight can reduce but not eliminate the requirements for surgery.
Good friend of mine lost almost half his body weight in around 4 years, his arms, legs are all OK but his stomach area needs some work. I can’t imagine the hardship people “competing” on the biggest loser need to go through once the season is over.
That’s true, I was simplifying a little bit because it certainly depends on how you lose it. Crash diets are the worst because they can really mess with your organs, but liposuction or more balanced changes can avoid the worst of that.
Spot on comment. “But, but, but obesity” Yeah correlation is not causation, when will people get off of the better than thou train.
Being healthy is more than just how much people weight and it baffles me that so many comments here are tone deaf about how it is not as easy as CICO and criticize people who live in larger bodies.
This is a valid criticism of the Biggest Loser, but My 600 Lb Life generally culminates with bariatric surgery, which has some of the best long term outcomes for maintaining weight loss.
Yes, but also that weightloss from bariatric surgery comes with many unhealthy side effects:
Dumping; calcium, Iron, folate, vitamin A, B1,B12,D malabsortion; malnutrition, ulcers, refractory late dumping; increased risk of postoperative abuse of alcohol; depression; anxiety; increased mortality from suicide (so much for decreased mortality for not being fat anymore); more risk of colorectal cancer; Barret’s oesophagus (premalignant condition for oesophageal adenocarcinoma), etc.
So how come this is healthier for someone? Is it a case or choosing a poison? How come anesthesia is a risk for life saving surgeries for fat people but that risk evaporates when it comes to bariatric procedures? So which is it? “We want you thinner” or “We want you healhy”?
Sources:
Adams TD , Davidson LE, Litwin SE, Kim J, Kolotkin RL, Nanjee MNet al. Weight and metabolic outcomes 12 years after gastric bypass. N Engl J Med2017
Johansson K , Svensson PA, Soderling J, Peltonen M, Neovius M, Carlsson LMSet al. Long-term risk of anaemia after bariatric surgery: results from the Swedish Obese Subjects study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol2021
Saad RK , Ghezzawi M, Habli D, Alami RS, Chakhtoura M. Fracture risk following bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoporos Int2022
Scarpellini E , Arts J, Karamanolis G, Laurenius A, Siquini W, Suzuki Het al. International consensus on the diagnosis and management of dumping syndrome. Nat Rev Endocrinol2020
Ostlund MP , Backman O, Marsk R, Stockeld D, Lagergren J, Rasmussen Fet al. Increased admission for alcohol dependence after gastric bypass surgery compared with restrictive bariatric surgery. JAMA Surg2013
Dumping syndrome is avoidable by not consuming too much sugar. And it is not an issue for people that receive a gastric sleeve.
Vitamin malabsorption is easily addressed with vitamin supplements.
Most bariatric programs restrict patients from consuming alcohol for 6 months and more. The risk comes from transfer addiction, which also is an issue for all overeaters making changes.
You know what else causes many of those side effects? MORBID OBESITY.
This is absolutely healthier. My doctor recommended it for years and I finally went through it. The constant hunger is gone. I’ve give from being winded and in pain after walking a quarter mile to being able to walk several miles pain free.
You know when I first saw my surgeon, he told me the same thing you said at the end: it isn’t about being thin, it’s about being healthy. Heck, he specifically said I’d never be thin.
I tried to make changes for years, lost lots of weight multiple times, only to see it go right back on and then some. Every time it was harder. I needed something that would help keep it off. The best medical data told me surgery was the best bet for that.
And I know what you are thinking: bariatric surgery is cheating, it’s the east way out. NOT ON YOUR LIFE. I had to lose weight before surgery. I had to meet with psychiatrists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, and nutritionists. I had to go on an extreme pre-surgery diet, then have only a liquid diet for 3 weeks, and soft foods for 5 more weeks. I get nothing with more than 5 grams of sugar for 6 months. And not one single cheat day is allowed or even possible. And that is aside from a painful surgery and recovery. It is no shortcut.
It’s also worth noting it is only available to people with a BMI over 40 or over 35 with a significant comorbidity like diabetes. People that need to lose a few pounds cannot get it, it’s only people needing significant weight loss.
So, to be frank, you have no idea what you are talking about. Being fat is unhealthy, but the best medical advice to reduce obesity you think is wrong. Guess people like me should just die?
No, I think we should listen to our doctors, not judgmental people on the internet citing misleading facts. The research shows bariatric surgery has better, healthier results.
More studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8012340/
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1700459
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/research-areas/obesity/longitudinal-assessment-bariatric-surgery
Whoa! Lots of assumptions there, pal. Projection much?
I never said it was cheating or a shortcut, that was all you. I never said people like you should die. You do you and good if it has worked so far, but that does not mean that it is going to work for every single person who gets this suggested by their doctor.
That does not mean that every person getting this surgery comes out of it scot free forever, look at the data. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Calling me judgemental is not te flex you think it is.
Carry on.
You said it comes with side effects as of to say EVERY patient will deal with them. And you act like doctors hide the risk of complications. As an actual patient, absolutely not! My first appointment, I was given a book produced by out program highlighting common issues and how to mitigate/prevent them to the extent possible.
You clearly want to discourage bariatric surgery. I want to encourage people to make the best decision for themselves in conjunction with their medical team.